Label Kills

2 Pages 564 Words

Label Kills
Image is everything. A lot of time is spent on making people look, act, and seem a certain way. There are many celebrities who make money on just their image alone. Movie stars, rap artists, and rock bands have their own certain egos to maintain in order to stay on top. Sunglasses, black leather, and “bling bling” are just a few material image boosters. Audiences pick which images they like, or want to be like, and in turn, that celebrity gets a paycheck. Most performers go to great lengths to uphold their image. However, where is the line separating themselves from their public appeal? How far do some stars go to stay “on top.” The song Label Kills, by the Doc Sommers Band, points out the irony in how desperate some stars can become to keep their public image in the spotlight of the paying audiences who follow.
The Doc Sommers Band is a contemporary Christian rock group from Columbia, South Carolina. Their lyrics are mainly Christian oriented. They claim to try to let God speak through their words. However, their music is a play between a modernized, blues, and acid rock.
One of their songs is called Label Kills. It is written by lead singer Mack Brock. It is told from the first person of a rock star who makes it very apparent that he will do anything to himself to stay desired by the public. “If it sales, then take anything you want in me. But if it fails, then give me something I can blame.” (Brock, 2002) It seems as though he is willingly to do anything to himself to get paid. The song comes to an end when the crazed celebrity finally has a realization over his foolishness. It is a very well written song. This song gives the images of a man willing to give up anything to stay on top. “Does this sound good to you, or should I change into something more comfortable?” (Brock, 2002) This mocks the different methods of selling sex as an image to promote the music. He even goes to t...