Five Songs For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Since this is Yahoo! Music, why not discuss five songs that appreciate the life and work of the greatest Civil Rights leader of the past century? Besides, it's Monday!
"Pride (In The Name Of
Love)"--U2: Bono always knew he wanted to be more than just a rock star.
Before he was adopting countries and working as an ambassador to the world, he
wrote songs about people who had grandiose dreams and found the means necessary
to make things happen. Sure, Bono looks like a conceited rock star with his
wraparound shades, but would anybody listen to him if he looked like the rest
of us?
"Abraham, Martin and John"-Dion: Who says nice guys finish last? Unfortunately, they often get assassinated by people whose names aren't worth remembering. Talk about people only a mother could love. Or as New York street kid Dion, who staged a mid-career comeback as a concerned folkie with this nicely-arranged, soothing piece of horrible public tragedy put it: the good they die young. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy remembered.
"Happy Birthday"--Stevie
Wonder: Sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to approach a big
topic. And Stevie Wonder, who could write an entire album about the secret life
of plants, surely could've written an entire concept album about MLK. But being
"unpredictable Stevie," he opted to write a song celebrating the holiday for
what it is: a man's birthday. And what could be more to the point than wishing
one that's happy? You expected what? Miserable Birthday? So-So Birthday? Damn,
it's your birthday, again? How'd you get so old?
"A Dream"-Common: From the Freedom Writers soundtrack, Common uses MLK's legendary "I Have A Dream" speech as the launch point for his tribute. It's like he went out and bought MLK's Greatest Hits and wrote himself a cover!
"Keep On Pushing"--The
Impressions: Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and this tune from Curtis
Mayfield and his group the Impressions were among the anthems adopted by the
civil rights movement, which proves a link between good causes and good taste
in tunes! Ever hear the crap those Josef Stalin fans listen to? Or anything
from Fascism's Greatest Hits? Lousy stuff, I tell you.
NigNogDemocrat? So are you saying all African Americans are just like the artists you've listed? Do they represent the entire black population as a whole? Just curious...
George Benson
Freddy Hubbard (recently passed away)
Winton Marsalis
Earth Wind and Fire
Stantly Turrintne
Hubert Laws
Gil-Scott Heron
I could go on forever but hopefully you get the point. The hip hop generation is not a group of thugs. Just because some people act as thugs doesn't mean you condem a whole race
And yes I am a 53 year old white man
Normally I wouldn't comment but seriously why are you calling me names. Second most of the musicans I mentioned were JAZZ. Furthermore I am an independent.