Mark Bennett: Terre Haute musicians make parody of Lorde song 'Royals'

Feb. 11—If deep thinkers and sociologists study the song "Hauteans," those intellectuals might discern a theme of a communal embrace of the underdog life — an existential clash of resignation and contentment.

Really, though, it's basically about liking Square Donuts and the inevitability of getting railroaded. It's a chuckle about life in Terre Haute, just for fun.

"More than anything, we just want people to laugh," said Anna Rusk, the native Hautean who wrote the lyrics to "Hauteans." The witty music video parodies the Grammy-winning 2013 song "Royals" by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde.

Heaven knows, the world needs it. As Robert Plant once sang in the middle of "Stairway to Heaven," "Does anybody remember laughter?" Hauteans can experience that emotion, together, by viewing the three-minute, 22-second video.

In doing so, they'll join thousands of others. The musical montage has been viewed more than 18,900 times on the YouTube channel for Janzig Doplin — the combo that includes Anna Rusk and her husband, Jason Rusk. "Hauteans" has drawn a similar number of views on Facebook. Aside from a few snarky comments online, the reaction has been positive.

"Most of the responses have been really good," Anna said Monday. The Terre Haute couple encourages fellow Hauteans to, as Jason put it, "just get hold of this and have fun."

"Hauteans" borrows its structure from "Royals," a song written nearly a decade ago by a then-teenage Lorde, casting a critical, everyman's eye on lifestyles of the rich and famous. In "Hauteans," Anna plugged in parody lyrics, full of slices of life on the banks of the Wabash. She sings the lyrics to the tune of "Royals" accompanied by Jason's appropriately sparse electronic instrumentation. Her words give us all a lighthearted laugh at ourselves.

A phrase repeated in the original hit song — "we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams" — becomes "we're driving Pontiacs in our dreams" in "Hauteans." A couple of drivers steer their Grand Ams through the video's footage.

As a fan and former driver of the bygone Pontiac, I appreciated that twist.

Less than a minute in, the video delivers its first glimpse of Square Donuts — those tasty, Terre Haute-born, geometrically revolutionary gems. Local businessman Richard Comer hatched the idea of the four-sided treats at his doughnut shop in 1967, and they've been popular here and beyond ever since, even earning national praise from the likes of PBS foodie Hollister "Holly" Moore and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.

The little kid munching on the Square Donut in the video seems happily focused on the doughnut's taste, not its history. Hence, the parody video's line, "We don't care — we have donuts that are square." Que sera, sera, Terre Haute style.

Anna's 16-year-old son, Jake Rees, and a store clerk join the fun, also snacking on Square Donuts in the video's homestretch.

The song also name-checks the city's most famous family with images of Hulman Center, Rose-Hulman and Hulman Street, as well as legendary graveyard dog Stiffy Green, ducks (or geese) on the Deming Park pond, Wabash Avenue and the Wabash River, Headstone Friends, Baesler's, the Vigo County Fair, a Tribune-Star reader picking up his morning paper on the porch, the 812 area code, neighboring West Terre Haute, local TV news anchors, Champagne Velvet beer, the surrounding farm fields and more. The tough stuff isn't ignored, with a mention of meth labs and road delays.

Of course, a definitive Terre Haute song must acknowledge the propensity for getting railroaded. Here, the primary definition of "railroaded" doesn't mean forcing or coercing a person to do or accept something. For Hauteans, getting railroaded means sitting in your vehicle at one of the city's 43 crossings, watching dozens and dozens of train cars rumble past.

Anna sings, "You'll get railroaded by the train before the party, and everyone here knows, that we put up with this, 'cause we ain't got no money." As she and Jason toured the city to capture video footage for the show, their search for a blocked crossing didn't take long. "We happened upon it as we were driving around," she said.

To view 'Hauteans'

—Janzig Doplin's music video "Hauteans" can be seen in this story above or on YouTube at youtube.com/watch?v=rbSoZlDfSYA or by searching "haute and royals parody" on YouTube.

Anna is well acquainted with all of the video's scenery. "It's pretty much my landscape," she said.

The 40-year-old was born and raised in the community, graduated from Terre Haute South High School, lived several years in Indianapolis and Missouri, and came back. Jason, 46, grew up in nearby Dana, got introduced to music-making from an aunt, and graduated from South Vermillion High School. So, he's no stranger to Terre Haute.

They refer to Janzig Doplin as a "community project" rather than a band. Their roster of music videos includes "The Men in My Life Hate Peas" and a punk-rock version of Paul Dresser's "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away." (Spoiler alert: their next musical topic will be stink bugs, Anna said.)

Judging by the views, "Hauteans" is their most popular effort yet. Its closing line kind of bonds us all ...

"And, baby, we're cool, we're cool, we're cool; Terre Haute's the town for me."

Mark Bennett can be reached at 812-231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.