Originally published on the CGS blog on May 17, 2007.
This is taken from the website of our terrific Connecting Global to Local program, which works with local communities across the country to connect global issues to local concerns. Please be sure to check it out!!
Back in 2000, Columbia Records released “God,” “Love,” and “Murder,” three collections of Johnny Cash’s recordings built around three not-so-simple words. If I had been managing that project, I would have added a fourth disc: “Justice.” From “Folsom Prison Blues” to “Hurt,” the “Man in Black” used his talents to give voice to the voiceless and shine the spotlight on those otherwise forgotten by society.
Few musicians can match Cash’s track record, either as an artist or as a social conscience. But he was not alone in using his gifts to document injustice and demand change. In fact, the history of popular protest in this country — and increasingly around the world ? can be traced through the evolution of popular music.
This has been particularly true over the past century. From Robert Johnson to Bob Dylan, from the Clash to Public Enemy, musicians have encouraged us to stand up for what is right and protest what was wrong. They have helped end injustice and tear down walls of tyranny. That tradition continues today, with U2, Green Day, the Dixie Chicks, and other artists speaking truth to power.
At Citizens for Global Solutions, we believe that art can advance the cause of justice. That is why we hold our annual Flash Animation Contest and our Virtual Poetry Slam. So talking about the role of music in promoting peace, justice and freedom was a no-brainer for us.
The hard part was trying to winnow that story down to playlists that weren’t a mile long. And truth be told, we were only partially successful.
For those of you who have read Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity (or have seen the film version), you know that record collectors love to put together lists of their top five all time favorite songs, albums, even relationships. I understand that obsession. I have over 8,000 songs (and counting) on my iPod. During my years in graduate school, I managed a small-town record store just to make enough money to fund my record-buying habit.
But a top five list? Forget it. Instead, what follows is a list of lists. We start with a short list of our staff’s all-time favorites. Then we have a “Recommended Listening” playlist and my own “Social Justice Top 40,” listed in rough order of their release. Sometimes the reasons we have included a song will be self-evident, but others times it may not. And you can find most of our recommendations as iMixes on iTunes.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be highlighting some of the individual songs. In the meantime, please take a look (and a listen) to what we’ve put together. Our lists are by no means comprehensive, but they do represent some of the music that has influenced our lives. I hope that our choices will generate debate and encourage you to share your favorites as well.
