Tough Call, Camelot

The merch line at a Dessa show often contains people with lyrics tattooed on their forearms or ribs or shoulder blades. The strength and quotability of her lyrics—from rap punchlines to elegantly tooled extended metaphors—is a hallmark of Dessa’s work. “Camelot” is one of the few explicitly political songs in her catalog. In 2 minutes and 53 seconds she sketches the contours of a troubling American zeitgeist, delivers a chorus that’s both haunting and catchy, and comments on the tendency of consumer culture to breed apathy (That’s the thing about the lap of luxury – the lap of luxury can’t stand up). “Camelot” calls attention to the irreconcilability of two facets of the national self-concept: a) America is a miraculous shining city on a hill; and b) the neighbors are dangerous and crazy.The song doesn’t scold or preach, which was important to Dessa who says, “I hate being lectured. I assume most listeners do too. This song doesn’t aim to teach anybody anything—I think most of us know better already. It’s about trying to rally the nerve to act on our best impulses.”