IMO this fantastic song is about sticking up for justice in an unjust world. It is full of metaphor but extends beyond just that. This is inspired poetry.
First off, these lyrics are not quite right. The line:
Until you must get past yourself
should be:
In June you must give fascists Hell
Of course the major metaphor here is Joe Louis going up against Max Schmeling and the Ambling Alp. It is true that both times Louis fought Schmelling were in the month of June, and so was Louis's fight against the Ambling Alp.
Louis' defeat of Carnera, who symbolized Benito Mussolini's regime in the popular eye, was seen as a victory for the international community, particularly among African Americans, who were sympathetic to Ethiopia during its occupation by Italy.
Similarly, Louis's rivalry with Schmeling had additional dimensions. Schmeling's victory over Louis in their first match was hailed by Nazi propagandists as evidence of the superiority of the Arayan race over blacks and other races. When Louis came back and defeated Schmeling in their second match, it was a crushing blow to the Nazi machine.
Joe Louis joined the US Army and was assigned to the Special Services Division, where he took part in boxing matches to elevate "espirit des corps". He also participated in a campaign calling African-Americans to enlist in the US armed forces despite racial segregation. Quote, "Lots of things wrong with America, but Hitler ain't going to fix them." Despite being a black man in a time of prolific racism, Louis was a major figure of inspiration for Americans and an esteemed ambassador to the world. Louis became immensely popular when he told the media, "We'll win, because we're on God's side."
So with this context laid out, let's go another layer deep, like in Inception. I think the metaphor of Louis fighting Schmeling and Carnera (the Ambling Alp) can be extrapolated to a secondary metaphor of the United States fighting Germany and Italy in World War II. In this light, the Ambling Alp represents Mussolini/Italy and Schmeling represents Hitler/Germany (with Louis of course standing in for the US). Also in this light, "In June you must give fascists Hell" could be an allusion to D-Day, 6 June 1944. Further proof is in the fact that Schmeling and Carnera weren't necessarily facists themselves. The Ambling Alp eventually moved to LA and pursued the American dream, opening a restaurant and liquor store. Schmeling, while he may have let himself be exploited by the Nazi regime, did risk his life to save two Jewish children.
Finally, I see a lot of parallels between these lyrics and themes in "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller, which is an excellent and important book that you should all read. It is also about combating injustice from within a world where injustice is the norm. It's even possible that Ampling Alp was in part inspired by "Catch-22" ("(fireflies) in your eyes, anyone?), but I'm probably reading too far in.
In any case this is a fantastic song with several levels of poetic depth. Thank you, Yeasayer. And thank you KEXP for introducing me to this and other great music (best radio station in the world people, check it out, kexp.org).
IMO this fantastic song is about sticking up for justice in an unjust world. It is full of metaphor but extends beyond just that. This is inspired poetry.
First off, these lyrics are not quite right. The line: Until you must get past yourself should be: In June you must give fascists Hell
Of course the major metaphor here is Joe Louis going up against Max Schmeling and the Ambling Alp. It is true that both times Louis fought Schmelling were in the month of June, and so was Louis's fight against the Ambling Alp.
However, no one has mentioned what I think is a clear political and symbolic dimension to this metaphor. From absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Joe_Louis:
Louis' defeat of Carnera, who symbolized Benito Mussolini's regime in the popular eye, was seen as a victory for the international community, particularly among African Americans, who were sympathetic to Ethiopia during its occupation by Italy.
Similarly, Louis's rivalry with Schmeling had additional dimensions. Schmeling's victory over Louis in their first match was hailed by Nazi propagandists as evidence of the superiority of the Arayan race over blacks and other races. When Louis came back and defeated Schmeling in their second match, it was a crushing blow to the Nazi machine.
Joe Louis joined the US Army and was assigned to the Special Services Division, where he took part in boxing matches to elevate "espirit des corps". He also participated in a campaign calling African-Americans to enlist in the US armed forces despite racial segregation. Quote, "Lots of things wrong with America, but Hitler ain't going to fix them." Despite being a black man in a time of prolific racism, Louis was a major figure of inspiration for Americans and an esteemed ambassador to the world. Louis became immensely popular when he told the media, "We'll win, because we're on God's side."
So with this context laid out, let's go another layer deep, like in Inception. I think the metaphor of Louis fighting Schmeling and Carnera (the Ambling Alp) can be extrapolated to a secondary metaphor of the United States fighting Germany and Italy in World War II. In this light, the Ambling Alp represents Mussolini/Italy and Schmeling represents Hitler/Germany (with Louis of course standing in for the US). Also in this light, "In June you must give fascists Hell" could be an allusion to D-Day, 6 June 1944. Further proof is in the fact that Schmeling and Carnera weren't necessarily facists themselves. The Ambling Alp eventually moved to LA and pursued the American dream, opening a restaurant and liquor store. Schmeling, while he may have let himself be exploited by the Nazi regime, did risk his life to save two Jewish children.
Finally, I see a lot of parallels between these lyrics and themes in "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller, which is an excellent and important book that you should all read. It is also about combating injustice from within a world where injustice is the norm. It's even possible that Ampling Alp was in part inspired by "Catch-22" ("(fireflies) in your eyes, anyone?), but I'm probably reading too far in.
In any case this is a fantastic song with several levels of poetic depth. Thank you, Yeasayer. And thank you KEXP for introducing me to this and other great music (best radio station in the world people, check it out, kexp.org).
Stick up for yourself, son. Yossarian lives!
Best analysis I've read yet.
Best analysis I've read yet.