MovieChat Forums > Beyond the Sea (2004) Discussion > Simple Song of Freedom

Simple Song of Freedom

posted 9 years ago by rmontro
2 replies | jump to latest

I just saw a clip of Bobby Darin singing Simple Song of Freedom on some retro music PBS show. It brought back memories of when I had seen him sing this song when I was younger, I suppose I must have been around 10.

I remember watching this on TV with my family. My father, who was probably pretty close to 60 at the time, made a comment that he didn't like that Bobby Darin did this. He was still from a time when people believed in the president and such, and while he was not a political man particularly, he had served in the military when he was younger. I seem to recall him enjoying Bobby Darin doing his swing music/big band stuff, and now suddenly here was on TV, protesting the war, singing a folk song, and flashing the peace sign like a hippie. And it didn't sit well with him.

That's really all I remember, but it demonstrates one of the interesting things about Bobby Darin and this movie: how he changed his image and style over the years.

[–] holchie 9 years ago

To me, this song is so stupid. First of all, it seems to be written "simply" to jump on the peace bandwagon. Secondly, the lyrics make no sense. Example, the very first verse, "Hey there, Mister Black Man, can you hear me? I don't want your diamonds or your game. I just want to be someone known to you as me. And I will bet my life you want the same." Huh? What does that even mean? Another verse is totally inane, "Seven hundred million are you listening? Most of what you read is made of lies. But speaking one to one, ain't it everybody's sun to wake to in the morning when we rise?"
Who are the 700,000,000 people? The US only has approx. 300,000,000. And what does the sun have to do with anything?

[–] MsLadybird99 9 years ago

I would think diamonds and game refer to South Africa.

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As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.