"Why do we sing any song?"
Exactly
It would be extremely naíve of any songwriter to believe they are going to convert anybody with a three or four minute song - just it would be for a singer to believe the same
Songs are outward expressions of thoughts, feelings and aspirations, made for the maker as much as for the listener - self-affirmations.
One of the earliest batch of printed songs in English and Latin, are political, going back to the twelfth century, yet there are still those who find them unnecessary and even intrusive.
The Civil Rights movement was documented in its songs and they provided hope and unity to those facing horrific opposition.
I know the ones we sang to each other on Aldermaston made me forget my sore feet for a time.
Some of the most memorable evenings I have spent in folk clubs was listening to protest songs I must have heard dozens of times over.
Hopefully, the clubs haven't deteriorated to the stage of Freemasons Lodges, where we all know one another - gawd forbid.
One of the most electric nights I ever experienced in the Singers Club was when it was invaded by a couple of dozen students in London for a demonstration against teh introduction of University fees.
Ewan and Peggy threw away their prepared programme and tailored the evening to the visitors with traditional and contemporary political songs - we all floated down the stairs and out into the street that night - a truly shared experience.
Jim Carroll