These are the two best music videos ever made.

I also think that I have worked way too hard editing my own videos. It's now apparent that I didn't need to.
- L.M. 8-31-2008 7:08 am

Jerusalem sung by The George Bean Group from the 1967 film Privilege.

- L.M. 8-31-2008 7:14 am

ELP
- alex 8-31-2008 10:20 am

more Emerson Lake & Palmer;

When I was 13 years old I worshipped these guys.

(posted by VB via SM)
- sally mckay 8-31-2008 4:31 pm

And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon England’s mountains green
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England’s pleasant pastures seen
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England’s green & pleasant Land.

From an old essay on William Blake by Von Bark:

"...the solemn churning of this lugbrious High Anglican Anthem dredged up fond Catholic childhood memories of... listening to Emerson Lake & Palmer's appropriately untrenchent progressive-rock rendition of Sir. Hubert Parry's arrangement of that which sensitive choir directors might describe as an 'old war-horse' echoed with a touch of Monty Pythonesque finesse.

But to his great credit Sir Hubert's solidly defined melody is absolutley sing-able as well as memorable. After hearing this the dang song started sprouting up everywhere. Billy Bragg trotted out what in my opinion appeared to be the most authentic and soulfully socialistic version of these utopian lyrics arranged for solo voice and piano. Proto-punk/dadaist Mark E.Smith of The Fall interpreted a suitably cryptic version. The somewhat more literate than average metal-head Bruce Dickenson (formerly of Judas Priest) has performed this song as well as several other Blake poems set to his own music, Judy Collins has apparently done a version, and I must confess I have not yet even heard Vangelis' soundtrack to the Academy award winning movie whose title was inspired by this song... & of course The Floyd stole the riff to use on 'Wish You were Here'.

One of the most interesting recent versions of this song came about as a conceptual project by the contemporary English experimental artist Damien Hirst, who is perhaps best known for his Turner award winning scupltures utilizing animal parts and formaldehyde. In this case Hirst collaborated with comedian Keith Allen and musician Alex James (of Blur) to form a cheeky novelty act called 'Fat Les' which arranged a suitably bombastic interpretation utilizing no less than seven full choirs for that literally authentic 'cast of thousands' choral effect. This song was chosen as the theme song to represent the English Euro Soccer Team campaign in the 2000 Championship, despite some criticism which ironically dismissed this song for its stogy reputation as an archaic altarpiece of the Anglican Church, a dispute presumably made by individuals who had never tweaked to the possible radical utopian slant of these words. As part of their P.R. effort they commissioned numerous posters on the London Transit System, thus encouraging various soccer fans & hooligans to memorize and chant words of transcendant social revelation rather than your typical tribal conflict fare, in my mind a most delicious bit of final irony. "

A great example of appropriation. The colonized transpose the myth of the conqueror onto their own locale. We call Blake a genius but the Mormons are nuts.., just a matter of poetic quality?
- alex 8-31-2008 10:27 pm

Good point, I thought of Mormon theology when I first read this poem. (except that Blake is asking if, the Mormons insist that)

Where is our resident excommunicated Mormon today? Anthony?
- L.M. 8-31-2008 11:15 pm

lds hymonody is often as gorgeous and about the same things as Jerusalem and remember large chunks of it come from anglo american refuseniks.

(http://www.lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=1&searchseqstart=292&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=292&searchsubseqend=ZZZ)

- anonymous (guest) 9-01-2008 6:13 am