A Day of Protest

Protest Songs/Message Music: Part 1

Associated with a movement for social change, protests songs were often the soundtrack to the turbulent times of the 1960s. With the rise of the Civil Rights movement, the influence of counterculture groups (such as hippies), and the escalation of the Vietnam War, protest songs flourished, often promoting peace or revolution. So, looks like it's about time for a little 3-part series on this influential genre.

One of the key figures in the protest movement was Bob Dylan, who produced a number of landmark protest songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" (featured here) and "The Times They Are A-Changin.'" While Dylan's era of protest music lasted for a short 20-month period (ending in 1964 when he changed his musical style from acoustic folk to an electrified, rock sound with personal, abstract lyrics), his prolific songbook about everyday injustices and tragedies was adopted by the Civil Rights and counterculture movements (not necessarily written for them). In 1963, Dylan and his then-singing partner Joan Baez had become prominent in the Civil Rights Movement, singing together at rallies including the March on Washington where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. Written by Dylan in about 10 minutes (and inspired by a hotel check that refused to give him a room due to his unwashed appearance), here's Dylan and Baez performing "When the Ship Comes In" at that March on Washington, featuring other historic footage as well.

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After hearing Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," R&B singer Sam Cooke was greatly moved that such a touching song about racism in America could have been written by someone who was not black. Written and recorded in 1963 (and released shortly after his death in late 1964), Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" became a sensation among the black community and became an anthem for ongoing civil rights protests. Although only a modest hit compared to usually light-hearted singles (like "Wonderful World" and "Another Saturday Night" both featured here), this song gained in popularity and critical acclaim over the decades, and is ranked #12 on Rolling Stones' "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." With a lush orchestration, here's the talented Sam Cooke reaching back to his gospel roots to sing the song with an intensity and passion never heard before on his pop recordings (no live footage, just audio with a photo montage).

 

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A prolific protest songwriter in the 1960s (or "topical singer," as he preferred), Phil Ochs was known for being a harsh critic of the American military industrial complex and performed at many political events such as anti-war and civil rights rallies, student events, organized labor events, oh and Carnegie Hall. Released in 1965 on the album of the same name, "I Ain't Marching Anymore" is one of Ochs' best-known songs and was written as American involvement in the Vietnam War was beginning to grow. The song criticizes all of American military history from the perspective of a weary soldier who has been present at every single war since of the War of 1812. Bordering between "pacifism and treason" (according to Ochs), he performed this signature song during the protests outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention, inspiring hundreds of young men to burn their draft cards. Here's a rare instance where Phil Ochs actually performed this tune on live TV.

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Originating in Berkley, California, Country Joe & the Fish was a rock band widely known for their musical protests against the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1971, and also regarded as influential on the psychedelic rock scene of San Francisco. Written by Country Joe McDonald in 1965, in supposedly less than 30 minutes, "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag" (also known as "The Vietnam Song") was an anti-Vietnam protest song from the group's 1967 album of the same name. Beginning with the "Fish" Cheer, in which the band spells out 'F-I-S-H'  like cheerleaders at a football game (which you can imagine what other four-letter word this chant gave way to), the song's lyrics are a sarcastic invitation for young and able men to join in the Vietnam War. A ragtime-style tune similar to the 1920s "Muskrat Ramble", this song was never a big hit, but it was nevertheless well-known. Here's a live solo performance by Country Joe at Woodstock in 1969 (warning: the language is unedited in this clip). Not gonna lie, this catchy tune really gets stuck in your head!

Folk For A Day

After mentioning folk singer Joan Baez in the recent Patriotic post, I realized I should devote a day to some of the other folk folks of the 1960s. This post is definitely on the mellow side but folk music was very significant to this decade as a social, cultural, and political force.

American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was first introduced during Folk Rock Week at The '60s Beat, when he "went electric" and influenced the sound of the '60s, even impacting the music of The Beatles. With a recording career spanning fifty years, he has explored various genres including folk, blues, country, gospel, rock 'n roll, rockabilly, even English, Scottish, and Irish folk music. Before he became known for his political, social, philosophical, and literary influence, Dylan's humble beginnings were that of a young (Jewish) folk musician from Minnesota, initially inspired by the songs of Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, and the performance style of Buddy Holly. Released in August 1963, "Blowin' In The Wind" was described as a protest song, although it raises several questions about peace, war, and freedom, and since has been ranked #15 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. With a voice sometimes as surprising as his lyrics, Dylan would go on to become one of the most influential figures (musically and culturally) of the 20th century. Here's a great quality, live performance in 1963.

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Interestingly, Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind" was covered by another folk group and released just three weeks before his, however, this version became an international hit (listen here). The American folk-singing trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, were one of the biggest musical acts of the 1960s. After auditioning for manager Albert Grossman in 1961, Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers were chosen from the New York folk scene, becoming a successful and beloved group that helped revive folk music in America (which had been forced underground by McCarthyism in the late '50s). As folk music goes hand-in-hand with promoting peace, they performed "The Hammer Song" at the 1963 March on Washington, best remembered for Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. As "Blowin' In The Wind" was one of their biggest hits, they sang other Dylan songs like "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," which aided in the popularity of his second album. I'm sure you were expecting to hear one of their biggest hits, but I really love the group's rendition of this folk beauty. Initially released by the trio in 1963, here's a live performance of "Don't Think Twice" in Sydney while on their Australian tour in the late '60s.

