Things, once again, aren't looking good for the city of Detroit. The big issue at the moment is that the city has turned off the water supply for many households.
This isn't necessarily a case of the government being evil but both sides have definitely created a bigger problem. It starts with a large number of Detroit citizens failing to pay their water bills. The city itself only made the problem worse by not moving to enforce collection, which encouraged the errant citizens to keep skipping their payments. So now, when Detroit finally forces its citizenry to pay up, many call it injustice because the total bills are so high they can't be paid. Even worse is when new tenants move into buildings without water, with the cit expecting them to pay up for the previous owner's crime.
Needless to say, the citizenry of Detroit needs some water. We've come up with a few representatives from the city's deep musical history that touch on the fluid topic.
"96 Tears" by ? And The Mysterians (1966)
Detroit's—nay the world's—best titled band feels for its hometown right now on multiple levels: On one hand, tears are obviously water and on the other hand, the lack of water is causing both headaches and tears for the citizens of Michigan's biggest city right now. If they choose to start drinking their own tears, they should make sure to filter them plenty as tears are so salty. In reality, citizens have begun filtering rain water through muslin cloth to make it drinkable.
"No More Water in The Well" by The Temptations (1967)
No song better sums up the current issues of some Detroit natives such as The Temptations "No More Water In The Well," even if the song is a metaphor for the singer running out of love for his ex. Part of the reason why Detroit has cracked down on water bill collections is the huge losses it's faced because of waste. As more and more houses are abandoned in the struggling city economy, metal collectors are pulling out piping for resale and letting the water run rampant in empty buildings.
"Still Water (Love)" by The Four Tops (1970)
Perhaps the most memorable of The Four Tops' discography (and written by fellow Detroit native Smokey Robinson), "Still Water" could also refer to the huge pools of water that have built up in basements due to stolen pipes and rain. That's a whole other problem for the city to take care of but it's worrisome that some citizens are using the potentially stagnant water for bathing (gross) and drinking (unhealthy) because they can't get any from their sinks.
"Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" by Parliament (1978)
Aside from being host to tongue-twisting titles such as this popular hit, Parliament's 1978 album Motor Booty Affair also played host to "(You're A Fish and I'm A) Water Sign," making this the first of two albums on this list that play host to a number of water-themed tracks. It might be a painful listen for Motor City residents at the moment, even with Parliament's general good naturedness seeping through.
"Swim" by Madonna (1998)
Madonna's "Swim" is similar to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" in that it's a metaphor for getting past the past and looking toward the future. No city in the United States, except for maybe a few Ohio industrial belt towns, need this message more. It's interesting to note that although the Detroit native's album seems to be named after a product of the sun, several tracks are water-related including "Swim," "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" and "Mer Girl."
"Rock The Boat" by Aaliyah (2001)
Yes, Aaliyah is ultimately a Detroit native even if the world insists on reminding you that she was born in Brooklyn. So what? Pusha T was born in The Bronx and no one says he's not from Virginia Beach. Anyway, this song has nothing to do with water really, but it's nice to think that Detroit residents could one day afford boats to bring to nearby Lake St. Clair.
"Waterhose" by Esham (2008)
Okay, we feel a little bad for talking about boats when many Detroit citizens would just like some water to drink or bathe with. However, there can be little doubt that the water shortage is affecting the lifestyles of the city's hip-hop celebrities. For example, consider Esham's 2008 single "Waterhose." He's using that hose for anything but watering his plants, based on the strip club-centric lyrics. No water, no hot music videos for Esham.
Unfortunately we couldn't find a clip from the Insane Clown Posse-produced film Death Racers, where Violent J battles a villain to prevent him from putting deadly chemicals in the water supply.
