Martin was a very friendly fellow, Atkins not as much, but I respect that, he had just finished rocking out. He gave me a simple instruction, buy The Pretty Maid’s new album “Motherland,” and since he was awesome in concert and was cool in person, I felt like I owed it to him to buy it. It was a great album; I am glad I listened to Atkins and then listened to more of his music. I wrote about it in 2014: https://colinkellymusicinreview.blogspot.com/2014/09/pretty-maids-motherland.html
Since then, I have been getting more familiar with The Pretty Maids backlog, there is a lot of good stuff from the Danes.
So, times goes by, when you and I bathed in eternal summer’s glow, then we reached everyone’s least favorite year 2020. By now possessing many years of listening to The Pretty Maids, when I saw Ronnie’s face on my recommend playlist, I natural assumed there was a new Pretty Maids album and since their last one was so good, I click immediately. However, Atkins has done something different, he has released his first solo studio album “One Shot.”
I was impressed with the consistent quality from track to tack on The Pretty Maids “Motherland,” Ronnie Atkins’s “One Shot” delivered similarly. This is worthy of note because time has few favorites, and my limited perspective is leading me to believe that Atkins has perhaps become a superior song writer in time. People run out of ideas, some stretch their imagination past the point of new creativity, some people defy this, but they are few. I present Ronnie Atkins, getting better with age.
Mind you, I have not fully explored The Pretty Maid’s entire back catalogue yet, so I may be in for a wonderful surprise as I dig deeper.
My casual research, which is all I can provide for this amateur blog, a solo album was never a planned destination for Atkins, but something to due with his health resulted in him revisiting the concept. Whatever the motivations, I am very happy with the result. Honestly, I still feel like I owe it to Atkins to tell everyone how great this new album, mostly because it is great, but also, I met the guy, he was cool.
Now that I have listened to the entire album of “One Shot” numerous times it is time for me to point out the single track I appreciate uppermost. I choose “Subjugated.”
I am a sucker for a simple but powerful chorus and Atkins has put together a good one on this song:
“I don't want to be,
I don't want to be subjugated.
All I want to be,
All I want to be,
I want to be me.
I don't want to be,
Wan to be intimidated,
Just got to break free.”
You know how we all kind of mumble the words along until we learn the lyrics, well the awesome power of Atkins’s voice sallied me away to mumble and bop my head along. Then I noticed some of the words, and I begin to relate.
No one wants to be subjugated, and the term can carry an intensity that may or may not be appropriate for this song. Because other than that single word the rest of the song falls in line with the idea of standing up to others.
There are only two versus, here is the first:
“I've been backstabbed,
I've been double-crossed,
Mistreated and misused,
Been a witness to your greed and grandiosity,
Now my trust in you is as worn-out as the soles of my shoes.
Had enough of blatant lies and in transparency,
And you know,”
If you have not been backstabbed, double-crossed, mistreated, and misused in your life, all I can say is, you have been damned lucky.
The second verse:
“I've been hurt and disappointed,
I felt bitter and betrayed.
I've been let down from your ego and dishonesty,
All your self justification,
Do you ever feel ashamed?
You intimidate to cover your fragility.
And you know,”
Again, I assume everyone who must live in the real world, is familiar with being hurt, disappointed, bitter, and betrayed.
But here is the mystery for me, is Atkins related a personal tale or maybe something political. On the personal level this song could be about an individual, lover, friend or something in that vein, or maybe business? Everyone’s new favorite country musician Sturgill Simpson wrote an awful lot about the corporate ugliness and treachery in his magnum opus “Sound and Fury.” It is possible Atkins after so many active years of singing and song writing, could have run into something similar.
As for politics, I do not know. My contempt for everything political grows with each passing day, so Atkins could be trashing on any political identity, and I would probably agree with him that they are awful.
The connection for me and this song, other than Ronnie Atkins, the song “Subjugated” and the entire album “One Shot” being awesome, is the personal level naturally. The human condition unites most of us and the simple request that “all I want to be is me,” is strangely disrespected all the time. I cannot be the only one who runs into that.
Great stuff Ronnie, keep on rocking in the free world.
- King of Braves
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