U.S. Girls is the experimental pop project of Meg Remy. Her excellent 2018 album, In a Poem Unlimited, addressed various topics including drone violence, workplace safety, the murder of indigenous people and sexual assault.
Remy has a gift of subversively marrying political themes with catchy dance beats. That gift is on full display on “4 American Dollars,” the latest single from her upcoming album, Heavy Light, being released March 6th.
The infectiously groovy tune provides poignant social commentary on economic inequality. Lyrics like “It’s not personal, it’s business” call to mind how the corporate class isn’t afraid to exploit the less fortunate to make a profit.
“You gotta have boots If you wanna lift those bootstraps,” addresses the critics who blame the poor for being poor. They make the argument that someone could just simply lift themselves out of poverty by working harder. The fallacy of that reasoning is that it fails to address the systemic issues which are at the core of income inequality.
“Numbers on a screen mean nothin’ to me. We’re on the same boat but different seats.” Remy is proclaiming that her personal worth is not based on the amount in her bank account. As humans, we are all on the journey and “No matter how much
You get to have. You will still die.”
Instead of capitalistic pursuits, we should look for ways that we can use what we have for the betterment of others.