Wal*Mart | 15 years later – STILL a bunch of discount assholes!

June 7, 2011 at 2:12 am · Filed under 2011 Features, ACTivism, Anonymous® Radio Show, anti-american, Assclowns, Bullshit, Capitalizm, CHINA® Syndrome, Consumption, Feedback, Fundies, Gun-Play, Hard Targets, Lifestyle, Our Planet, Religion, Republican'ts, U.S.A., Upcoming Shows and tagged: Censorship, GREED, LP record, Sheryl Crow, Wal-Mart, WalMart

In the mid 1990s, Wal-Mart Discount Stores, headquartered in Arkansas, faced multiple lawsuits claiming the fact they sold guns and ammunition led to the accidental shootings of a few people, some by the hands of children. Sheryl Crow knew of this, and while in a Wal-Mart store, was shocked that the guns and ammo were being sold right next to the children’s toy section. Wal-Mart has sinced changed its policy to sell firearms in catalogs only, but at the time, it was fodder for Sheryl Crow, who would take a jab at Wal-Mart.

Sheryl Crow album cover

In 1996, Sheryl Crow released her self titled sophomore album. The LP “Sheryl Crow” was released on September 25, 1996, and with the first hit single “If It Makes You Happy,” the album was set to sell millions and become a Grammy award-winning hit. Sheryl Crow produced the album in New Orleans and California. However, the album wasn’t released without its overwhelming share of drama.
The Track “Love Is A Good Thing” contained the following opening lyrics:

“Watch out sister/Watch out brother/Watch our children while they kill each other/With a gun they bought at Wal-Mart Discount stores”

When advanced copies of the CD were released, Wal-Mart got a hold of it and demanded Crow and her record label, A&M, change the lyric or drop the song entirely off the album. Sheryl refused. Al Cafaro, chairman of A&M, backed her up and her right to free speech. Wal-Mart, of course, did not see it this way and thought the lyric was untrue and unfair. (p-p-poor, poor Wal*Mart <sniff> …fuck OFF!!)

Led by their inbred GREED, STUPIDITY and LUST for more “stuff”, the American consumer is powerless against this chinese-controlled juggernaut.

After Crow and A&M stood behind the song and lyric, Wal-Mart refused to stock it in its stores. This was the first time Wal-Mart refused to sell a piece of music due to a negative comment about the store itself. It’s estimated that almost a half a million album sales were lost because of this. And unfortunately, this big discount store had gobbled up all the small ‘mom and pop’ stores in Kennett, Missouri, where Sheryl is from. This meant her family and friends would have no outlet to buy her album (pre-internet days people!).

Regardless, the album has sold over 3 million albums to date and the controversy put the spotlight on Sheryl as a political activist and an important musician with substantive positions she would not back down from.

God, I feel like hell tonight
Tears of rage I cannot fight
I’d be the last to help you understand
Are you strong enough to be my man?

Nothing’s true and nothing’s right
So let me be alone tonight
Cause you can’t change the way I am
Are you strong enough to be my man?

Lie to me
I promise I’ll believe
Lie to me
But please don’t leave

I have a face I cannot show
I make the rules up as I go
It’s try and love me if you can
Are you strong enough to be my man?

When I’ve shown you that I just don’t care
When I’m throwing punches in the air
When I’m broken down and I can’t stand
Will you be Man enough to be my man?

Lie to me
I promise I’ll believe
Lie to me
But please don’t leave

Related articles

• “Love Is A Good Thing” or How WalMart Banned Sheryl Crow’s Record (thesherylcrowblog.com)
• Goldman Sachs: 4 Things You Need To Know About Wal-Mart (WMT) (businessinsider.com)
• Analyst Brilliantly Explains How Wal-Mart Is Becoming Like The Black Eyed Peas (WMT) (businessinsider.com)
• 11 Incredible Dividend Stocks: Wal-Mart (fool.com)
• Wal-Mart’s Massmart merger approved (marketwatch.com)
• Wal-Mart international execs toast growth (sfgate.com)
• The Most Dangerous Store in the World: Save money, Live Better? Not Here! (surviving-unemployment.com)

BONUS!

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