Jackson Browne My Personal Revenge

Jackson Browne continued amassing a repertoire best suited to an Amnesty International benefit on his second highly politicized album, "World in Motion". War, homelessness, and Oliver North (though not by name) were condemned; freedom, truth, and Nelson Mandela were praised. Now and then, Browne drew parallels between the personal and the political, notably in the double-edged "Anything Can Happen", but for the most part he sermonized, frequently adopting the generalized terms and reasoning that sermons usually employ.

Throughout the ‘80s, Jackson Browne’s political conscience began dominating his songwriting. With 1989’s World in Motion, it hit its peak. The title track condemns the ever-widening gap between rich and poor and the way that advertising creates want and need. Browne matches his lyrics with a nightclub blues lick and arrangement heavy on the ‘80s synths. “How Long” is another swampy blues; it asks how society will take care of humanity while defense spending skyrockets beyond anyone’s dreams.