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Described as one of the most important female recording artists of the rock era, Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell was known for her distinctive voice and unique guitar style, as well as complex piano arrangements further into her career. First achieving fame as a songwriter in New York, then as singer with her debut album in 1968, she finally settled in Southern California (introduced to the L.A. music scene by David Crosby of The Byrds) and played a significant part in the development of rock folk. Her success really took off in the early 1970s, beginning with a Grammy Award win for Best Folk Performance for her album Clouds in March 1970, the first of many wins over the years. The following month, Mitchell's next album featured the folk rock tune "Big Yellow Taxi," a big hit in her native Canada that has since been voted #9 on CBC's list of the 50 essential Canadian tracks. Known for its environmental concern, this song is one of the most identifiable of Mitchell's music.

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One of Joni Mitchell's most famous songs was made famous by fellow folk musician Judy Collins. An American singer and songwriter, Collins was inspired by the folk music revival in the early 1960s and began her career in the Greenwich Village folk music scene in New York City as well. She is known for recording a wide variety of other genres including folk, show tunes, pop, rock 'n' roll, and standards, as well as for her social activism (like most folk singers of the time). After signing with a record label in 1961 at the age of 22, Collins has continued a steady career of recording and performing, still touring today. Written by Joni Mitchell, Collins released "Both Sides Now" in 1968, which reached #8 on the Billboard charts and won her a Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance of that year. It has since become her signature song and is ranked among those 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. I was unable to find a live performance of this song from the '60s, so here's Judy Collins performing this beauty with the Boston Pops in 1976.

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And we'll conclude with good 'ol Donovan, one of the leading British recording artists of his day who produced a series of hit singles and albums between 1965 and 1970. The Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist is remembered for having developed a distinctive style, mixing folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic, and world music together. Since we've explored some of those "evolved sounds of Donovan" in past posts, we'll go back to his roots with his early folk sound, a time when he was even referred to as the "British Bob Dylan." Released in 1965, "Catch the Wind" was his first single, reaching #4 on the UK charts and #23 in the US. The single version featured Donovan's voice with an echo and strings, while the song was re-recorded for his first album without the vocal echo and string section. Here's a live performance of classic Donovan on the American TV show Shindig!.

Folk Rock

Folk Rock Week: Part 1

Being a hybrid of folk music and rock music, folk rock is yet another genre of music that developed in the mid-1960s. An ancestor of this genre came from the American folk music revival, which, interestingly, was influential on the music of The Beatles and other British Invasion bands (their beat music). Also, pre-British Invasion American rock 'n' roll from the late 1950's, like some tunes by Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, affected the development of folk rock as well. Folk rock is known for its clear vocal harmonies and a generally "clean" (distortion-free) guitar sound, especially influenced by the jangly ringing of Beatle George Harrison's 12 string Rickenbacker guitar.

One of the first big hits of a folk rock song was the revolutionary single from 1964, "The House of the Rising Sun," by the British blues/rock band The Animals. Originally an 18th century American folk song, "The House of the Rising Sun" was actually recorded by folk singer-songwriter Bob Dylan (pictured above) in 1961, however, when he later heard The Animals' version on the radio, he jumped out of his seat since he liked it so much and gracefully withdrew his recording from the singles charts! With the combination of the famous electric guitar arpeggio intro by Hilton Valentine, Eric Burdon's soulful lead vocals, and Alan Price's pulsating organ part, the song was a trans-Atlantic chart-topper and is included on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Recorded in only one take in May of '64, here's the song that helped shape rock 'n' roll history.

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Another group that contributed to the developing folk rock sound was The Beatles with "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" from their 1965 Help! album. Interestingly, The Beatles were fascinated by Bob Dylan, and this song was John Lennon's attempt at sounding like Dylan with a slightly more raspy voice and writing the song in folkish form with mainly acoustic instruments and light percussion. (Side note: while The Beatles were on their first tour in America in '64, they met Bob Dylan who actually introduced them to, you know, cannabis, which eventually had an impact on their future songwriting, ahem.) With the incorporation of the tenor and alto flutes, this was the first Beatles' song to feature an outside musician. This clip comes from The Beatles' hilarious (well, I think so), second film, also titled Help!, and was inspired by the Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup, as well as a parody of James Bond films.

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The first folk rock smash hit that ignited the explosion of the genre in the 1960's was "Mr. Tambourine Man," the debut single in April 1965 by The Byrds. Although it was written and originally recorded by Bob Dylan (who actually endorsed The Byrd's cover), the term "folk rock" was first coined by U.S. music press to describe The Byrd's sound. The band was the first to combine the elements of the rock beat, the 12-string guitar jangle (inspired by The Beatles), and poetic/socially observant lyrics, which became the successful template for folk rock music throughout the 60's and still continues to influence bands (ya know, like Tom Petty and the Heartbreaks and R.E.M.). With Jim McGuinn singing lead vocals, and backed by Gene Clark and David Crosby (yeah, that guy that later formed Crosby, Stills & Nash), McGuinn attempted to modify his singing style to fill in the gap between John Lennon's and Bob Dylan's sound. Another song featured on that 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, here's a great performance with another audience of too many crazy girls.

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And so who's this Bob Dylan guy I keep talking about? Initially a folk-singer, the American singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan, was extremely influential in the development of folk rock, as well as the direction of rock 'n' roll in the 1960's. Considered the #1 greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" from July 1965 was his transition from folk to folk rock with the use of electric instruments. At the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where Dylan "went electric" premiering this song, the crowd even booed him because of his "betrayal" of folk music, however, it was a important turning point in Dylan's career, as well as rock history. Significant in the protest-song/anti-establishment movement, Dylan was a true poet in this "put-down toward a down-and-out society girl" song, with the unique, cynical sound in his voice. Why, oh, why it is so hard to find a live performance of this song on YouTube, I do not know. So, "how does it feel?"

 Check back soon for MANY more folk rock songs to come!