Music played a large role in 1960s protest movements.
The 1960s in the United States saw a time of change and protest against cultural and racial divisions and international warfare. At home, the Civil Rights movement was fighting for equality and civil liberty for citizens regardless of a person's sex or race. Further afield, the escalating war in Vietnam sparked a division between those who supported and those who opposed the war. Music played a large part in the protests, with several notable protest songs becoming well-known to the general populace.
"We Shall Overcome"
"We Shall Overcome" is one of the most well-known protest songs in the world, thanks to the musicians, politicians and civil rights leaders who have sung the song or made reference to the title phrase. The song is a marriage of the lyrics from a 1901 gospel hymn and the music from a 19th century Negro spiritual. The song has been recorded or performed by dozens of artists, but it was originally made famous by folk singer Joan Baez when she sang it in front of 300,000 protesters at a march on Washington, D.C., in 1963. The song and title phrase were later used by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and President John F. Kennedy, among others.
"Blowin' in the Wind"
One of several songs touching on war and peace in Bob Dylan's repertoire, "Blowin' in the Wind" is perhaps the most well-known of his protest songs. The song was released in 1963 on his album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. In 1999, "Blowin' in the Wind" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The song poses questions about how much war, destruction, death and apathy must exist before positive change can occur. Each refrain ends with the ambiguous phrase, "The answer is blowin' in the wind."
"Turn, Turn, Turn" (to Everything There is a Season)
With the exception of the phrase "Turn, Turn, Turn" and the last line of the song, "I swear it's not too late," the text of "Turn, Turn, Turn" comes from the biblical book Ecclesiastes. Pete Seeger wrote the song in 1959 and recorded it in 1962, but the song became even more well-known after folk-rock band The Byrds released their cover of the song in 1965. The lyrics state that there is a time for everything, including birth and death, sowing and reaping and war and peace. The final line is interpreted as meaning that it is never too late for peace.
"Give Peace a Chance"
John Lennon was inspired to write "Give Peace a Chance" in 1969 when, while he and new wife Yoko Ono were staging a honeymoon "bed-in," a reporter asked Lennon the point of what they were doing, according to TopTenz.net. Lennon answered the question by saying, "All we are saying is give peace a chance." He then used the phrase in writing the lyrics and music for "Give Peace a Chance" and performed the song several times during the "bed-in." In it, Lennon brushes aside the pop culture phenomena of the day in favor of the plea for peace. The song was recorded and released in June 1969.
