Phil Ochs 'Song Power And The Glory'

The hippie aesthetic implies a song has a message to convey to the listening audience by any means at their disposal (Covach & Flory, 2015). My interpretation of this would be exemplified in the song “War” by Edwin Starr released in 1970 on his album titled “War and Peace”. Written as a protest against the Vietnam War (War by Edwin Starr), the listener cannot misinterpret the intended message. Most songs are not as direct as to their meaning but are none the less passionate about the topic. “Silent Running” by Mike and the Mechanics is one such song. Other songs are not as ‘global’ in their message but take on a personal connotation and elicit the listener’s emotions, such as “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper.

Music has a dynamic ability of influencing emotions, from mood regulation to rumination and self-expression. The presence of political and social messages in popular music is frequently seen across cultures, in particular focusing on social issues and racism (Back, 2000, 127). This paper attempted to explore the political and social messages in popular music, more specifically it investigated the relationship between Soul music and civil rights movements in the United States.

The evolution of the 1960s “protest song” has typically been associated with Joni Mitchell, but the expanding range of protest songs in the 1970s defines her continued presence as a leader in terms of environmental activism. More than just a vestige of the late 1960s, Mitchell continued to write protest songs long after many other artists from the 1960s had changed their lyrical content. In the “mellow turn” of early 1970s country rock and folk music, Mitchell represented a new environmental shift that moved away from the proto-typical antiwar songs of the 1960s. Mitchell, along with other musicians of this era, defined a shifting musical focus on songwriting and musical presentation during the early 1970as:

The music video “Hawaii ’78” made popular by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole serves as the unofficial anthem for the Hawaiian renaissance movement by focusing on vivid historical imagery coupled with the song’s reflective lyrics to awaken in the audience a sense of urgency to address past transgressions of the native people. Music can be an incredibly powerful tool to communicate a story or to send a message to elicit a response by the audience, especially when the artist is so well loved and respected, and this is where my essay begins.

With rhetorical tact, Douglass uses his narrative to underscore the overwhelming desperation inherent to slave songs. Says Douglass, “The singing of a man cast away upon a desert island might be as appropriately considered as evidence of contentment and happiness, as the singing of a slave; the songs of the one and of the other are prompted by the same emotion.” Driven by an all-consuming

During the 1970s many groups were dealing with the fact of fighting for equality such as African-Americans, Native Americans, and other marginalized people. This era had inspired some artists to produce songs on the revolution. One artist being Gil Scott-Heron who wrote the song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” which is about how what is televised on television is not the revolution but they are only the symptoms and how society needs to have their own mind. In addition, not be followers to those who are being ignorant and turning to violence. He explains, how for you to change the way you live you have to possess the right mind. It will only be something people see, but eventually they will begin to realize that they are on the wrong

“We Shall Overcome” by Peter Seeger, many would describe to be the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement or 1960s Civil Rights Movement (sometimes referred to as the "African-American Civil Rights Movement" although the term "African American" was not widely used in the 1950s and 1960s). It encompasses social movements in the United States whose goals were to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans and to secure legal recognition and federal protection of the citizenship rights enumerated in the Constitution and federal law. During this period many folk and blues artistes’ music were protest songs, to speak out against the justice of Blacks and other unconstitutional acts. These music not only protested the injustice but it brought together people of all ethnicity/race, social class and regions, in solidarity to form a major campaigns of civil resistance. The conventional protest melodies in the United States goes way beyond the nineteen century and into the colonial period, the American Revolutionary War and the corollary. In the nineteenth century topical subjects for protest songs included abrogation, subjugation, destitution, and the Civil War among different subjects. In the twentieth century civil liberties, women 's rights, financial injustice, governmental issues and war were among the well-known subjects for protest songs. This paper will explore the protest song “We Shall Overcome” and its impact on the civil rights movement and the

This optimistic and attentive outlook on equality/inequality as a whole is reflected much in ‘Let America Be America Again’ where Hughes in stanza five the speaker is ‘the young man,full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain’ (Hughes 2002),with the whole stanza revolving around economic and capitalist ideas does it still derides into that insatiable passion and capability of change, for the greater good. On the other hand due to the construct of the poem can it be implied that the cynicist speaker is not only showing their consciousness to life itself but an enmity towards the upper-class rich, white businessman who oppresses and keeps them in restraint from

Gil Scott-Heron gave the black community a wake-up call in his song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Produced in the 1970s, the “song” is actually a poem being recited by Heron, along the beat of the drums. Because the song was released in the 70’s, the underlying message was really aimed towards the unconcerned Americans who weren’t paying too much attention to the injustices happening around country and to the African Americans that weren’t taking enough action.

There have been many people, known as artists, who have tried to change the world through their art. “Art” can be paintings, music, dances, sculptures, literature, or photography. There are many ways to communicate and express ones feelings but The Beatles did it through their popular music. Although they didn’t focus on changing the world of politics or try to protest through their music they have songs that focus on those exact two things.

– Let America be America again). The poems display images of hardship and frustration. They both speak of a difference within races and also what the life in America is different from the eyes of someone who isn’t white.

Meaning in music is derived from parenthetical analysis of several technical aspects including lyrics, form, historical context, emotional content, and personal connection. A hermeneutical approach to the Star-Spangled Banner can yield only interpretational results. Therefore, we must examine the more concrete details of the work, and how the music relates to the meaning of the protests as stated by Colin Kaepernick in August of 2016.

Throughout all the anti-war protests and marches during the Vietnam War, it is interesting to note the changes in the music of that time. From the beginning of the war, where support and loyalty from Americans was present in songs, to the end of the war, where anger and distrust was evident in musical lyrics, American’s opinion changed about the war. This change in opinion was easily recognized by the altering of musical lyrics about the war when Americans grew tired of the constant sending of U.S. troops to Vietnam. The growing dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War led to increasing levels of anger and hostility in the popular music of the time.

When delving into the song and trying to grasp the meaning, it can be understood that the author really desires to be free and go back home to where he belongs and desires. The author or writer of the song does not like the idea of slavery, nor does he like being a slave himself, his perspective on the topic shows that he is not happy about the current situation and no one should because of how cruel slavery is. The author also uses certain rhetorical strategies, one of them being metaphors. They can be used to explain his sadness and other feelings he has about the topic of slavery. An example of this is,

“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” by Pete Seeger became a popular anti-war protest song during the 1960s. This song did not only protest against the Vietnam War but also made their generation more aware about the global problems. Songs like “Not Ready to Make Nice” by Dixie chicks about freedom of speech was written after they received death threats for singing against the Iraq war, protests against the violation of human rights. But music is not only used to protest, it is also used to give hope and optimism. “We Shall Overcome”, a song sung by Guy Carawan together with the Montgomery Gospel Trio and the Nashville Quartet, is perhaps the best known example of civil rights song. Instead of blaming the government, this song registered a feeling of hope and faith among African-Americans during the civil rights movement.