Current Events: "Joe the Plumber" Megamix

"Killer Joe” - Art Farmer & Benny Golson 

This jazzy tune is not about plumbers. It could be about a great cup of coffee, or a lunatic serial murderer. I can’t tell either way. 

 

The Cranberries aren’t all-American icons like “Joe the Plumber” (they’re from Ireland). But he forgives them since they wrote this song. More nostalgia on this one, probably ’bout sittin’ on some plumber named Joe’s knee as a wee lil’ chile, after he fixed your family's leaky pipes. Really, though—stick to what you know best Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan, like lingering and zombies ’n’ stuff. Leave the pipe-fixin’ nostalgia to the pros. Like plumber Joe. (OK, you got me. There is absolutely nothing in this song that can possibly be interpreted as being about plumbers. But, hey, just ’cause it’s not true doesn’t mean we can’t say it, right? I mean, haven’t we learned anything from these presidential debates?!) 

 

"Run Joe” - Louis Jordan & the Calypso Boys 

This raucous Louis Jordan tune—featuring The Calypso Boys—is what “Joe the Plumber” might overhear at the tiki bar at the Sandals Jamaica resort while on his two-weeks paid next year. Assuming this recession thing bottoms out. 

 

“Joey” - Bob Dylan 

Dylan’s gorgeous Mafioso ballad romanticizes the life of Joey Gallo, a New York wiseguy who was knocked off at Umberto’s Clam Bar in Little Italy in 1972. Which is appropriate for this mix, even beyond the fact that “Joe the Plumber” and Joey Gallo share the same first name: Local newspaper, the Toledo Blade, reported that “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher—who, again, is not even registered to work as a plumber in Ohio—had a lien against him by the Ohio Department of Taxation in January 2007 for failing to pay $1,183 in property taxes. I’m guessing that Gallo—before he got popped over shellfish—felt about the same as Wurzelbacher about paying taxes.

   

“Listen Joe” - Golden Smog 

This beautifully haunting tune from supergroup Golden Smog features some excellent backing vocals from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, and is probably about leaving your true love behind in search of more lucrative plumbing work.

   

“Safety Joe" - John Prine 

On this little acoustic ditty, John Prine tries to convince plumber Joe to loosen up a little—to learn to let go and take some chances in life and love, or else miss out on all the good stuff.