ipl-logo

Comparing The Song 'We Shall Overcome And' Say It Loud

809 Words4 Pages

In looking to make a connection between the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the folk and soul music from the same time, we will look at the song “We Shall Overcome” from Joan Baez and “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)” by James Brown. I am going to discuss the correlations between these pieces and the movements of the time. These songs differ in their genres, but the share a common theme, the advancement of the African American and their civil rights. Although their theme is similar, the message sent by each is different. As we explore these pieces, we see the how they are different and how they are similar.
Joan Baez was a folk singer that came to prominence in the summer of 1959 at the Newport Folk festival. She fell in love with fold after attending a …show more content…

Brown grew up poor, in a rough neighborhood, and was small in stature. This caused him to be self-determined and ambitious. Striving to be the best at everything he did, whether it was boxing, baseball or singing the national anthem at school. At 16 he served a 3-year stint in prison, after which he began to focus on gospel/R&B, forming a group called the flames. In 1968 he and his band leader Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis wrote and released a song entitled “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud). As opposed to Baez’s “We Shall Overcome” non-violent, “Say It Loud” was more of a call to arms, call to action. The song was released four months after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Brown was disillusioned and less optimistic that progress was going to come on its own. Instead, lyrics like: “We demand a chance to do things for ourselves” and “We’re tired of beating our head against the wall” and “We’d rather die on our feet, than be livin’ on our knees” call African Americans of the time to act, rather than to wait for it to happen. To take ownership of the

Show More
Related

Analysis Of When Whitney Hit The High Note By Journalist Danyel Smith

843 Words | 4 Pages

Journalist Danyel Smith, in her article, “When Whitney Hit the High Note,” examines the topic of Whitney Houston’s iconic 1991 Super Bowl performance of “The Star Spangled Banner,” making the point that because Houston’s rendition took place in a different world, her bold alterations to the structure and style of the national anthem were exceedingly influential for people of color. Smith supports this claim by comparison, followed by description, and finally causal analysis. Using an evocative tone, the author’s purpose is to illuminate the manner in which Houston’s performance influenced black America, in order to induce society into unashamedly fighting injustices head-on, just as Whitney Houston did. Smith begins her evaluation of Houston’s performance by using comparison to highlight the differences between society today and society in 1991, and how these differences altered the way she influenced America.

Read More

James Weldon Johnson Rhetorical Devices

1271 Words | 6 Pages

America lacked opportunities for Black Americans and Africans to live peacefully among themselves. The height of political tension erupted in the American Civil war, and thousands died to “save the union”. The Civil War ended in 1865, but black American issues would last for decades to come. In 1905, James Weldon Johnson wrote Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, an illustrious poem meant for Africans and black Americans across the nation. While it was originally written as a poem, Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing was performed by Johnson’s brother, and it has since aptly been adopted as the Black National Anthem.

Read More

Comparing Mlk's Speech And The Selma To Montgomery March

477 Words | 2 Pages

During a time where blacks were free yet they were still treated as lesser, Martin Luther King Junior and his followers stormed the US capitol to let their voices be heard. They were determined to set a precedent for future generations and it was the words of King who stated “This note was a promise that all men -- yes, black men as well as white men -- would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”. This opened the eyes of millions of Americans, whites and blacks alike,

Read More

James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography Of An Ex-Coloured Man

1322 Words | 6 Pages

James Weldon Johnson's book, Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man, is a brilliant and masterful piece of fiction written in the notion of an autobiography. Within the “autobiography,” James Weldon Johnson constructs a fabricated account of a young biracial man in turmoil with his racial identity within a highly prejudiced contemporary 19th-century America. As you would expect, the story contains numerous different themes of racial identity, sense of belonging, and even of racial “passing”. However, despite all these persistent themes, one stands out the most. The theme is music.

Read More

Analysis Of Alvin Ailey's Cry

2321 Words | 10 Pages

In 1971, Alvin Ailey choreographed Cry, a three part work solo dance set to gospel music that describes an emotional journey filled with struggle, hardships, defeat, survival and joy. It was intended as a birthday present to Alvin’s mother and a dedication to all black women everywhere. The first part of the dance is the struggle of trying to maintain pride irrespective of the opposition faced from outside. The second part reveals the sorrow within after the woman’s pride has been shattered into pieces and finally the third part is a spirited celebration of finding strength and joy in God. Even though cry was dedicated to only black women, i argue the notion that all women both black and white of the nineteenth century could relate

Read More

Frederick Douglass Strengths

1264 Words | 6 Pages

Sullivan also related to the ability for African Americans to develop unity through music to fight against their poor treatment, “Evoking a sense of unity among oppressed people is perhaps the most important way music was used by African-Americans to resist their abhorrent treatment and bolster the strength to continue fighting against those conditions” (Sullivan 24). Without a unity developed by music, African Americans would be unable psychologically to continue to fight for their rights. Music’s ability to bring African Americans

Read More

Duke Ellington's Music, Black, Brown And Beige

253 Words | 2 Pages

This album speaks to the freedom struggle that African Americans faced at that time. By using his music, Duke Ellington is able to narrate the struggles, triumphs, and emergence of individual identity in early African American culture.

