Album: Arrogance Ignorance and Greed (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Also known in longhand as "Arrogance, Ignorance And Greed," this topical polemic was written by guitarist Steve Knightley of the folk duo, and rightly won the prize for Best Original Song at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, 2010. The song is of course about the first worldwide financial crisis of the 21st Century - the so-called credit crunch, the bank bail out, the scandal over bankers' bonuses, and all the associated controversy. Knightley explained the inspiration for the song in a videotaped interview several months previously.

    AIG is a double entendre; after the US firm American International Group went belly up and was bailed out by the government (ie the taxpayer), the people at the top paid themselves a hundred and sixty-seven million dollars in bonuses. One commentator referred to AIG as an acronym for arrogance, ignorance and greed, and "I just thought that's such a good title for a song," he went on to equate it with a Springsteen type blue collar rant, and said it also struck a chord with the other contemporary financial scandal in Britain, that of MPs expenses, which although minuscule in comparison has generated even more outrage amongst the British public.
  • Steve Knightley and Phil Beer appeared on the February 18, 2009 edition of the BBC news programme Breakfast where they said that after filming the video in the studio they took it into the City of London and projected it all over the place. They said they were trying to capture the mood of their audience, and this one really connected.

    At every trough you stop to feed
    With your arrogance, your ignorance and greed
    You're on your yacht, we're on our knees
    Through your arrogance, your ignorance and greed

    Did Shakespeare himself ever craft a more perfect stanza? >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.