EconGoneCountry

Supply and demand with a twang

Title: Here's a Quarter [Call Someone Who Cares]

​Artist: Travis Tritt

Economic Concepts: Creative destruction; Technological advancement; Inflation  

Details: After a tough breakup, a women wants to get back together with her ex-boyfriend and attempts to explain her reasoning.  However, he is done with the women and flips her a coin saying, "Here's a quarter, call someone who cares".  As time and technology have elapsed, this lyric teaches students an important lesson about technological progress and creative destruction.  For many students, they may have grown up without a landline telephone and may have never used a pay phone in their life.  

        This is a great example to introduce the Schumpeterian idea of creative destruction.  Technological innovation gave us the mobile phone which has, for all intensive purposes, made the pay phone obsolete.  As a result, companies associated with manufacturing pay phones or providing services for them, have reduced their workforce.  However, new industry and jobs have been created as a result of the mobile phone.  

        The song can also be used to teach students about inflation and nominal versus real values.  When the song was released in 1991 the cost of a pay phone call was $0.25.  Students can explore where this price ranks in real terms.       ​

Lyrics: 
You say you were wrong to ever leave me alone
Now you're sorry, you're lonesome and scared
And you say you'd be happy if I you could just come back home
Well, here's a quarter, call someone who cares

​Call someone who'll listen, or might give a damn
Maybe one of your sorted affairs
But don't you come 'round here handin' me none of your lies
Here's a quarter, call someone who cares

​Girl, I thought what we had could never turn bad
So your leavin' caught me unaware
But the fact is you've run...girl, that can't be undone
So here's a quarter, call someone who cares

Call someone who'll listen, or might give a damn
Maybe one of your sorted affairs
But don't you come 'round here handin' me none of your lies
Here's a quarter, call someone who cares

​Yeah, here's a quarter, call someone who cares

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​Assignment