This post contains affiliate links.
This post began when I was cooking dinner and listening to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changing" (which oddly enough didn't make the final list) a couple weeks ago. Somewhere in the first or second chorus, (I think I was chopping green beans) I realized that it brilliantly describes the uncertainty, the tension, and the fear that the US has been facing, especially since President Trump's inauguration in January. That sent me into a frenzy to find other classic songs that had already once captured the seemingly un-capturable moment that we're experiencing as a country, and compile them into a list for you all. Below, you'll find my list, narrowed down to 11 songs and ordered by year. Enjoy!
A NOTE ABOUT POLITICS AND MORALITY: I am not as liberal as this list is probably going to make me sound; in fact, I am quite conservative in many ways. I do not endorse everything that each one of these songs says, nor do I endorse the behaviors of many of the groups of people that I bring up here. In this post, I bring up the potential safety and well-being of many groups of people I don't agree with because I fear that their God-given right to loving and respectful treatment (which has nothing to do with their choices or perspectives) is under threat at the moment.
A Note About Trigger Warnings:Some of these songs deal with sensitive and difficult material. With those that are an obvious trigger danger, I've included a warning in red.
Writer: Bob DylanA NOTE ABOUT POLITICS AND MORALITY: I am not as liberal as this list is probably going to make me sound; in fact, I am quite conservative in many ways. I do not endorse everything that each one of these songs says, nor do I endorse the behaviors of many of the groups of people that I bring up here. In this post, I bring up the potential safety and well-being of many groups of people I don't agree with because I fear that their God-given right to loving and respectful treatment (which has nothing to do with their choices or perspectives) is under threat at the moment.
A Note About Trigger Warnings:Some of these songs deal with sensitive and difficult material. With those that are an obvious trigger danger, I've included a warning in red.
  |
"A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" (1962) By Bob Dylan Download from Amazon Here |
Producer: John Hammond
Source
To me, a person far too young to remember the 60's, this song represents the trepidation that the US experienced during that era. It captures a deep pain that, like a drum beat, is driving the country toward some impending change - a change that ultimately took many forms, including civil rights legislation and the country's withdrawal from the Vietnam War. Watching the recent marches and living in a country that is as deeply divided over painful social and political issues as the US was over Vietnam, I feel too that "A hard rain's a-gonna fall."
"Blowin' in the Wind" (1963) by Bob DylanDownload from Amazon Here
Writer: Bob Dylan
Producer: John Hammond
Source
This song is comprised of questions about social issues. When will war end? When will freedom be universal? When will the oppressed be heard? And the refrain is always that the anser is "Blowin' in the Wind," meaning, to me at least, that we really don't know. This song is relevant because we are still asking the same questions; we are still wondering when the social climate will be fair and when the pain will be alleviated. Like those in 1963, we are awash in a sea of injustices wondering when, if ever, we will figure out how to end them.
"In the Ghetto" (1969) by Elvis PresleyDownload from Amazon Here
Writer: Mac Davis
Producer: Chips Moman
Source
"In the Ghetto" tells of the connection between poverty and crime. People, living in poverty with little hope of getting out, turn to crime to alleviate their problems, and find themselves in a situation that is just as hopeless - incarcerated and with a record. This story is as painfully common today as it was in 1969 and suggests that one way led them to crime.
"Ohio" (1970) by Crosby Stills Nash and YoungWriter: Neil Young
Download from Amazon Here
Source
This minimalist song is a direct response to the 1970 Kent State shooting, during which four college students, all of whom were protesting American involvement in Cambodia, were killed by the Ohio National Guard. (To read more, see Ohio History Central's page here) Though this shooting was decades ago, I believe Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young' interpretation of it is timely. The sense of shock and distrust toward the government that the song portrays is relevant in a time when some citizens and non-citizens (including Muslims, immigrants, women, etc) alike wonder if their government is their protector or their aggressor.
"Man in Black" (1971) by Johnny CashDownload from Amazon Here
Writer: Johnny Cash
Producer: Johnny Cash
Source
In this song, Johnny Cash explains his choice to perform his concerts in a black suit; it is a reminder that while we're enjoying ourselves, people are suffering. It's a call to not let our privilege distract us from the poverty and injustice that is all around us. I think this reminder is appropriate for right now because we humans haven't change much since 1971, and when comfortable, would sometimes rather forget the existence of pain than use our comfort to help alleviate it.
