{"id":2677,"date":"2024-03-28T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/10-songs-for-social-change\/"},"modified":"2024-11-12T11:54:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T04:54:34","slug":"10-songs-for-social-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/news\/2024\/03\/10-songs-for-social-change\/","title":{"rendered":"10 SONGS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From the original protest songs of the civil rights movement to the charity singles raising money for those in need, for decades musicians have inspired change through their songs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are our top 10 songs to inspire you to change the world for the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1. Blowin\u2019 in the Wind \u2013 Bob Dylan<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bob Dylan\u2019s classic instantly became a civil rights anthem when it was released in 1963. The song had a major influence on American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, who was so moved by the song he began to perform it as part of his live set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=vWwgrjjIMXA%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> August 1963
Record label:<\/strong> Columbia
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> The answer my friend is blowin\u2019 in wind
Interesting fact:<\/strong> Dylan claims he wrote \u201cBlowin\u2019 in the Wind\u201d in 10 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

2. Fight The Power \u2013 Public Enemy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Arguably Public Enemy\u2019s most famous song, \u201cFight the Power\u201d was produced for Spike Lee\u2019s 1989 film Do the Right Thing<\/em>. Speaking to the social and psychological struggles being experienced by the American youth, the song decried racism and a lack of social progress, encouraging people to fight back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=mmo3HFa2vjg%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> June 1989
Record label:<\/strong> Motown Records
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
Interesting fact:<\/strong> \u201cFight the Power\u201d was used in another film, 2005\u2019s US military movie Jarhead<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

3. Strange Fruit \u2013 Billie Holiday<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the most tragic and disturbing songs ever recorded, Billie Holiday\u2019s \u201cStrange Fruit\u201d is about the barbaric practice of lynching \u2013 when a group of people kill someone for an alleged offence, usually by hanging, without a legal trial \u2013 which was common at the time the song was released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=Web007rzSOI%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> 1939
Record label:<\/strong> Commodore
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze | Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Interesting fact:<\/strong> The song was originally written as a poem by American writer and teacher Abel Meeropol after he saw a photograph of a lynching in a civil rights magazine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

4. From Little Things Big Things Grow \u2013 Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

An Indigenous rights classic, \u201cFrom Little Things Big Things Grow\u201d is based on the story of the Gurindji Strike, a walk-off and strike by 200 Gurindji stockmen, house servants and their families in August 1966 at Wave Hill cattle station in Kalkarindji, Northern Territory. The strike took place mainly due to work and living conditions but ultimately became about the return of Gurindji peoples\u2019 land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=6_ndC07C2qw%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> 1991
Record label:<\/strong> EMI, Festival
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting | Till one day a tall stranger appeared in the land | And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony | And through Vincent\u2019s fingers poured a handful of sand
Interesting fact:<\/strong> Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody sang the song at Gough Whitlam\u2019s memorial service in November 2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

5. A Change is Gonna Come \u2013 Sam Cooke<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 1963 Sam Cooke, along with his wife and band, was turned away from a \u201cwhites only\u201d motel in Louisiana and arrested for disturbing the peace. A key song for the civil rights movement, some of the lyrics of \u201cA Change is Gonna Come\u201d were inspired by this incident \u2013 as well as by Bob Dylan\u2019s 1963 hit \u201cBlowin in the Wind\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> December 1964
Record label:<\/strong> RCA Victor
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> It\u2019s been a long, a long time coming | But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
Interesting fact:<\/strong> The song was released on 22 December 1964, two weeks after Cooke was shot dead by motel employee in Los Angeles \u2013 he was 33 years old<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Imagine \u2013 John Lennon<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Of course we couldn\u2019t miss out the ultimate call for world peace, John Lennon\u2019s \u201cImagine\u201d. The song, written during the Vietnam War, asks listeners to imagine a world at peace, free from religious, class, or political boundaries. Jack Johnson recorded it for the 2007 compilation \u201cInstant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur\u201d by Amnesty International.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=YkgkThdzX-8%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> October 1971
Record label:<\/strong> Apple
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> You may say I\u2019m a dreamer | But I\u2019m not the only one | I hope someday you\u2019ll join us | And the world will be as one
Interesting fact:<\/strong> Oasis used the piano intro on their 1996 song \u201cDon\u2019t Look Back In Anger\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

