"Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)"

[YadaYadaYada]

If you graduated in the late 90's you may remember this spoken song that went viral. I recently heard it after so many years and thought maybe others would enjoy it.

There was a lot of confusion at the time about who actually wrote the essay, later turned into a song. If you are interested in the history behind it, this sums it up nicely:

“Wear Sunscreen”: The Story Behind the Commencement Speech That Kurt Vonnegut Never Gave

Discover one of the biggest myths on the internet -- the 1997 MIT commencement speech Kurt Vonnegut never gave.

www.openculture.com

And of course the song itself:

 

[monarch64]

I, for one, am certainly glad Vonnegut's name has been UNtied from this tiresome song. Yes, I remember it from the 90s. I am also from Indiana, the state from which KV hailed. He must have gotten a good chuckle out of all of it. I can walk 3 miles to downtown Bloomington and sit in "his" booth at Nick's and have a beer and some pub grub. Hoagy Carmichael's spot is nearby.

Kurt Vonnegut - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

More accurate Vonnegut than was suggested by that Luhrmann "song:"

https://www.indianahumanities.org/pdf/Vonnegut.pdf

 

[missy]

LOL Never heard of this song and I sure didn't miss anything.
That's 5 minutes I will never get back.

 

[stracci2000]

I have never heard this "song" either.
It is all true, though!

 

[missy]

I have never heard this "song" either.
It is all true, though!

I like songs to have a good/catchy melody, rhythm, etc. This one had none of the above so for me it's a bust.


Here's a masterpiece. Get the sunscreen one out of our heads lol.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Yes it is "one of those songs" but I don't know, I thought it was fun and different and yes it's not to everyone's taste but if all music sounded the same then that would be a mighty boring existence.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I have never heard this "song" either.
It is all true, though!

That's nearly exactly what DH said especially the part about getting to know your parents before they're gone, we have both lost our parents so that line really resonates.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@monarch64, when I have more time later today I'm going to read that write-up about KV, thanks for sharing it. It is rather amusing and somewhat strange how these urban legends about music develop.

 

[missy]

if all music sounded the same then that would be a mighty boring existence.

True. But I don't think the truly great songs sound the same. Not even close. And yes taste varies. I don't consider this a song per se but YMMV. Thanks for sharing. It brings up the question if one has a favorite music decade. I could safely say the 90s were not it (for me).

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@missy, right this is more of a spoken word track, so not exactly a song, I graduated in '97 so there is probably a bit of nostalgia at play.

 

[Wewechew]

Wow, this song takes me back to the end of high school!

 

[missy]

@missy, right this is more of a spoken word track, so not exactly a song, I graduated in '97 so there is probably a bit of nostalgia at play.

Nostalgia is meaningful and I can see why this makes it special for you.

 

[monarch64]

@missy, right this is more of a spoken word track, so not exactly a song, I graduated in '97 so there is probably a bit of nostalgia at play.

Yup, high school and college in 90s/early 00s and this fit right in with a lot of the experimental music of our generation. I couldn't put my finger on it for a minute but I was reminded of the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack from 1996--Baz Luhrmann adapted the film and here's more insight on the soundtrack: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/28/baz-luhrmann-romeo-and-juliet-soundtrack-radiohead
And another "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" from the same era: (one of my favorites!)

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@monarch64, Experimental is a good way to describe it. So much interesting good music came from the 90's, Nirvana is a good example, they were a totally new sound that started the grunge-rock trend. Granted we had our share of one hit wonders but that's true for any decade.

It's funny you mentioned the other "Everybody's Free" that was the song I originally looked up as I had forgotten all about the sunscreen one.

 

[Ally T]

I absolutely loved this song!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@Alex T, you are in the U.K. I believe? It was a very popular song in Europe (believe it reached #1 on Billboard there) more so than in the U.S.

 

[Ally T]

@Alex T, you are in the U.K. I believe? It was a very popular song in Europe (believe it reached #1 on Billboard there) more so than in the U.S.

Yep! It still gets the odd air play over here

 

[Snowdrop13]

I liked it when it came out, a lot of truth in what’s said, plus it’s a bit different!