In 1991, Procol Harem released a prescient song called The Pursuit of Happiness.
The Lizard Brain Project would have loved to interview Keith Reid, the writer and the band’s resident poet, or Gary Brooker, the band’s distinctive voice from its beginning. Sadly, they both passed away before we launched.
The song came later in the band’s tenure, and the production wasn’t as exciting as their earlier recordings (this also reflected the lyrics’ somber tone), but it resonates eerily with the social and cultural crossroads that climate change, among other things, has brought us to thirty years later.
One of the central proposals of this project is that the lizard brain, the residual instincts that predate us as hominids, is now guided to a large degree by… the pursuit of happiness. As our burgeoning intelligence derailed natural selection, which traditionally favored physical survival, I believe the mandate shifted in part toward a directive to seek pleasure. Dopamine and endorphins guided us to experiment with the resources at our disposal in order to find new ways of living which pleased us. There is very little science behind this, but it’s a thought experiment I feel has legs, so to speak, and matches up nicely with a lot of observed human behaviors.
The song looks at the broken promises of modern society and points the finger at our drive to entertain ourselves to the exclusion of more important pursuits. A mere six years earlier, these themes were discussed by Neil Postman in his book, Amusing Ourselves To Death. I have to think Postman influenced Reid’s writing to some extent. In the end, the song suggests that the need for incessant amusement will drive our civilization straight into the ground. The Lizard Brain Project shares this concern.
Climate change was still not part of the broader public conversation in 1991, in spite of Al Gore having spent fifteen years bringing it to the nation’s attention on the floor of the US House and Senate, and was by then doing the same as a vice presidential candidate. The concerns at the time had more to do with war, broader environmental issues and social justice. But now, in the face of the dangerous impacts wreaked by our lifestyle, and our inability to face up to them under the distraction of far less consequential pleasures, it almost feels like Keith was reaching through time and writing about us today.
Over the decades, many artists have sounded alarms like these. It seems strange that we take so much amusement and happiness from songs, yet so many of the ones calling out our cultural shortcomings haven’t motivated us to grow up as much as we could. Hardly anyone who wasn’t a dedicated fan of Procol Harem ever heard this one. I personally think that’s too bad. It probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference, but I write about it here, if nothing else, to enter Keith’s objection into the record. We keep trying. It’s all we can do.
— Dave Coulter
11/20/2023
“The Pursuit Of Happiness” ©1991 Procol Harem One into one won't go Two out of three don't know Time and tide in man's affairs Trouble always comes in pairs Wonder where the picture went? What we got ain't worth a cent What we got ain't worth a damn Someone's screwed the master plan Bite the bullet in the dust Got to take their word on trust No use counting down your prayers All God's children running scared No use howling at the moon Planet Earth is going soon Starving children stand on line Living now on borrowed time The pursuit of happiness It's a common goal The pursuit of happiness Doing what we're told The pursuit of happiness To the very end It goes 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round again.
The Lizard Brain Project is always looking for contributors. Submit essays to submissions@lizardbrainproject.com. Or feel free to leave a comment below.
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