![]() This had the result of disconnecting the dollar from any standard of value other than an arbitrary one simply declared to be the new norm. When Nixon was forced to close the gold window in August of 1971, he acknowledged that America was in default and that the promise of gold backing the dollar was no longer to be honored. Immense forces were at work in the halls of power in the decade preceding the farm crisis. The Farm Credit System experienced large losses, which were the first losses since the Great Depression." - Wikipedia ![]() Land prices had fallen dramatically leading to record foreclosures. By the mid-1980s, the crisis had reached its peak. ![]() Other negative economic factors included high interest rates, high oil prices and a strong dollar. Farm debt for land and equipment purchases soared during the 1970s and early 1980s, doubling between 19. Exports fell, due in part to the 1980 United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union. Record production during this time led to a fall in the price of commodities. "The United States experienced a major agricultural crisis during the 1980s. There is also a sub-plot of the treachery of the powers that be, way beyond his pay grade. This song centers on the loss of a family farm, and the pain of the man who has failed to hold on to it. But 'real' issues, like man's inhumanity to man, get ugly when the gloves come off. "Hit the Road, Jack" and "You're No Good" and "Cry Me a River" have no difficulty keeping a straight face focusing on the object of their anger, and enlisting the empathy of the listener. Romance gone bad is easier to sing about with anger. ![]() Not something a record producer would want to take on. ![]() There are plenty of issues that invoke genuine anger, but for the voice of the song to serve that anger without seeming toxic requires some effort. It spills out into a caricature of itself - hard to justify, and almost never ennobling for the singer. The ones who choose to farm choose for love."Īnger is one of the most difficult emotions to work with in a song. "There are only two reasons to farm: because you have to, and because you love to. Heartland Words and Music by Rex Benson and Steve Gillette ![]()
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