Yes, I've always thought the use of the 'n' word was a problem. Not because it shouldn't be used, but because it didn't serve any real function in the song. The jury was all-white, and if it's true that black people also didn't think Carter innocent, then it comes from left-field and rather undermines the focus in the song on racism. But musically it does pretty much blow away such reservations.
It's not a favourite, but I've always liked Joey, too. Most of the negativity seems to be about its glorifying a gangster, but that seems to miss the point to me. The singer is clearly a member of the gang ("I saw the old man's limousine head back to the grave..."), and when he sings "Someday, if God's in Heaven..." he imagines that God is just another Godfather. It's a story, and we see the story through the eyes of the storyteller.
Yes, I've always thought the use of the 'n' word was a problem. Not because it shouldn't be used, but because it didn't serve any real function in the song. The jury was all-white, and if it's true that black people also didn't think Carter innocent, then it comes from left-field and rather undermines the focus in the song on racism. But musically it does pretty much blow away such reservations.
Excellent interview, by the way.
It's not a favourite, but I've always liked Joey, too. Most of the negativity seems to be about its glorifying a gangster, but that seems to miss the point to me. The singer is clearly a member of the gang ("I saw the old man's limousine head back to the grave..."), and when he sings "Someday, if God's in Heaven..." he imagines that God is just another Godfather. It's a story, and we see the story through the eyes of the storyteller.