January 25, 2012

A Brief History Of Music For Social Change

Music for social change didn’t occur solely in the 1960s. These types of songs gained popularity during that time, but it certainly was not limited to just that decade. Different performers through the years have brought these songs into the lives of many people to support causes and beliefs.

Topical songwriting rose to prominence through the early works of songwriters such as Joe Hill. Hill was a Swedish immigrant worker in the United States as the 20th century started. His songs and labor activism became legendary after his passing. His work has since been studied and recognized by other topical songwriters.

Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, both songwriters who favored a topical approach, drew from their own personal activism as they expanded this genre of folk music through the years. Both wrote songs that were easy for others to learn and pass on to others. They also helped fuel a new generation of songwriters, who were inspired to write songs with personal messages of overcoming social struggle.

“This Land is Your Land” by Guthrie is one of the examples of how he worked to create songs for social change. The song is simple enough for schoolchildren to learn, yet Guthrie also included alternate versions with more pointed messages about elements of unfairness in society. Along with Guthrie, Seeger also turned to popular music formats to deliver his own folk song messages to make people think about different issues.

In the 1960s, a wave of topical folksingers inspired by Hill, Guthrie and Seeger found plenty to write about. The growing civil rights movement, the protests against U. S. Involvement in Vietnam and attention to women’s rights all became material for many songs that entered the pop charts. The folk tradition had come off the hobo trains and into the age of mass media.

As the 1970s rolled along, singer/songwriters began to focus internally on issues that were of personal importance, such as relationships or their ties and responsibilities to the environment. The songs moved away from messages of protest and began to focus on basic human interaction. These issues then became more of the social message for the decade as people turned inward for self-examination.

As the years have passed, this type of music pushing for societal changes has evolved into performances at large fundraising festivals. The collective entertainment is there to support the cause and educate a worldwide audience of the effort put forth to bring change and raise money to support their efforts. The global audience can take part watching the performances on TV or online for a more interactive musical experience.

As long as there are causes songwriters feel passionate about, music for social change can find a place in society and an audience to listen. Songwriting in this style can bring about not only change to one issue, but perhaps move others to make a difference. This type of songwriting continues to evolve as an art form.

Thom Stanley’s site is all about music for social change. You can find his new album and other music with meaning intended to move the listener into social action for the greater good.