The question I want you all to ask yourselves when answering this post is: what is music's role in American politics?
For your post: Choose a song, explain your take on the meaning, look at some of the history behind the song, and the era in which it was sung and written (was the person who wrote the song different from the person who sang it? If so, list both people/groups in the creation of the song). Why was the song written (what was its purpose?)? Then analyze whether or not you believe this song created any political change (or success for a candidate). Why or why not? Did it create change later (was it covered by other artists?)?
The following are suggestions of artists and songs to explore, but you can choose something from your favorite genre of music, so long as it has a political message of some kind (even if its just a commentary on a war, on government power, etc.).
Francis Hopkinson, Seven Songs Dedicated to George Washington
James Hewitt, The Battle of Trenton
George Root, The Battle Cry of Freedom (and other Civil War songs)
Marc Blitzstein, The Cradle Will Rock
Virgil Thomson, The Mother of Us All
Woody Guthrie, This Land Is Your Land
Duke Ellington, Black, Brown, Beige
Irving Berlin, Mr. President
Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit
Aaron Copland, A Lincoln Portrait
Charles Mingus, Fables of Faubus
Various artists, We Shall Overcome
John Cage, Songbooks
Phil Ochs, I Ain't Marching Anymore
Nina Simone, Why? The King of Love is Dead
Anthony Davis, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
The Dead Kennedys, Holiday in Cambodia
Prince, Ronnie Talk to Russia
John Adams, Nixon in China; The Death of Klinghoffer
Various artists: No Nukes; Live Aid; Farm Aid
Carla Bley, Looking for America
Laurie Anderson, United States I-IV
Various by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, etc.
Gil-Scott Heron, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Ani DiFranco and Utah Philips, various
Steve Earle, Christmas in Washington
A popular sub-genre of political music is the Protest Song. Many of the above are such. Bob Dylan is somewhat famous for these. Green Day released American Idiot in 2004. You could also look at Springsteen and Rage Against the Machine. Again, these are just suggestions, but try to stick to Americans speaking out for or against American politics. Many foreign bands/singers/song writers (Lennon, Morrissey, Bowie) have sung about on our politics, but the causes behind those songs are probably different than the causes behind a native group of people commenting on their own government (and by native, I mean someone who grew up in the United States). Please provide a link to your song, either on youtube or another free site where a classmate could listen to the song. Also, provide links to any sources you used. If you feel confident in your MLA skills, you can include works cited rather than links.
