Summer Music: Song 4

Song 4: Brave Wolfe

Written: in 1997, about a battle in 1759

Subject Matter: This song is about General James Wolfe's heroics during the Battle on the Plains of Abraham. The battle took place during the French and Indian War (or Seven Year's War). Wolfe's British troops aimed to capture the French Canadian city of Quebec, and ultimately succeeded, but Wolfe was unfortunately killed during the battle.

Storytelling: "Brave Wolfe" is a ballad, so it is intended to function as a narrative. The song starts off slowly, as the battle did (the British sieged Quebec for three months before the decisive battle took place). The speed of the song picked up as the action would have, and it becomes, as Mark O'Connor says, "a musical gallop", meant to recall the back and forth tide of the battle. The song acts as a modern retelling of a historical event, meant to tell a story, rather than as a piece contemporary to that time.

My Thoughts: Although this song is lovely, if I hadn't done any research on it, I would have been entirely lost. However, listening to the song in conjunction with other collected knowledge, it made the battle seem real and gave it an emotion that would simply be impossible to feel by just reading about it in a textbook.

What can we learn?: Songs like this teach us that American history did not begin with the Declaration of Independence, the Boston Tea Party, or other historic revolutionary events, but with the arrival of Europeans on the American continent. The French and Indian War occurred before the Revolutionary War, but it is nonetheless a part of American history.

Summer Music: Song 15

Song 15: We Didn't Start the Fire

Written: 1989

Subject Matter: … What is there to say here, really? The song is a list of a great deal of important social and political events that occurred during the 20th century. The song also lists important people, a few of whom I know (thank you AP Euro) such as Khrushchev and Pasternak. In fact, reading over the lyrics, this song appears amazingly comprehensive, containing not only signigicant events and influential people, but also does not fail to mention important things, such as The Catcher in the Rye, vaccine (which I am interpreting as the polio one), and thalidomide, (and the credit for my knowing this one goes to a certain Chemistry teacher…) which was prescribed to pregnant mothers but caused serious birth defects, so much so that the children born were dubbed "flipper babies". I'd also like to mention one more incident mentioned, just because I think it's interesting (props to Wikipedia for teaching me about this one). The song mentions "hypodermics on the shore", referring to a time in the late 1980s when a great amount of "medical waste and raw garbage" washed up on a beach in New Jersey. The event is referred to as the Syringe Tide.

Storytelling: In this song, Joel simply lists off everything significant that has happened during his lifetime up to 1989. There's not a lot of room for emotion, but it's pretty clear that Joel recognizes that a lot of things happen in a lifetime. After all, he can't take it anymore.

My Thoughts: How can any human being justify not loving this song?

What can we learn?: Every single thing worth mentioning that happened in the entire world from 1949 to 1989.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringe_Tide

Summer Music: Song 14

Song 14: The Hands that Built America

Written: 2002

Subject Matter: How America was built, and who has made it great. The song basically argues that America has not been built by one group of people, but by the whole world. It's so diverse that it seems impossible to say otherwise. America is the work of many different nationalities and cultures. Oh and Bono kissed a girl under the watercolor sky.

Storytelling: The narrator really sounds more like he's telling the story of something that happened to him a long time ago. He sees how far he and his family have come to get where they are, and is proud that America is a place where people of all nationalities have the chance to pull themselves from despair, work hard, and have a good life.

My Thoughts: Whoa, they whisper those nationalities and/or religious groups (Jews and Muslims) so quietly it sounds like subliminal messages.

What can we learn?: That America is very much a compilation of cultures and mindsets, and we should all learn from each other.

Summer Music: Song 13

Song 13: The Times They Are A'Changin'

Written: 1964

Subject Matter: Globalization and the new, fast pace of the world. The song urges mothers and fathers to get out of the way of their children if they have nothing to offer, because the world was beginning to change rapidly at this point, as communications and transport first began to make the entire world accessible.

Storytelling: Dylan sounds very much like he's participating in the song. He sounds like he's simply stating a fact throughout, especially when he calls older people to get out of the way, because it's time for their children to change the world. In fact, the song is still immensely relevant today. In a world that can change in the blink of an eye, it's simply a part of life to assume that the next generation will outdo their predecessor's achievements.

My Thoughts: I'm almost sure that this song was in our document reader for AP World. It was at the end, ushering in the era of the modern world, and that's a fitting place for it.

