Post by david on Oct 21, 2008 19:13:13 GMT -8
Four things make me wish I was French. Well, only two if you count the Three Musketeers as one.
The Dumas classic tale of young men who put honor, duty and chivalry above all else captured my fancy when I was a gullible teen; but La Marseillaise captured my heart. What a song!
Merely mentioning memorable music can stir emotions and remind us that we share experiences and values. Some music links groups of people generationally, culturally and even politically.
My first memory of music as a social force dates back to the early ‘60s. A friend from church brought his guitar to our house one evening and sang a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays back in 1949.
Though I wasn’t unfamiliar with music, including folk music, the appearance and performance of a relative stranger in the living room of my own house had a profound impact.
I watched as the adults in the room took on serious expressions and sang along, obviously moved by the lyrics. I enjoyed the sound of the guitar and was stirred by the powerful message.
The first three verses of the song seem a bit wistful; they offer a sort of excuse for inactivity. “If I only had a hammer, then I’d be able to fight for justice and freedom; if I only had a bell, then I’d be able to ring out a warning that justice and freedom are in danger; and if I only had a song, then I could sing about building a better world where people love each other as brothers and sisters.”
But then the payoff is delivered: I do have all of the tools necessary to fight for a better world. By virtue of being an American I was born with a hammer of justice (as represented by decisions by the Supreme Court to ensure the rights of all); I was born with the bell of freedom (metaphorically, the Liberty Bell which was the principle cause of our fight for freedom in the first place); and the song I was hearing in my house was just one of many songs that I was free to sing – songs about justice, freedom and love between by brothers and sisters all over the land.
Now, “If I had a Hammer” probably doesn’t qualify as a great song from a musical standpoint. But it certainly does on a cultural level. Though penned as a progressive message, the song has been performed by dozens of mainstream artists. Versions by Peter Paul and Mary and, notably, Trini Lopez became hits and no doubt helped move folk songs into the mainstream.
And the message resonates today.
Having become aware of, and being open to folk music, I was happy to see that genre blossom in the pre-Beatle’s era, which corresponded with my early adolescence. I enjoyed the positive messages promoting change.
Yes, I am one of the people that conservative talk shows love to lamthingy: a person who enjoys sitting around a campfire singing “Kumbaya.”
And I have done that, literally. I’ve also stood and marched with others, singing “We shall overcome,” and I’ve sat by those same campfires and in dorm rooms or other venues and listened to – sometimes joining in with – songs including “Down by the river side,” “The times they are a-changin’,” “One tin soldier,” and “Give peace a chance.”
It is said that the world will end either with a whimper or a bang.
I hope it ends with a song.
The Dumas classic tale of young men who put honor, duty and chivalry above all else captured my fancy when I was a gullible teen; but La Marseillaise captured my heart. What a song!
Merely mentioning memorable music can stir emotions and remind us that we share experiences and values. Some music links groups of people generationally, culturally and even politically.
My first memory of music as a social force dates back to the early ‘60s. A friend from church brought his guitar to our house one evening and sang a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays back in 1949.
Though I wasn’t unfamiliar with music, including folk music, the appearance and performance of a relative stranger in the living room of my own house had a profound impact.
I watched as the adults in the room took on serious expressions and sang along, obviously moved by the lyrics. I enjoyed the sound of the guitar and was stirred by the powerful message.
The first three verses of the song seem a bit wistful; they offer a sort of excuse for inactivity. “If I only had a hammer, then I’d be able to fight for justice and freedom; if I only had a bell, then I’d be able to ring out a warning that justice and freedom are in danger; and if I only had a song, then I could sing about building a better world where people love each other as brothers and sisters.”
But then the payoff is delivered: I do have all of the tools necessary to fight for a better world. By virtue of being an American I was born with a hammer of justice (as represented by decisions by the Supreme Court to ensure the rights of all); I was born with the bell of freedom (metaphorically, the Liberty Bell which was the principle cause of our fight for freedom in the first place); and the song I was hearing in my house was just one of many songs that I was free to sing – songs about justice, freedom and love between by brothers and sisters all over the land.
Now, “If I had a Hammer” probably doesn’t qualify as a great song from a musical standpoint. But it certainly does on a cultural level. Though penned as a progressive message, the song has been performed by dozens of mainstream artists. Versions by Peter Paul and Mary and, notably, Trini Lopez became hits and no doubt helped move folk songs into the mainstream.
And the message resonates today.
Having become aware of, and being open to folk music, I was happy to see that genre blossom in the pre-Beatle’s era, which corresponded with my early adolescence. I enjoyed the positive messages promoting change.
Yes, I am one of the people that conservative talk shows love to lamthingy: a person who enjoys sitting around a campfire singing “Kumbaya.”
And I have done that, literally. I’ve also stood and marched with others, singing “We shall overcome,” and I’ve sat by those same campfires and in dorm rooms or other venues and listened to – sometimes joining in with – songs including “Down by the river side,” “The times they are a-changin’,” “One tin soldier,” and “Give peace a chance.”
It is said that the world will end either with a whimper or a bang.
I hope it ends with a song.