Read More

Conformity Of African-Americans

250 Words | 1 Pages

After WWII, African-Americans refused to conform to the rules drafted in favor of the white society. The negroes of America used race music as a weapon to demonstrate non-conformity and performed music only to the African-American society. A famous race music in the 1960s was ‘Hound Dog’ performed by an African American blues singer, Big Mama Thornton. Elvis Presley, a white singer who sings like the blacks, would perform the same ‘Hound Dog’ to the white audiences because Big Mama wouldn’t perform for the white society [Rock & Roll, 1950s PDF]. Another instance that shows non-conformity of African-Americans is the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56).

Read More

How Did Joan Bez Influence The World

982 Words | 4 Pages

Joan was an important and influential figure in history that had a positive impact on the world because, she is american folk singer Joan Baez is recognized for her nonviolent, anti establishment against a nation's political and economic structure, and anti-war positions”(biography.com). She has used her singing and speaking talents to criticize violations of human rights in a number of countries.

Read More

Black Resistance In The Civil Rights Movement

1704 Words | 7 Pages

Per Claudia Roth Pierpont’s article in the New Yorker entitled “A Raised Voice”, Pierpont argues that Simone had a small feeling for the Biblically curved elevate that characterized the songs of praise of the time. Not only being known for her activism, Nina Simone left her mark on Civil Rights Movement with her songs and willingness to bring awareness to Social Injustice through her Musical

Read More

Lorraine Hansberry's African American Strife

1149 Words | 5 Pages

African American Strife Lorraine Hansberry ’s play A Raisin in the Sun and the motown music of the Civil Rights era demonstrate the struggles African Americans faced during segregation. Both of these works explore ideas of perseverance, searching for freedom, and the longing for respect that many encountered. Mama relates to Mahalia Jackson’s song “We Shall Overcome” because of her religious perseverance and hope for the future of her and her family.

Read More

How Did Jazz Music Influence Politics?

871 Words | 4 Pages

For African Americans, jazz music, has always had a political undercurrent. Slave songs spoke of the “Israelites” enslaved by the Egyptians, such as in Go Down Moses, symbolising their own yearning for freedom. However, it took time for the assertion of the political message to develop in a more discernible way. Jazz’s status as a form of entertainment had effectively subdued the message for many years, because of the ostracisation of those involved and because of the early popularity of the white swing bands. The majority of jazz musicians were not political activists, rarely explicitly political in their work, however, they often expressed their political ideals, sometimes more subtley other times more overtly through their music.

Read More

Live At The Apollo Analysis

861 Words | 4 Pages

We all know that the power of the Black community in America came from deep in their soul. Their strength and will to fight segregation , and their love can be felt in the civil rights movement. Their ability to express their minds in a non- violent way connects to the soul music that James Brown created. James Brown’s music was a mixture of R&B and gospel. Which in a way connects to what Dr. Martin Luther King was trying to do during the civil rights movement.

Read More

Florence And Florence In The Odyssey

1437 Words | 6 Pages

Out in New York I live in a suburban area on Riverdale Road. It is an ordinary street you would find just about anywhere else. The street is quiet, peaceful, and filled with diverse neighbors. Except that is only the surface of what goes on in this street. We as neighbors all respect each other and try our best to not be a nuisance to one another.

Read More

The Role Of Music In The Civil Rights Movement

875 Words | 4 Pages

Music is not only used to capture peoples hearing but it is used to power peoples minds through the power of an individuals voice. Music served a critical role in the African American’s lives, as it was used to uplift their spirits as well as providing them with hope and strength to fight for civil rights and overcome segregation between white superiority and the unfair treatment of the inferior black. Music was defined as the voice of the people that lived through the oppression of the civil rights movement. During the civil rights movement, there were many different types of music genres sung, dependent on the culture, this included spiritual music; gospel and even folk music, which was performed by musicians, singers and even people of any musical talents. Through this, it brought about the uniting of people to join together and sing songs that helped them go through the oppression of the civil rights movement.

Read More

More about Comparing The Song 'We Shall Overcome And' Say It Loud

Related Topics

Open Document