Benny

by Crystal Shrine

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youellswinney love it! so glad I got to see you guys at the Levitt Shell tonight! you guys are my favorite band to come see. keep up the good work!

	/

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about

This song is about the power of young people to be leaders and create positive social change. It was inspired by the lost revolution lead by young people in the 1960s that was later co-opted by corporate America. It is about the power of community and people in aggregate to resist oppression. I believe young people have a unique view of the world that is less tainted by the establishment and they have the energy and vision to lead global movements.

The song is available for download with a donation of $5 or more to Youth Empowerment through Arts & Humanities (YEAH!) an organization that amplifies the voices of youth and empowers them to be agents of social change. To learn more about YEAH! visit yeahrocks.org.

Benny embodies the big brother who may have been hip to the revolution but later got jaded and gave up. He represents the establishment, Reaganism, and yuppy greed. This song references a historic moment in Memphis in 1966 when the Beatles played the Mid-South Coliseum and the KKK protested the show because the band insisted on playing to an unsegregated audience. The song reenvisions the Beatles as a punk band and ponders where we might be if the cultural revolution had succeeded and the baby boomer generation hadn't sold us out.

lyrics

Benny took back my radio
Never looked back, it was all just for show
I never knew how much it meant to me
Until that day I had to set it free

Cause Benny took back my radio
He went and pawned it cause he wanted some blow
And then the KKK drove the Beatles away
But the kids all danced, so they decided to stay
Then the young girls screamed “We have work to do!
Cause I love you - and you and you and you”

Benny took back my radio
I was on the fence, then I was part of the show
I said, “Kick down the doors and fill up the floors!
We have work to do and I need you and you and you”

And then the KKK tried to drive the Beatles away
There was a teenaged riot so they decided to play
They said, “Tear down the bars, cause here we are! And I love you
And you and you and you.”

And there were no more wars and no more bores
And the kids all danced to a utopian romance

credits

released October 16, 2018
Drums by Matthew Berry
Bass by Andrew Geraci
Rhythm guitar by Jesse Davis
Lead guitar and vocals by Kelley Anderson
Keys by Seth Moody

Produced by Toby Vest and Kelley Anderson
Engineered by Pete Matthews and Toby Vest (High/Low Recording)
Mastered by John Baldwin
(c) Kelley Anderson

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about

Crystal Shrine Memphis, Tennessee

Kelley Anderson is a musical artist based in Memphis, Tennessee. She performs under the name Crystal Shrine, creating eerie, Southern gothic folk and pop songs.

She uses her experience in sound engineering to create unique textures, incorporating those soundscapes into more traditional song structures of the American musical canon. ... more

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