Although politicians and the general public may be looking askance at auto industry bailouts, the concept is striking a responsive chord within popular culture as several poignantly humorous songs have hit the airwaves and concert halls across the country.

“This song signifies how the hardworking American doesn’t have the long term stability we once had in our workforce history,” says Miles, 56, who is fretting over his future after dedicating 38 years to the automotive manufacturing engineering field. Like many who have seen their 401(k) cut in half, retirement is ruled out as an option. “The song displays in a rather lighthearted manner a very serious problem facing people (in the same situation) across our country,” he notes.

Throughout a long and celebrated career as a legendary singer/songwriter specializing in creating catchy topical ditties along with a huge catalog of more traditional tunes, Tom Paxton has not only won a Grammy, but he was also able to achieve a rhyme with “Iacocca.” Harkening back to 1980 – when Lee Iacocca obtained a government loan to revive Chrysler in its earlier incarnation – Paxton’s “I’m Changing My Name to Chrysler” has seen a rapid resurgence among radio listeners and concert audiences.
The song goes in-part: “…I am changing my name to Chrysler; I am going down to Washington, D.C.; I will tell some power broker what they did for Iacocca will be perfectly acceptable to me; I am changing my name to Chrysler; I am headed for that great receiving line; so when they hand a million grand out I’ll be standing with my hand out – yes, sir I’ll get mine…”
“With the current nonsense, I have been bombarded with requests for an update,” says Paxton, whose vast body of work includes “Bottle of Wine” made popular by the Fireballs and “My Dog’s Better Than Your Dog,” which garnered additional fame when it appeared in a popular dog food commercial.
Among those seeking a new take on “Chrysler” was Arlo Guthrie, who had recorded a version of the original. Paxton has obliged with “I’m Changing My Name to Fannie Mae,” which carries on in the same comical vein. (“…All that crazy rooty-tootin’ and that golden parachutin’ means that someone’s making millions –– just not you!...”) And while he was at it, Paxton also came up with a song called “Sarah Palin.”
Ballads that emerged in the 1930s during the darkest days of the Great Depression have also been revived, such as “Jolly Banker,” which was written by Alro’s father, the late, great Woody Guthrie: “…I’ll come and foreclose and take all of your clothes; singing ‘I’m a jolly banker, jolly banker am I’…”
“The Boss” is represented in this current job-loss scenario as Bruce Springsteen’s searing rendition of Woody Guthrie’s intensely moving “I Ain’t Got No Home” is another Depression-era classic experiencing contemporary relevance.
On Tax Day, April 15, Hank Williams Jr. did a nationwide stint of television and radio interviews to mark the release of his latest single entitled, “Red White and Pink-Slip Blues.” The track is “an effort to help tax-paying Americans get through these hard times,” he explains.
At press time, Williams (“Are you ready for some football?”) was shooting a video of the new track, which is to be available for free at www.bocephusbailout.com. Bocephus is a nickname bestowed upon Williams by his dad – the late, great Hank Williams Sr.
Paxton’s newer songs are free for downloading at www.tompaxton.com.
Miles’ release is also available free of charge by visiting:http://www.118interactivedesign.com/DidntQuitMyDayJobItQuitMe/tabid/160/Default.aspx.