Welcome to the website for Alfred P Ginney’s Thought Campaign, the debut solo album by John M. Stassen. Here you can watch a music video, listen to excerpts from the album, navigate to a store, or connect with John.
Music Videos
Song Excerpts
I wanna write songs for you,
And see you smile when I play them, too
I’d have a concert and you would hear
A thousand voices sing my love for you loud and clear
We’d live our lives living day by day
A day together or a day away
When you’re alone you know you have my heart
And that time will fly while we’re apart
In every perfect life, I see myself with you
In every perfect life, I see myself with you
We would run marathons
And always have a trip to go on
We’d live in a house that we designed
We’d do things right and we’d take our time
In every perfect life, I see myself with you
In every perfect life, I see myself with you
{Instrumental}
I’d kiss your lips just to wake you up
I’d start my day out right by filling your cup
And when at night we both go to bed
Thoughts of you will fill my head still
Life is not the way they teach you in their schools
Life is not the way they dictate with their rules
The world is not the way they tell you it will be
Life is not the way you think it oughta be
Until this battle’s won, and everyone is free
Life is not the way you see it on a screen
Life is not the way they sell in magazines
The world is not the way they’re telling you and me
Life is not the way I think that it could be
If we’d just feed ourselves and not bureaucracy
Life is not the way they show you on the news
Life is not the way they try to make you choose
The world is not the way they’re selling you and me
Life is not the way I think it oughta be
We’re living in a land of slaves and corporate greed
{Instrumental}
Life is not the way I thought that it would be
Living in a land of real democracy
Life is not the way it really oughta be
We’re living in a land of fear with slaves who think they’re free
Slaves who think they’re free
Slaves who think they’re free
You say you will and then you don’t
You say you can and then you won’t, or even worse – despite your words, it turns out you never could
You say you’ll do your best and you don’t even try
It’s a matter of priority
Maybe not for you, but for me
You choose a whim instead of truth
You dodge reality although it could be, it just might be – it’s exactly what you need
You choose to fantasize about the life you lead
It’s a matter of priority
Maybe not for you, but for me
It’s a matter of integrity
It’s a matter of sincerity
It’s a matter of priority
You can say what you wanna say about me
‘Cuz none of your words will ever change reality
I’ve seen the way you live your lives
And the things for which you strive
Well, I’ve gotta do my own thing
I’ve gotta do my own thing
I’ve gotta do my own thing
I’ve seen you running your rat race
But I’ve never seen you get at what you chase
You cannot buy the things you need -
All you can buy is greed
And I’ve gotta do my own thing
I’ve gotta do my own thing
I’ve gotta do my own thing
Do you ever take the time to think about the things that we all do?
All these institutions and traditions, it seems that they’re controlling you
Well we must ask some questions
We must search for answers
If we’re gonna save the world
Despite all the posturing, aren’t we all the same?
Everyone experiences life, we’re all living in our brains
Well I’m gonna ask the questions
I’m gonna find the answers
And try to save the world
The revolution has begun
Start thinking for tomorrow
Your evolution has begun
Start thinking for yourself
If you’re not a force for good, are you really doing what you should?
Why waste your time with gossip? Why waste your time with lies?
You’ve gotta learn to let love in, you gotta learn to send love out
You’ve gotta learn to let love in, you gotta learn to let love out
Ask yourself the question – what is it all about?
The revolution has begun
Start here, start now
The revolution has begun
Start here, start now!
I wrote to say that I’m ok and I wish that you were here
The water’s warm, the sand is hot – I’m so happy with what I’ve got
I never thought I’d like the sun, but now it really brightens up my day
I wrote to say that I’m ok, I just wrote to say
I set my course, I take my time, there’s nothing weighing on my mind
I spend my days in peaceful solitude, I don’t mean to be rude
But oh, I wrote to say that I’m ok, and that you’ll never see me again
It was nice to see you before, but I needed something a whole lot more
You may say I’ve lost my way, but I know just where I’m at
I am off the coast somewhere, nowhere else could ever compare
This is the last note I’ll ever send, and so I’ll seal it with a kiss
Of all the things that I don’t have, you’re the one I miss
{Instrumental}
I wrote to say that I’m ok
I hope you try to understand
The album was written by John M. Stassen, a musician from Minnesota now living near Washington DC, and contains ideas and experiences from the life of Alfred P Ginney, a quintessentially human character. The name Alfred P Ginney came to Stassen clearly in a dream many years ago; the name became the basis of the last song on the album (“Ginney”), and the character became the voice of the album.
The love song, “Perfect Life”, provides context for the beginning of the story, and the centerpiece of the album is “Revolution”, a message of personal freedom to every human being. The other songs explore themes including love, honesty, freedom, peace, and acceptance. They include a letter written by Alfred P Ginney (“Wrote to Say”), social commentaries (“Not the Way” and “Cry of the Masses”), personal creeds (“Own Thing”, “Priority”, and “Liberty”), and songs of advice and encouragement (“Accept It”, “Love is Abundant”).
The album was written by John M. Stassen, a musician from Minnesota now living near Washington DC, and contains ideas and experiences from the life of Alfred P Ginney, a quintessentially human character. The name Alfred P Ginney came to Stassen clearly in a dream many years ago; the name became the basis of the last song on the album (“Ginney”), and the character became the voice of the album.