Rachel Beck’s “Dancin’,” the latest single from her sophomore release, Stronger Than You Know, is a feast for the eyes as much as anything else. Working with acclaimed filmmaker, Millefiore Clarkes, the video creates a vivid backdrop as the song reenvisions Roman history as a comparison to modern climate change.
So what does dancing have to do with either Roman history or climate change? Well, it’s a very particular comparison to the famous tale of Nero fiddling while Rome burned.
“After a show in Fredericton one night, I had a long conversation with the presenter and his wife about the climate crisis. He told me the legend of the Roman emperor Nero – how he played his lyre on the roof of his palace as Rome burned to the ground around him. This resonated deeply with me. Sometimes it feels like we value comfort, convenience, and consumerism over climate action. We hear the cries for change, but we just turn up the music and keep dancin’ while the earth burns around us. As a parent, I feel the weight of this. I want to do better.”
In truth, Nero likely didn’t fiddle while the city burned, as the story is often told (for starters, the fiddle wasn’t invented until sometime in the 11th century, though the lyre is more plausible). In fact, history tells us that, upon learning of the fire, he did immediately return the city and began organizing relief measures. However, the fact that he had the land cleared to build his Golden Palace while conveniently scapegoating the Christians of Rome as the cause of the fire, led to some speculation that Nero himself may have had the fire started.
In terms of climate change, it’s a little more challenging to fathom who might profit, and raise a new civilization from the ashes of a dead planet. But, if we had to guess, we’d start with the folks hoarding wealth in offshore bank accounts.