Regarding the album's topical nature, Wainwright notes: "It's something that no-one does anymore; write songs about current events. When I was young there were a lot of topical songwriters around; maybe folk music had more impact on culture back then. I see these songs as a kind of musical journalism. My father was a journalist, for Life magazine, and I've definitely inherited something of that approach."[5]
Production
The album was written over a period of 15 years, with Wainwright composing on his Martin guitar.[6][7] It was produced by Joe Boyd and John Wood.[8] NPR declined to air several of the songs that eventually became part of the album's track listing.[9]
Rolling Stone wrote that "the best political songs combine passionate commitment and analytic command, laced with streaks of black humor, as in prime Mekons or Gil Scott-Heron."[13]The Guardian deemed Social Studies "largely an album about alienation, anonymous telephone sex, and a society that lives vicariously, either through the OJ soap opera, or by watching TV news."[14]
The Boston Globe thought that the album "shines with the same wise-guy wit, but also with a kind-eyed empathy that gives even his goofiest songs a sage maturity and warm emotional resonance."[15]The Independent opined that Wainwright "is as wry and acid as ever, but most tracks should probably have remained one-off live broadcasts, as intended."[16]
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