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07 Jan 08 - 03:30 PM (#2230519) Subject: Political, Topical Songs From: topical tom It was inevitable that with a Mudcat name like mine I would suggest this as a thread.In fact I love to hear and sing political and topical songs as sung by Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Eric Bogle and a host of others.One of my favourite singers is Chuck Brodsky. Here's hoping we can amass a large collection of such songs. Here's Chuck Brodsky |
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07 Jan 08 - 07:07 PM (#2230707) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: topical tom In the interest of equal time listen to Canada andthe voice of the beaver: |
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07 Jan 08 - 07:14 PM (#2230713) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: Rapparee How far back do you want to go? "McNally's Row Of Flats" is certainly political and topical, and dates from 1882. "Yankee Doodle" is political and dates from about 1770. Rudy Vallee sung "Brother Can You Spare A Dime?" during the Depression. And of course, there's Woody and few like him.... |
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07 Jan 08 - 08:08 PM (#2230758) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: topical tom I realize that there is an infinite number of such songs.A broad cross-section through the decades would be fine. |
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07 Jan 08 - 09:22 PM (#2230807) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: Rapparee Okay... The Willing Conscript Talking Vietnam Blues George W. Told The Nation Lyndon Johnson Told The Nation Tinky-Winky Nell Flaherty's Drake Moses Ri-to-ri-li-a Billy Sol Estes The John Birch Society I'm Going To Say It Now A Small Circle Of Friends The Titanic Meadows Green Si Me Quieres Escribir Peat Bog Soldiers Ballad of the Boll Weevil Die Gedanken Sind Frei Oh What A Friend We Have In Hoover Queen Elinor's Confession What Did You Learn In School Today? So Long Mom, I'm Off To Drop The Bomb La Marsellaise Vive La Quince Brigada That'll do for now. I think there might be one or two more, and if they occur to me I'll let you know. |
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07 Jan 08 - 09:27 PM (#2230813) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: Rapparee And what about songs that are associated with events, like "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow" which W. Clinton used as his campaign song? Or JFK using the song "High Hopes" for his? |
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07 Jan 08 - 09:36 PM (#2230820) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: Beer Does "Eve of Destruction" count? Beer (adrien) |
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07 Jan 08 - 09:38 PM (#2230822) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: Susan of DT The DT has a keyword @political |
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07 Jan 08 - 09:43 PM (#2230826) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: Rapparee Yeah, Susan, but I was just trying to see how many I could remember without looking 'em up. |
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07 Jan 08 - 09:50 PM (#2230829) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: open mike McCutcheon has quite a few of these. His Web site features a section called short shelf life songs..as Tom Paxton calls them. i think it is www.folkmusic.com |
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07 Jan 08 - 09:53 PM (#2230830) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: mark gregory I've been building a large site called Union Songs for over 10 years now. The front page says Call them rebel songs, slave songs, songs of freedom, work songs, songs of dissent, songs of struggle, protest songs, liberation songs, labour songs, labor songs, workers songs, environmental songs, songs of equlity, peace songs. For over two centuries working people across the world have built trade unions. This site documents the songs and poems that they made in the process, union songs. It includes songs and poems that are being written today, as the process of union building continues all around the world. and the collection now contains over 600 songs and poems from more than 240 authors and I'm adding new and old songs all the time. see http://unionsong.com/ I need the permission of the authors of course and that's not always easy to obtain cheers Mark |
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08 Jan 08 - 05:33 AM (#2230953) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: topical tom Thanks, everyone, for those great collections of songs and yes, Adrien, "Eve of Destruction" is most certainly acceptable. It's a powerful and moving anti-war song. |
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08 Jan 08 - 09:29 AM (#2231099) Subject: Lyr Add: LET EVERY MAN OF ADAM'S LINE + IF WE WILL From: Newport Boy To begin at the beginning (or at least fairly near it), here's two that I don't think appear in the DT or the Mudcat. I'm fairly sure I got both these from John Greenway's "American Folk Songs of Protest", but my old 1960s notebook has fallen apart, so I stand to be corrected. First, a broadside from about 1801. The last 3 verses are a direct counter to the Federalist party arguing for a life term for senators. Alexander Hamilton wrote: "All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are rich and well-born, and the other the mass of the people who seldom judge or determine right." LET EVERY MAN OF ADAM'S LINE Let every man of Adam's line In social contract freely join To extirpate monarchic power, That kings may plague the earth no more. As power results from you alone, Ne'er trust it on a single throne. Kings oft betray their sacred trust And crush their subjects in the dust. Nor yet confide in men of show, Aristocrats reduce you low. Nobles at best are feeble things And oft far worse than cruel kings. Nobles combine in secret fraud (Tho' in pretence for public good) To frame a law the most unjust And sink the people down in dust. When laws are framed the poor must lie Distressed beneath the nobles eye, Unpitied there, to waste their breath In fruitless prayers till freed by death. A year is long enough to prove A servant's wisdom, faith and love. Release him from temptation then, And change the post to other men. Now is the prime important hour, The people may improve their power To stop aristocratic force And walk in reason's peaceful course. Choose all your servants once a year With strict reserve and nicest care, And if they once abuse their place Reward them with deserved disgrace. Not a lot of change in 200 years, then. Then there's the anthem of the Knights of Labor - the earliest American union, so this is probably about 1870. IF WE WILL, WE CAN BE FREE Base oppressors, cease your slumbers Listen to a people's cry. Hark, uncounted, countless numbers Swell the peal of agony. Lo, for labor's sons and daughters In the depths of misery, Like the rush of many waters Comes the cry "We will be free". By our own, our children's charter, By the fire within our veins, By each truth-attesting martyr, By our tears, our groans, our pains, By our rights, by nature given, By the laws of liberty, We declare before high heaven That we must, we will be free. Tyrants quail! The dawn is breaking, Dawn of freedom's glorious day. Despots on their thrones are shaking, Iron hands are giving way. Kingcraft, statecraft, base oppression Cannot bear our scrutiny. We have learned the startling lesson, If we will, we can be free. Winds and waves the tidings carry, Electra in your fiery car Winged by light'ning, do not tarry, Bear the news to lands afar. Bid them tell the thrilling story Louder than the thunder's glee That a people, ripe for glory, Are determined to be free. It's interesting that the first is determinedly male, while the Knights of Labor 70 years later included "sons and daughters". That didn't stop them allowing segregation in the South, or excluding the Chinese, though. There's always some class you can exclude. Phil |
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08 Jan 08 - 09:38 AM (#2231102) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: maire-aine Just bought a Phil Ochs album called A Toast to Those Who Are Gone, and, even 20 years on, the songs are still topical. My favorite social-justice singer-songwriter is Si Kahn. His songbook is on line at his website Maryanne |
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08 Jan 08 - 02:23 PM (#2231323) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: Rog Peek Tom I am absolutely amazed that you did not mention Phil Ochs in your original posting. In my opinion, Phil was THE topical songwriter of the 20th century. If there is such a genre within the field of folk as the topical song, then Phil personified it. He wrote about the burning issues of the day and never pulled his punches. His uncompromising criticism, particularly of American foreign policy made him very powerful enemies, and this undoubtedly contributed to his lack of exposure on TV and Radio. As he once quipped himself, "A protest song is one you don't hear on the radio". Rog |
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08 Jan 08 - 02:28 PM (#2231326) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: Rog Peek Bye the way, if it's topical songs you're looking for you'll find a few in here: Songs of Phil Ochs Rog |
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08 Jan 08 - 03:20 PM (#2231384) Subject: RE: Political, Topical Songs From: topical tom Afew? Thanks, Rog! |