What can we learn?: Thanks to newspapers, television, and radio, by this time, people are more acutely aware of the situation in the world, and they draw this conclusion: it is a'changin'. The move toward a more global availability of products and information begins, as does the market, which becomes more consumer based. This song tells us that even everyday people were aware of this shift in attitudes.

Summer Music: Song 12

Song 12: Youngstown

Written: 1995

Subject Matter:
Youngstown, Ohio was a city in Northeastern Ohio that, from the 1920s to the 1960s, was a major steel producer. However, after 1960, cities such as Youngstown found that, to survive, they must be economically diverse. Unlike other industrial centers of the time, Youngstown had virtually no other source of income than the steel industry. Many people, like the narrator of the song, lost their jobs when the steel plants closed because of economic problems.

Storytelling: Springsteen is another, like Seal, who's good at feeling a story they're not really intimately involved in. The song was written way after the decline of the steel industry, but Springsteen sings as if nothing ever affected him like this. An interesting note: "Sweet Jenny" in the song is actually the Jeanette Blast Furnace in the Youngstown Steel and Tube Company. Apparently, the fact that Springsteen is singing to a furnace rather than a girl changes the meaning of the song, but I'm really not sure how.

My Thoughts:
This song is one of the more difficult to understand out of the pack. I'm still not sure I really understand it, but I like it a lot.

What can we learn?: As globalization reached America, cities like Youngstown faced the challenge of diversification. In a world where one can order steel from many different places, the industry in Youngstown may have been outsourced. With no other great source of revenue, the city stagnated. In this light, it's easy to see that globalization directly affected the lives of many Americans.

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngstown,_Ohio
  
• http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1058
  

Summer Music: Song 11

Song 11: A Change is Gonna Come

Written: 1964

Subject Matter:
Racial oppression. The song is about a man who has been looked down on and condescended to all his life. He feels a change in the future, and expresses the hope that he will one day be fully accepted by others. The song was originally written by Sam Cooke, and it became a very influential piece during the Civil Rights movement.

Storytelling:
Although Seal is not the original recorder of this song, he sounds almost exactly true to Sam Cooke's original rendition. No matter that Seal sings this song after the era of racial oppression is over, he really feels the distress of his forefathers when he sings. In fact, I'd even venture to say that he puts more feeling into it than Cooke did. But then, Seal was born in the early 60's, so he may have experienced some racism, but not nearly as much as Cooke or other black people living in Cooke's time did.

My Thoughts: hmm hmm hmmmm! Oh, excuse me, I was just humming this song, like I've been doing all day long. It's great, and it's really not a wonder that it was so influential. It's quite inspiring.

What can we learn?:
This song speaks to a great part of the American dream: an equal chance for all to obtain a better, more fulfilling life. Over the course of US history, that hasn't been offered to everyone: American Indians, blacks, the Irish, etc. This song shows that many people, repressed or not, retain hope for a more promising future. Hey wow! America was built on Enlightenment ideals!!

Summer Music: Song 10

Song 10: Strange Fruit

Written:
1939

Subject Matter:
This song is about the racial prejudice that was rampant in the US during the first half of the 1900s and even beyond. More specifically, the song is a window through with the listener beholds the aftermath of the lynching of a black person.

Storytelling: The body of the lynched man hangs from a poplar tree, a traditional symbol for death. It is referred to as a "strange fruit", a gross understatement that I can only identify as a sort of sarcasm. (As if to say is that the only thing you see?) Holiday says this scene takes place in the "gallant south". Again, she calls the South "gallant" to highlight how it is not. Holiday feels very involved in this song. It's apparent in her voice; her sarcasm is positively dripping.

My Thoughts: I don't think I've heard but one other song in which I can hear the singer's emotion so well. (The other, by the way, is one of my favorites, because it's easy to tell that the singer is smiling, rather than feeling horrible indignation after witnessing a horrible event.) Of course, let's not compare Joshua Radin to Billie Holiday, he's surely not worthy, but still. There's emotion in both songs.

What can we learn?: Terrifying oppression existed against black people in the early 1900s, and like the man in this song, many were needlessly killed out of hate. However, there were also influential people, like Billie Holiday, were brave enough to call attention to the atrocities.

