We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. Divided there is little we can do-for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans-born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage-and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe-the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago. We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom-symbolizing an end as well as a beginning-signifying renewal as well as change. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, Reverend Clergy, fellow citizens: Less than six weeks after his inauguration, on March 1, President Kennedy issued an executive order establishing the Peace Corps as a pilot program within the Department of State. He envisioned the Peace Corps as a pool of trained American volunteers who would go overseas to help foreign countries meet their needs for skilled manpower. Later that year, Congress passed the Peace Corps Act, making the program permanent. The climax of the speech and its most memorable phrase – "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country" – was honed down from a thought about sacrifice that Kennedy had long held in his mind and had expressed in various ways in campaign speeches.
It called on the nation to combat "tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself" and urged American citizens to participate in public service. Aides recounted that every sentence was worked, reworked, and reduced. The meticulously crafted piece of oratory dramatically announced a generational change in the White House. While his colleagues submitted ideas, the speech was distinctly the work of Kennedy himself. He wrote his thoughts in his nearly indecipherable longhand on a yellow legal pad. Kennedy began constructing his speech in late November, working from a speech file kept by his secretary and soliciting suggestions from friends and advisors. He wanted his address to be short and clear, devoid of any partisan rhetoric and focused on foreign policy. Kennedy as he prepared for his own inauguration on January 20, 1961.
Just like Midnights.The inaugural ceremony is a defining moment in a president’s career - and no one knew this better than John F. Life can be dark, starry, cloudy, terrifying, electrifying, hot, cold, romantic or lonely. Midnights is a collage of intensity, highs and lows and ebbs and flows. The wonderful and wise Beth Garrabrant took the album photographs. We were so lucky to also work with our brilliant collaborators Sam Dew, Sounwave, Lana Del Rey, Jahaan Sweet, Keanu Beats, William Bowery, and Zoe Kravitz. Jack and I found ourselves back in New York, alone, recording every night, staying up late and exploring old memories and midnights past.
We’d been toying with ideas and had written a few things we loved, but Midnights actually really coalesced and flowed out of us when our partners (both actors) did a film together in Panama. He’s my friend for life (presumptuous I know but I stand by it) and we’ve been making music together for nearly a decade HOWEVER… this is our first album we’ve done with just the two of us as main collaborators. Midnights is a wild ride of an album and I couldn’t be happier that my co pilot on this adventure was Jack Antonoff.
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