Hope And Strength In Motown's Music

Motown not only provides the black community of messages was also a vital source of hope and strength for the people as well. During the time of the 1960’s the music was necessary to be light hearted and entertaining because it was still a few years after the second World War, as explained in the Music Post World War II article. The reason to make the music light hearted and enjoyable is because of this there were many musicals and artists that tried to focus on happier messages in the world to get over the devastating war. But also in the time music like rhythm & blues, soul, and folk music was created by Motown and its talented artists. Each genre telling stories, most of the time containing the racial issues of the 1960’s, and giving hope and strength to the black American people that have to endure the cruelties of racism.

Curtis Mayfield, a producer and writer under the Motown label, had written lyrics of keeping hope to reach the goal of equality that the black American community was trying to achieve. Lyrics like “Lord it’s hard to find, and it’s hard to climb. But we cannot stop until we reach that mountaintop”(The Impressions, We’re Rolling On) serve as a message to the African American community to keep the faith. Mayfield, though there may be difficulties faced, assures his own that they cannot easily give up on years of fighting for what they deserve. He’s investing hope in people that desperately need to hear the words to ensure that they will overcome the monstrosity of segregation. The mountaintop is their true freedom. Yes by law they are not owned by anyone, but themselves, but other laws that maintain racism are still intact. To reach that mountaintop they must hold onto one another and gain the freedom their forefathers had fought for and live by it