Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2014 April 15

Welcome to the Wikipedia Entertainment Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

April 15

"God bless the child that's got his own" what ?

Money ?

This Billie Holiday song is old enough that the lyrics must be public domain by now:

"God Bless The Child"

Them that's got shall have,
Them that's not shall lose,
So the Bible says and it still is news,
Mama may have, Papa may have,
But God bless the child that's got his own, that's got his own.

Thanks, StuRat (talk) 01:43, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Faith, my child! The Parable of the talents or minas, Matthew 25:29. OttawaAC (talk) 02:24, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Is it older than Steamboat Willie? —Tamfang (talk) 04:30, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

The song was written in 1939 so it is almost certainly not in the public domain. Rmhermen (talk) 06:05, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Stu, did you read the article's subsection "Origin and interpretation"? (I'm asking because you didn't link to the article, but to a disambiguation page). ---Sluzzelin talk 09:43, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Yes, and that section, along with the rest of the lyrics, is why I suspect it's talking about money. But I don't quite understand how a child is supposed to have his own money, unless we are talking about an adult offspring, or at least a teenager, capable of earning a living. Does she mean an inherited trust fund ? StuRat (talk) 14:20, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

As far as I can figure (I'm not an expert on American vernacular), she's referring to an adult as "child", something a lot of blues songs do (such as "Ooh Child (Things Are Gonna Get Easier) by The Five Steps, or Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix.). The song is about people fighting about money... "rich relations give crust of bread and such"... but also about having your own faith, strength, and making the most of whatever gifts you have...I guess. That's how I interpret it. I think the parable allusion would've been a lot more clear to people back in the day.OttawaAC (talk) 18:36, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Aye. Not just a blues thing, but a Christianity thing. We are (allegedly) all God's children. He blesses some with self-sufficiency (sounds a bit contradictory, I know). There are only two main classes (rich/poor, have/have-not, 99%/1%), if you rely on an economic system for happiness. God bless Option C. InedibleHulk (talk) 01:05, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

Fun Fact: "Heaven is a Place on Earth" is basically "Living on a Prayer". Bear witness. Both artists also heavily call adults "baby". InedibleHulk (talk) 01:24, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

I love this song. Reviewing the lyrics all together (and hearing Billie Holiday singing them in my head), I think it's about forced self-reliance. Compare to the lyrics of "Nobody knows you when you're down and out" and Gillian Welch's version of "Make me a pallet on your floor." If I recall the biblical allusions correctly, they are about God giving more to people who have the courage to use what they have productively instead of hoarding it. A sort of bittersweet message about the pain of becoming independent?--Dreamahighway (talk) 19:27, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Miley Cyrus

Has Miley Cyrus ever mentioned or been interviewed on why she completely alters her image - short hair, scanty clothing, almost nude, tongue sticking out? 140.254.227.101 (talk) 18:14, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Don't know if she's admitted it, but constantly changing your image is important to a celebrity to keep getting free publicity from the media. "The only bad press is no press" is a quote about how even getting into trouble might be good for their career, if at least it means they get noticed. Compare this to all the different looks Madonna or Micheal Jackson had. Madonna had conical, metallic bras, men's suits, etc., while MJ had the one bejeweled glove, then skin bleaching, then traded in his man's Negro nose for a woman's Caucasian nose, etc. Heck, he was completely unrecognizable when he finished with it all. And those celebs made millions over decades. Miley is trying to do the same thing. (I'm not sure why this is more important for singers, perhaps TV and movie stars get enough publicity from their screen appearance that they don't need to resort to such extremes.)

Note that both Miley and MJ were also child stars. In that case, they often feel the need to "break out" of their earlier roles to avoid being typecast and limited in their careers. In MJ's case, his Thriller album got the job done, and people no longer thought of him as "the little kid from the Jackson 5" after that. Another example is Elizabeth Berkely from Saved by the Bell, who did a nude role in the film Showgirls to try to change her squeaky clean image. StuRat (talk) 20:25, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Here's three interviews. Your exact question is not asked, but there is some discussion of her image/look and past: [1] [2] [3]. SemanticMantis (talk) 16:20, 16 April 2014 (UTC)