7. Redemption Song \u2013 Bob Marley<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bob Marley\u2019s final single before his death from cancer in May 1981, \u201cRedemption Song\u201d is about historic and modern day slavery and our struggle for physical and emotion freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=iuLcTPvuH1E%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> October 1980
Record label:<\/strong> Island\/Tuff Gong
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery | None but ourselves can free our minds
Interesting fact:<\/strong> This was the last song Marley performed, singing at a show in Pittsburgh on 23 September 1980<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

8. Man in the Mirror \u2013 Michael Jackson<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Released in 1988, Michael Jackson\u2019s \u201cMan in the Mirror\u201d is an inspirational song about personal redemption and making a positive impact on the world. The catchy song tells us that not only is it possible to change the world, it\u2019s possible for us \u2013 as individuals \u2013 to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=90C-Wx_uGdM%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> January 1988
Record label:<\/strong> Epic
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> I\u2019m Gonna Make A Change | For Once In My Life | It\u2019s Gonna Feel Real Good | Gonna Make A Difference | Gonna Make It Right
Interesting fact:<\/strong> Following Jackson\u2019s death in 2009 the song became the number one single on iTunes in both the US and the UK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

9. One \u2013 U2<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Released as a benefit single in 1992, with the proceeds going towards AIDS research, \u201cOne\u201d is said to be partly inspired by the reunification of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Others believe that the song represents a conversation of acceptance between an AIDS sufferer and his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=BgZ4ammawyI%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.amnesty.org.au<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> March 1992
Record label:<\/strong> Island
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> We\u2019re one, but we\u2019re not the same | We get to Carry each other
Interesting fact:<\/strong> The song was written in Berlin because the band was hoping to find inspiration from the changes happening to the region<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

10. Joan Baez \u2013 We shall overcome<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Originally written by American folk singer and activist Peter Seeger, \u201cWe Shall Overcome\u201d is a hauntingly peaceful protest song that became an anthem of the civil rights movement in the US. The only artist to chart with the song was Joan Baez, whose soft and uplifting version is still as powerful today as it was during the turbulent sixties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=HcCaA9LO1yk%3Fsi%3DmzeIIbIwvTSpWVGE\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Released:<\/strong> 1962
Record label:<\/strong> Vanguard
Most poignant lyric:<\/strong> Oh, deep in my heart | I do believe | We shall live in peace someday
Interesting fact:<\/strong> Peter Seeger performed the song for Martin Luther King in 1957 at the 25th anniversary of the Highlander Center in Tennessee. Rosa Parks was also in attendance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to listen again? Check out our human rights playlist on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article by Katie Young, Online Editor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the original protest songs of the civil rights movement to the charity singles raising money for those in need, for decades musicians have inspired change through their songs. Here are our top 10 songs to inspire you to change the world for the better.   1. Blowin\u2019 in the Wind \u2013 Bob Dylan Bob […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":0,"_hero_title":"","_hero_content":"","_hero_cta_text":"","_hero_cta_link":"","_hero_alignment":"","_hero_background":"","_hero_size":"","_hero_show":"","_hero_type":"","_hero_embed":"","_hero_video_id":0,"_hero_hide_image_caption":true,"_hero_hide_image_copyright":false,"_nav_style":"","_disable_share_icons":false,"_disable_sidebar":false,"_display_author_info":false,"_hide_featured_image":false,"_hide_featured_image_caption":true,"_maximize_post_content":false,"_reduce_content_width":false,"_sidebar_id":0,"_stretch_thumbnail":false,"byline_context":"","byline_entity":"","byline_is_author":false,"disable_related_content":false,"download_id":0,"download_text":"","show_published_date":true,"show_updated_date":true,"term_slider":"","amnesty_index_number":"","recipients":"","recipients_refresh":"","recipients_refreshed":"","amnesty_umbraco_data":"","document_ref":"","amnesty_updated":"","footnotes":""},"category":[1585],"location":[1588,1587,1589],"resourceType":[],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-2677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","location-southeast-asia","location-thailand","location-world"],"datePosted":"March 28, 2024","mlpRelationships":{"1":3784,"2":2677},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=2677"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=2677"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resourceType?post=2677"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=2677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}