"I am Woman" by Helen Reddy (1972)Download from Amazon Here
Writers: Ray Burton, Helen Reddy
Producer: Jay Senter
Source
"I am Woman" is the ultimate female power song. It extols the strength, persistence, and wisdom of women, while acknowledging the pain that they've experienced. Though its musical style is very much a product of its time, its lyrics echo what I hear from women today - that they want both the men and women around them to fully appreciate the potential and worth of women and their experiences.
"We Built This City" (1985) by StarshipDownload from amazon Here
Writers: Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Wolf
Producers: Peter Wolf and Jeremy Smith
Source
I can only characterize this song as chaotic in the way that a city is chaotic. Like a city teeming with interesting people who become lost in the crowd, this song's glory is in its rapid-fire, but poignant, statements about the frustrations of modern society. These lines comment on everything from corporate corruption to police-public relations. For me, these lines are also what make this song relevant to the U.S. today; they deal with many of the same social and political issues that we also struggle with everyday.
"Luka" by Suzanne Vega (1987)Domestic Violence Trigger Warning
Download from amazon Here
Writer: Suzanne Vega
Producers: Steve Addabbo and Lenny Kaye
Source
This chilling, yet somehow tender, song is the words Luca, a woman who is the victim of domestic violence at her partner's hands. At intervals, she both admits to her neighbor that her partner is beating her and tries to cover it up by blaming on her own clumsiness the loud noises that she and her partner sometimes make. I think this song is powerful because it captures the impossible quandary that a domestic abuse victim finds him/herself in. They won't find help if they don't tell someone they are being mistreated, but if they tell someone, the abuser might retaliate. Thus, their fear often keeps them in silence. This song, in effect, aims to speak on behalf of the person who is too afraid to speak up for him/herself
This song is relevant because domestic violence is still a major issue. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 10 million men and women are physically abused by an intimate partner per year (Source). And that alarming statistic doesn't cover the whole scope of the problem because it fails to take into account people who are abused in other ways (psychologically, sexually, spiritually, etc.) and people who are abused by someone other than an intimate partner. Who knows how huge the issue of domestic violence is when considered more comprehensively? This songs brings to light the pain and fear of an experience that so many people are still living and seeks to give voice to people who thirty years after the song's release find it hard to speak for themselves, too.
"Across the Lines" (1988) by Tracy ChapmanDownload from amazon Here
Physical and Sexual Assault Trigger Warning
Source
This song tells about the assault of a black girl and the racial tensions that follow, as people are injured and killed in riots. More than that, it's a call for peace between white and black Americans, who are both being injured by racism. In light of the recent killing of African Americans by police, as well as the riots that followed, this song seems prescient, It's call to end the division between white and black Americans is applicable today, just as it was in the late 80's.
"Man in the Mirror" (1988) by Michael JacksonDownload from amazon Here
Writers: Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett
Producers: Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
Source
Michael Jackson's iconic song about social change challenges listeners to begin to change the world, not by telling other people to do something, by by personally becoming involved in people's lives. The equivalent in today's world would be asking us to volunteer at a soup kitchen instead of channeling our social activism through Facebook statuses and tweets. I think this is relevant, considering the hot bed of activism, complaining, and mud slinging that social media platforms have been since the presidential election. We are forgetting that talking about issue, though important, doesn't actually solve it. We, too, also need to "star[t] with the man in the mirror," and think about what practical service we can provide to the people we are concerned about.
"We Didn't Start the Fire" (1989) by Billy JoelDownload from amazon Here
Writer: Billy Joel
Producers: Mick Jones and Billy Joel
Source
At its core, this song reminds us that when we live out the present, we aren't just living out our own decisions; we are also living out the effects of hundreds of years of historical events. These events, many of which happened long before we were alive or capable of political influence, have present ramifications that we have little hope of mitigating. Like victims of an out-of-control fire, we are caught in the effects of history. In Billy Joel's time this meant living through the cold war, even though he had no connection to Stalin's rise to power. In my generation, it means watching people's deep division over issues of armed conflict and the treatment of Veterans because of the Vietnam War - a conflict I will never have more than a second hand understanding of. This song is intensely relevant because it is an apt reminder that we'll never understand the present US, if we don't consider its (and the world's) history.
Also, please follow Retro Reviews on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/retromediareviews/ to keep up to date with my latest retro recommendations.
Other Posts You Might Like:
Dracula, Dawn of the Dead, and Charlie Chaplain: Legally Watch and Download Classic Movies for FREE at bnwmovies.com
No comments:
Post a Comment