Summer Music: Song 9

Song 9: Do Re Mi

Written: 1940

Subject Matter:
This song is about the difficult journey to California that many impoverished farmers made during the Dust Bowl. Each one hoped to find a better life in California, but there were so many people coming in at once that there weren't any jobs. Therefore, the people who left their homes were no better off than they were before- comparable to the very first Pilgrims in America. Also, after some research, I found that, in fact, immigrants were being kept out of California illegally because they had nothing to offer.

Storytelling:
The song is really written from the point of view of a Californian at the time. The immigrants are advised to stay where they are, because there just aren't enough jobs for all of them. I was about to avoid saying exactly what "do re mi" was, because I really wasn't sure, but after some research, I discovered that "do" is actually supposed to be "dough" as in money. The song is telling immigrants to come to California only if they already have something to support themselves with. Of course, the only reason people were going to California in the first place was because the Dust Bowl had destroyed their means of livelihood, so telling people to come only if they had money was really a moot point.

My Thoughts: I don't think the album would be any worse for the wear having two Woody Guthrie songs on it; DiFranco sounds meaner than Guthrie when she sings it, but besides that, I liked it.

What can we learn?: The Dust Bowl was an unbelievably difficult time in American history. It wiped away almost all means of living for the great portion of the Midwestern population, and the fact that it came during the Great Depression made it even more of a knockout blow. Times were hard everywhere, and with migrants coming in from the Midwest, jobs were in incredibly high demand and equally low supply, which is one big reason why Californians wanted to keep the Dust Bowl immigrants out of their state.

Source: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=10694

Summer Music: Song 8

Song 8: Jesus Christ

Written: 1949?

Subject Matter: This song places Jesus in America in the 1950s. It states "If Jesus were to preach like he preached in Galilee/they would lay Jesus Christ in his grave." This being the last line of the song, it seems fair to assume that it is the culmination of what the song is attempting to teach the listener. In this case, that lesson is that people haven't changed very much since Jesus first came. People would react the same way, the poor would rally to him, and the rich would crucify him. The song is really a call to action, although its not in-your-face. Guthrie laments the fact that few people today have heeded Jesus' message, even though it was given so long ago.

Storytelling: By putting the song in modern times, Guthrie makes it something personal. It's easy to ignore something that happened long ago, but placing Jesus in modern times creates a feeling in the listener that there is still something to be done about his message.

My Thoughts: I love this song! Whether it's serious or not, the way it's sung sounds bland and a little silly. I've been singing this one in people's faces. Ahem… THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS ^_^

What can we learn?: Listening to this song, it's apparent that some people (such as Woody Guthrie) felt that there was corruption among the rich who, they supposed, didn't ever really learn what Jesus had to say. This opinion was probably widespread, because it's still around today.

Summer Music: Song 7

Song 7: Paddy's Lament
Written: 2002
Subject Matter: This song is about and Irish immigrant who came to America, leaving his life behind, hoping to make his fortune. However, as soon as his ship lands, he and all others aboard are recruited to fight for the North in the Civil War. At the same time, many Irish immigrants were not forced to fight, but choose to join the army because of the racism they faced in their new home. The "Meagher" talked about in the song is a real person: General Thomas Meagher, who led many Irish immigrants into battle for the US while continuing to celebrate their Irish heritage.
Storytelling:
Of course, writing in 2002, O'Connor can't truly be participating in what happened to the Irish immigrants in the 19th century, but, being Irish herself, and also being someone who feels her heritage deeply, she is actually invested in what happened a few hundred years ago. Because of this, the song sounds very personal, and I don't doubt that when Paddy says "God curse Americay", she really means it, the jerk.
My Thoughts: Forgive me. I really just can't get over the creepy Sinead O'Connor thing. I can take this song for what it is: an important lesson about how Irish Americans were treated and their role in the Civil War, but it was too slow to be the epic ballad that I think she was trying for.
What can we learn?:
This song speaks to the horrible discrimination against Irish immigrants in America. Many of the troops, in the North as well as the South, were Irish immigrants who were either forced to join the army upon their entry into American or joined the army because they could find no other jobs due to the racism they faced. The Irish, like so many other nationalities before them, came to the US looking for a new life, but because of racism and the all-consuming Civil War that was going on, they could not find jobs or, for that matter, any way to really plant their roots in America.

