avatarLon Shapiro

Summary

The web content is a musical parody article titled "Born to Write," which humorously adapts Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" to reflect the struggles and aspirations of writers on Medium.

Abstract

The article "MUSIC MASH UPS, TRACK 10" presents a parody song named "Born to Write," inspired by Bruce Springsteen's classic "Born to Run." It is dedicated to unrecognized and underappreciated writers who navigate the challenges of writing and seeking recognition on the Medium platform. The song lyrics comically address the realities of writing online, the pursuit of social media fame, and the complexities of content curation and monetization. It also pays homage to the author's father, a journalism graduate, and references the founder of Medium, Ev Williams, as a central figure in the digital writing landscape. The article includes digital art, a photograph by Eric Meola, and an embedded YouTube link for readers to experience the parody in both written and musical form. Additionally, the author suggests other music mash-up parodies for different audiences, such as exhausted parents and overworked employees.

Opinions

  • The author expresses a sense of camaraderie with fellow writers, emphasizing the shared struggle of writing in the digital age.
  • There is a critical view of the Medium platform's algorithm and the challenges writers face in gaining visibility and compensation for their work.
  • The author playfully suggests a desire for greater transparency and collaboration with Medium's founder, Ev Williams, in the curation process.
  • The parody conveys a mix of frustration and hope, acknowledging the difficulties of making a living through writing while maintaining a passion for the craft.
  • The dedication to the author's father indicates a personal connection to the theme of unfulfilled writing aspirations, hinting at a reverence for traditional journalism in the face of modern digital realities.
  • The inclusion of additional parodies implies that the author sees humor and art as means to cope with and comment on the pressures of contemporary life.

MUSIC MASH UPS, TRACK 10

Born to Write

A parody of Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Digital art by Author using Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash

Dedicated to you, dad, and every unknown and underappreciated writer walking the cold hard streets of Medium and all over the world.

Born to Write

(Sung to the tune of Born to Run)

In the day we sweat it out with side hustles From a long ago American dream At night we lust, social media glory And get rich quick now schemes Sprung from cubicles on floor 9 Chrome books, jolt injected, and typin’ out over the line Oh, baby this site rips the bones from your back It’s a death trap, it’s just Medium crap We gotta speak out, an’ show some fight ’Cause tramps like us, baby, we were born to write Yes, Beryl¹, we were

Evy,² let me in, I wanna be your friend I wanna steal your dreams and visions Just wrap my eyes round that algorithm And make curation decisions!! Together we could bring them hope Have transparency, baby, you know it’d be dope Oh, will you show me behind the paywall? ’Cause, baby, I’m just a scared and poor outsider But I gotta know how it feels I want to know if art counts Babe, I want to know if writing is real Oh, can you feature me

[Instrumental]

Beyond your palace, solar-powered drones Scan down the boulevard Girls show their wares, sex confessionals And the boys try to clap so hard Engineering team tries to blow off steam Kids are playing on phones in the fog I wanna write with you, Evy, on the web tonight In an everlasting blog

Huh!

[Instrumental]

1–2–3–4!

The Starbuck’s jammed with broken dreams and a shorting surge protector Everybody’s left this joint tonight From a screaming smoke detector Together, Evy, we can fix all the sadness Put an end to all the madness on this site Oh, someday, Dad, I don’t know when We’re gonna get to that place Where we really wanna go and we’ll show folks the light But ’til then, tramps like us Baby, we were born to write

Oh honey, tramps like us Baby, we were born to write Come on with me, tramps like us Baby, we were born to write

Ru-uh-uh-un Mm-mm-mm-mm Uh-uh-uh-oh-oh-oh-oh Ru-uh-uh-uh-un Mm-mm-mm-mm Whoa-oh-oh-oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Ru-uh-uh-un

Photo by Eric Meola for Columbia Records

¹In honor of my dad, summa cum laude, journalism, Northwestern University, class of 1942. He studied to be a writer, but the war got in the way.

²Ev Williams, founder of Medium, and keeper of the holy algorithm

More music mash-ups you might enjoy:

For exhausted parents, these parodies on The Police will give you a smile:

For overworked employees, don’t go postal, just laugh at your boss:

Poetry
Music
Writing
Humor
Satire
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