What happened to Emo? Video and Mp3

The term emo is really now way overused. Kevin Smith used it recently to describe Anakin Skywalker before he was christened Darth Skywalker in a Star Wars retrospective that aired recently as a way of justifying why a whiny teenager with problems would ultimately become overlord of the universe. Can't say that I don't agree with him but c'mon now...Emo? This is a term used for boys and girls who wear their emotions on their sleeve but it was first used to describe a type of music that sprung from the Hardcore punks scene in DC and can be traced back to a band called Rites of Spring. Let me give you an example of why Rites Of Spring stood out from the pack, these lyrics are from a song called "I don't wanna hear it" (curse words censored) by a band called Minor Threat who released it in 1981

Shut your f****g mouth
I don't care what you say
You keep talking, Talking everyday
First you're telling stories Then you're telling lies
When the f***k Are you gonna realize

And now lyrics from a Rites of Spring song called "For Want Of" released in 1985

I—I believed—memory might mirror no reflections on me, I believed that in forgetting I might set myself free. But I woke up this morning with a piece of past caught in my throat… And then I choked. I bled, I tried to hide the heart from the head. And I, I said I bled—In the arms of a girl I'd barely met. And I woke up this morning with the present in splinters on the ground— And then I drowned. And if I can't see it’s for want of you

Boy, quite the contrast eh? So while hardcore punk's lyrics mainly dealt with Society and Government, Emocore (as it was first called) reflected personal issues. What I really abhor is the usage of the term to describe these melodramatic teenagers who complain that people don't quite "get them" and sometimes hurt themselves to "feel something". Now it just seems like anyone who's particularly feeling down one day can be called Emo. Sad indeed. By the way, anyone that's a part of a scene can't admit it because if you do you're a poseur. I got that from SLC Punk, the minute you call yourself emo, punk, or goth, you're just another person that wants to set themselves apart by pretty much copying something you saw hanging out with people who look just like you. Escaping perceived conformity to conform.
So here's a parody video of this Emo subculture that I find so annoying.




Here are 2 mp3s that I think you should listen to. The first one is from the aforementioned band Rites Of Spring.

MP3:Rites of Spring - For Want Of

Here's a more modern take on Emo

MP3:Love and Reverie - Finding truth