This week’s Mainstream Media Scream features Tonight Show Host Jimmy Fallon, in his post-Super Bowl show, singing an anti-Trump, pro-NFL protest version of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin.”
Bob Dylan returns to the Orpheum Theatre in Minnesota to perform an updated version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'." https://t.co/4WM2i2rHYp pic.twitter.com/h64dUzg56m— Fallon Tonight (@FallonTonight) February 5, 2018
Showing off his talents for showmanship and impersonations, the video done in black and white puts a liberal 2018 spin on the classic. His lyrics:
Come gather round people wherever you roam
And admit that our country don't feel like our home
And that silence speaks louder than those who condone
If a tweet to you is worth favin'
Then lift up your voices and put down your phones
For the times they are a-changin'
Come women and men who hashtag Me Too
And believe me when I say that we believe you
For weak is the man who calls truth "fake news"
Time’s up, our silence we’re breaking
And even though Mel Gibson was in Daddy's Home 2
Well the times they are a-changin'
Come athletes with platforms throughout the land
Who by taking a knee are taking a stand
And before you shout out that they should be banned
Listen to what they are saying
Perhaps they'd stand up if you reached out your hand
Well the times they are a-changing
Come journalists, writers who report the facts
And brandish your pen to fend off his attacks
Look past what he says and look at how he acts
The fire and fury is raging
For his words can hurt, but your words can fight back
New York Times, they aren't a-failin'
Come leaders who bully like Internet trolls
We'll curse you with four-letter words 'love' and 'hope'
For we will go high even when you go low
The order is re-arranging
For you have the power, but we have the vote
The times they are a-changin'
Media Research Center Vice President of Research Brent Baker explains our weekly pick: “Fallon is a talented impersonator with a very good tribute to Dylan. But it’s disappointing to see the one late night host, who had yet succumb to Trump Derangement Syndrome, seemingly ease toward his competitors in seeing a quick laugh in mocking President Trump and the values espoused by his supporters.”
Rating: Three out of five screams.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com