Classic Pop Icons

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on this day in 1968, so it’s a good time to reflect on some of the powerful songs that supported or were inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. I’ve selected some gems from some very diverse artists. Enjoy.

Sam Cooke – “A Change is Gonna Come”

Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” was released as a single in 1964, shortly after Cooke’s untimely death, and it became an anthem for the civil rights movement.

Cooke was reportedly inspired by Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and wanted to make his own statement about race. The first draft of the song was completed in May 1963. In October 1963, Cooke and his band were arrested for trying to register at a “whites only” hotel in Shreveport. It’s possible that this event spurred on Cooke to finish and record the song, which he did in December. “A Change is Gonna Come” is one of Sam Cooke’s most powerful and intense vocals. This is far removed from the smooth pop delivery on Cupid or Wonderful World.

The song was recycled for the 2008 presidential election campaign and also covered by Seal that year.

Joan Baez – “We Shall Overcome”

The melody of “We Shall Overcome” had been around since the Civil War and the song went through various incarnations over the next 100 years.

“We Shall Overcome” was adapted by Pete Seeger in the 1940s, who was taught the song from Zilphia Horton of the Highlander Folk School. Seeger spread the song around over the next decade and in 1963 it was memorably recorded by Joan Baez and became a major civil rights anthem. It was recently covered by Bruce Springsteen on his 2006 album “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.”

Bob Dylan – “Blowin’ In the Wind”

When Dylan asked “How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?” he was addressing the issue of civil rights head on. There are also popular versions of “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Joan Baez and Peter, Paul & Mary.

James Brown – “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)”

James Brown’s “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” was one of the most important and popular “black power” anthems of the 1960s. It hit the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and was number one for weeks on the R&B chart. An album of the same name was released in 1969.

The black power movement advocated a social order that was more militant than Martin Luther King envisaged and Brown’s “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” became an anthem for this movement. The central “I’m Black and I’m Proud” lyric was a powerful one and the ‘call and response’ chant meant the song was tailor made for use in protest environments.

Brown later asserted that he recorded the song and included children in it so that “children who heard it could grow up feeling pride” and that the song was generally perceived as more militant and angry than he had intended.

Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”

Three years after King’s death, Marvin Gaye tackled the themes of war, poverty, police brutality and inner-city despair in “What’s Going On”. This was the title track of his 1971 album of the same name and it made number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

The video features a live performance of “What’s Going On,” followed by “What’s Happening Brother.” The latter song was about a soldier returning from Vietnam and it also featured on the “What’s Going On” album.

Elvis Presley – “If I Can Dream”

Elvis Presley generally kept his political views to himself and stayed away from message songs, but he chose to end his 1968 television special with “If I Can Dream,” which is unquestionably a response to Martin Luther King’s assassination. King had been assassinated in Elvis’ home town of Memphis two months earlier and this reportedly upset the singer greatly.

“If I Can Dream” calls for a fairer, less violent and more equal world where “all my brothers walk hand in hand” and where “hope keeps shining on everyone.” It’s no accident that the lyrics and title echo King’s most famous and enduring “I Have a Dream” speech from 1963. Elvis sings with enormous passion on this. He meant every word.