Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience


With age, there come certain disappoinements, and high among them is failed nostalgia. It's a real letdown to be reminded of something you deeply loved as a kid, only to discover that not only can you no longer abide it, but you can't really understand what you ever saw in it. The particular feeling of happiness associated with it has become inaccessible. I had this experience today with the Johnny Horton song "The Battle of New Orleans." Let me tell you, I used to love that song, especially the part about the gator filled with cannonballs. And now, nothing. Horton has a bad voice and doesn't sing very well, the tune is actually a bit annoying, and the lyrics are nowhere near as catchy as I remember them. Sigh.