Analysis: The Language You Cry In

Popular singer Elton John once said; “music has healing power; it has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours”, and for most, music is the portal to an out of body experience. African American lyricists especially have been found to use the art of music to escape the real world, commencing from the slavery era and onward. The blues song titled The Tracks of My Tears does just that; expresses the ability to remove your soul from a treacherous reality. Similarly, the lyrics from popular modern songs, written by black artists, speak volumes about what is presently going on in the country, parallel to the way African American slavery songs did. Music written at an earlier period have been found to correlate to music of the past through providing strong emotion toward present day commentary.

All cultures following prehistory had a musical background, therefore everyone can connect more effectively with a music containing a message than a speech, therefore spreading the message more effectively. “The freedom songs are playing a strong and vital role in our struggle” (MLK). In the case of the Civil Rights Movement, it was the prominent method to give the group a voice, represent them, and highlight their determination for social change. When times were hard for the movement, they would also rely on songs to sustain morale:

Some may say music is just music; a song is just a song. However, music plays an enormous role in our psychology, because a single song has the ability to bring about many kinds of thoughts and emotions in the listener. Music is subtly one of the main factors in which people identify with certain groups and establish their belonging in society. It shapes people’s perspectives on how the world functions and the roles they play within it. Music can function the same way in a culture; it can reflect many of the culture’s values and ideologies. Music can have many effects on culture and the people’s idea of who they think they are within that culture. Music can serve in a way that promotes cultural identity and pride, yet it could also play a

The North and South soldiers marched off to war, taking with them a love of song that divided them. Music brought back memories of home and family and also entertained and comforted, strengthened the bonds between comrades, helped forge new

The Doctrine of ethos is a powerful tool used throughout time to influence a mass quantity of people about particular ideas, emotions, or social issues. These ideas can be expressed in a multitude of ways to convey a particular message to the observer. In this case, we are focusing on the effects of music as it applies to human beings and their ability to understand the message implied to them and the effect this may cause on them. I chose to focus my selection on a particular time frame, the civil rights movement, as this would be a crucial time where people were looking fro inspiration and morale to fight for a cause. My song choice is “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free” by Nina Simone and written by Billy Taylor ad Richard Caroll Lamb. I believe

The folk music of the Civil Rights Movement “came out of tradition, common experience, and generations of resistance” (Dunaway 2010: 140). The songs used throughout the movement derived from the shared experiences and struggles of African Americans while connecting “the gentle, idealistic world of folk music and the integrationist world of civil rights” (Dunaway 2010: 145). Songs, such as “We Shall Overcome”, were put through the folk process, where a song is passed on and alterations are made to verses (Dunaway 2010: 141). These folk songs evolved to embody the movements they were used for: “Those songs came out of the movement. The songs came out of very specific movements” (Dunaway 2010: 139). Folk music, which can

Churches were bombed and kids killed. John Coltrane with his healing tenor saxophone brought us together and reminded us of who we are at our best when he recorded ‘Alabama’” (Wynton 2009). The sorrowful melody reminded every one of the civil rights movement and proved again that Arts allowed people to know who they were and where they belonged to. In history, many great musicians put stories into their songs to fight for liberty, and we should always remember that.

Music is a powerful force that can bring people together from all walks of life. Listening to music creates an atmosphere of peace the surrounds one. Music fills our ears and overpowers our brain, consuming all our thought. This is one of the main reasons people crave music, an escape. In the song and video, Arabian Waltz by The Silkroad Ensemble, listeners can see the artists coming together to play and entertain. In Attaboy, the music surrounds listeners they imagine they are hearing the song being played just for them. The cover of Bob Marley’s song, One Love, projected an overwhelming sense of change needed for the world. No matter what language one speaks, music can be enjoyed by all.

This article reminded me of several times in history when music was used by African Americans to survive times of hardship. In the time of slavery, music was used as an escape. The negro spiritual was sung by the slaves who worked in the fields and those who worked in the household alike. The songs took them to a more peaceful time and were passed down from generation to generation. The negro spiritual was even used by Harriet Tubman and others who worked the Underground Railroad as a code. The spirituals were used as a haven for the African Americans who were not in charge of their own lives. That same music would be used in future generations as a war call and as a way to endure the struggles they would face.

Throughout the Rock and Roll: Catalyst For Social Change course, students have learned about many different artists, genres, and their songs in Western musical history. More importantly, we’ve learned about how those artists and songs have addressed far-reaching social issues. For instance, Charley Patton's "Tom Rushen Blues" addressed racism, and Prince’s songs provoked controversy concerning censorship and freedom of speech, as discussed in the previous weeks. However, there are many more songs that could be used as teachers of this wide array of social issues. Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” and Jennifer Lopez’s “Ain’t Your Mama” are two songs that Western Music History students could benefit from learning about.

Music in the apartheid era of South Africa was a very important tool and weapon for the majority, whom were those people that were oppressed. Songs of freedom consolation and resistance were extremely popular among the civil population. They were incredibly significant because they gave the majority a new sense of hope and courage, these songs keep the faith among the majority alive and grants them a radiant hope especially in their most trying times. (Stewart, 2013) The majority used music as a way to express themselves and escape the discrimination that they were experiencing as well as to give themselves and others around them hope that they would overcome the struggle one day.

It is a tough time in our country. Violence, which is taking place within our own borders, appears to be the norm. It seems like every day, there’s news about another shooting, another riot, and the two political sides growing even further apart over something as precious as human life. But how do we cope? How do we move on from this time of hurt? As Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelly, also known as the progressive country duo Florida Georgia Line, sing “love is the answer and music is healing” they attempt to show the world that. Written and produced after the tragic police shooting in Dallas, where five police officers were slain and nine more were injured, their new song, “Music is Healing” uses well-fluctuating tone, tempo of instrumentals, and rhyme schemes to narrate to the country that we need to move on from violence, love one another, and use music as a way of healing.

“Sing” is one of many songs that have had an impact on my life and one that stands out for me among them. The message of the song is easily recognized, it tells us to be brave and stand up for what we believe in. The lyrics of this song reminds us that we have control over our fates and destinies. It gave me the courage to remember who I am and to be unapologetic for it. I am reminded while hearing this song that there is nothing wrong with who I am and I should get to be as loud as I want. “Sing” reminds us that we each have the power to save the world through our individual voices.

I choose to do this song because I love much, and I find it easier to relate when it is music form and let my feeling out. When I saw this option in the activity I found my “holy grail” because writing poetry and songs was my only civilized way of letting out emotions, and through way I could show how I felt about the issue of poverty. Some important thing I learned about poverty is how it affects all of us. Poverty is more that just a homeless person on the street. It includes the rich people as well as the poor. From this project i researched poverty I saw how people are only poor because others are rich. The line in my song “Since Poverty. Ain't the only thing I see” shows that there are people outside of the people. Those who take

“We shall overcome someday, Oh, deep in my heart I do believe, We shall overcome someday.” These lyrics were spoken by many but none were as influential as Joan Baez. She used her “language” of freedom, hope, and liberty to get her voice heard and take a stand on civil rights. Her “language” was spoken by many, but not the way she did it. Her “language” was music.