Summer Music: Song 6

Song 6: Hard Times Come Again No More

Written:1854
Subject Matter:
This song was written in 1864, soon before the end of the Civil War. Perhaps the end was in sight, and Stephen Foster, who penned the song and, interestingly enough, also "Campton Ladies" and "My Old Kentucky Home," may have been ready to begin a new life free of the strife imparted by the war.
Storytelling:
Foster personifies "Hard Times" in the song, writing: "Many days you have lingered around my cabin door/ Oh hard times come again no more." Anthropomorphizing the idea of "Hard Times" makes it more potent and reveals that trouble and hardship were very real for many people of this time period. However, it seems that though Foster is closely involved with those who have really hit rock bottom, he does not himself participate in the worst poverty meant by "Hard Times." After all, the hard times only ever linger around his door without entering, and he laments that while he and his friends may attempt to be happy ("While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay") there are still "frail forms fainting at the door" whose "pleading looks will say/ Oh hard times come again no more" that cannot be ignored.
My Thoughts:
I didn't really like this song. Perhaps I'm just feeling particularly stoic right now, but for some reason this song just didn't touch me like "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier" did, even though they're really about the same thing: war and the trouble that it brings.
What can we learn?: This song illustrates yet again the stress that war can place on citizens. It also shows that the Civil War was a time of lingering worry that the Union would not hold, followed by an anxious hope that nothing as trying as this would ever occur again.

Summer Music: Song 5

Song 5: Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier

Written:
Although this version was obviously written much later, the original folk song dates back to the American Revolution.

Subject Matter: This song is about the strife that all people, but particularly the wives of soldiers, went through during the American Revolution. They had to sell their possessions to support their fighting husbands, and without a man to work for the family, many women had to resort to begging to stay alive.

Storytelling:
The song mourns all the things that participants in the revolution must forgo or do to support both themselves and the war effort. The original song was written in first person (i.e., I'll sell my rod, I'll sell my reel), but this version is sung in third person, which provides more of a sense of detachment and storytelling to the song.

My Thoughts:
This song is imbued with feeling, so it's very easy to sympathize with the people taking part in it. War is always a difficult thing to deal with, and losing husbands and sons to it is a horrible thing.

What can we learn?:
In every war, there is sacrifice. However, today there is generally a great, romantic view of the American Revolution, of our small ragtag band of Americans fighting for freedom against the British and emerging victorious in good time. After listening to this song, that view is impossible. Although the American Revolution was fought on good principles, and in the end we did win, it's important to come to terms with the idea that in those first crucial years, our country and American ideal were built on sacrifice and hard fighting.

Summer Music: Songs 1-3

1. Virgen Madre De Dios
2. Apache Indian Drums
3. Shaman's Call (From Earth Spirit)

By recording these three songs, the artists probably hoped to keep alive the culture i.e., things like music and art, that existed before Europeans landed on the continent. The artists wanted to spread knowledge of this pre-European culture, because when the Europeans came to North America and continued to dominate for years to come, generations of Amerindians began to slowly lose memory of their original culture. The artists were motivated to record these songs to save what could easily be classified as a dying way of life, and to inspire others to aid them towards that goal. Songs 2 and 3 highlight a period of American history in a time before the beginning of an era of rapid and unexpected change. Track 3 expresses the deep connection between Indian life and their spirit world; perhaps this music was used to implore the Earth spirit's help for a good harvest. The drums in track 2 may have been used in celebration, for war, etc. In any case, both songs speak to the fact that Native Americans were living their lives, thriving and interacting with each other, long, long before Europeans landed on the North American continent. Obviously, all of these three songs do not come from the pre-European era, because how would the Indians have known about the "Virgen Madre De Dios" without the instruction of the settlers? (that, or perhaps it was actually settlers who sang that particular song to the Indians). Track 1 highlights a culture that would have begun to emerge not long after Europeans landed: a mixing of European and traditional Amerindian customs. These songs, to me, represent a voice that has truly been lost to American history. In fact, the era that songs 1-3 represent seems to almost not have a place in "American" history, because in so many cases, as we endeavored to build our own new nation, Native American culture was swept under the rug. The songs speak for an era that it is impossible to know much about. The culture imbued in these songs, as far as I can tell, did not influence what would become American culture. However, the presence of Indians in North America, in some cases, provided the European settlers with a common enemy, promoting a unity among them that would later become vital to their successful rebellion against English colonial rule.