| Social Studies | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Loudon Wainwright III |
| Cover: | SocialStudiesalbumcover.jpg |
| Released: | 1999 |
| Genre: | Folk, satire |
| Length: | 52:08 |
| Label: | Hannibal[1] |
| Producer: | Joe Boyd, John Wood |
| Prev Title: | BBC Sessions |
| Prev Year: | 1998 |
| Next Title: | Last Man on Earth |
| Next Year: | 2001 |
Social Studies is a studio album by Loudon Wainwright III, released in 1999.[2] [3] The album comprises various topical and satirical songs, originally produced for National Public Radio and based upon then-current issues and events, such as the Tonya Harding scandal, the O. J. Simpson murder trial, the lead-up to Y2K, and controversies surrounding comments made by former Republican U.S. Senator Jesse Helms.[4]
Regarding the album's topical nature, Wainwright notes: "It's something that no-one does anymore; write songs about current events. When I was young there were a lot of topical songwriters around; maybe folk music had more impact on culture back then. I see these songs as a kind of musical journalism. My father was a journalist, for Life magazine, and I've definitely inherited something of that approach."[5]
The album was written over a period of 15 years, with Wainwright composing on his Martin guitar.[6] [7] It was produced by Joe Boyd and John Wood.[8] NPR declined to air several of the songs that eventually became part of the album's track listing.[9]
Rolling Stone wrote that "the best political songs combine passionate commitment and analytic command, laced with streaks of black humor, as in prime Mekons or Gil Scott-Heron." The Guardian deemed Social Studies "largely an album about alienation, anonymous telephone sex, and a society that lives vicariously, either through the OJ soap opera, or by watching TV news."[10]
The Boston Globe thought that the album "shines with the same wise-guy wit, but also with a kind-eyed empathy that gives even his goofiest songs a sage maturity and warm emotional resonance."[11] The Independent opined that Wainwright "is as wry and acid as ever, but most tracks should probably have remained one-off live broadcasts, as intended."[12]
All tracks composed by Loudon Wainwright III