First songs you heard that involved a people, or a cause that really influenced you in some way?

[polly7]

Paul Revere & The Raiders - Indian Reservation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ6RjP7MlXk&feature=related


One Tin Soldier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qswm7lHp7oY&feature=player_embedded#!

[livetohike]

1. Where Have All The Flowers Gone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7btcIj3p4-I&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLCB2D271EC0C9E3D5

[polly7]

3. Wow, I just listened to this for the first time in years and it gave me the chills.

Great song.

[Brickbat]

2. My fourth-grade teacher played the guitar and we would sing "One Tin Soldier," "Soul Cake" and

"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" She was awesome. She was the first teacher I had who was smart, young and pretty, and she made a huge impression on all of us. Whenever I hear those songs I'm taken right back to her.

[polly7]

4. That would have been amazing. Lucky you:)

[era veteran]

5. Buffy Sainte- Marie

On a native American roll.
Universal Soldier, Donovan had a hit with this song but Buffy wrote it. Timeless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTFnWdOzrMM&feature=related

My favorite Buffy song.
The lyrics on the original LP were different than she sings here. The Uncle Sam line changed, not as powerful IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGaTrsoawlw

"Has a change come about Uncle Sam
Or are you still taking our lands
A treaty forever George Washington signed
He did dear lady, he did dear man
And the treaty's being broken by Kinzua Dam
And what will you do for these ones

[polly7]

7. I absolutely loved Buffy Sainte-Marie.

[InkAddict]

6. Here's two of my favs -

Big Yellow Taxi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlNZN94_u-s

We are The World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9BNoNFKCBI&feature=related

[polly7]

8. Both great 'We Are The World' will always be one of the very best.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. Big Yellow Taxi is one of my all-time favorites. Makes you think

while bopping to a lively tune. How can you beat it!

[abq e streeter]

10. Blowin' in the Wind was an early one.

[Curmudgeoness]

11. Monster by Steppenwolf.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk3sURDS4IA

There were so many, but this one always comes to mind. I got chills just now listening to it again---as relevant today as it ever was.

[graywarrior]

12. Society's Child/Janis Ian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW_rYLoIR08

Better version here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfpBQe-YwLk&feature=related

[Taverner]

13. The FISH Cheer

Seriously, Woodstock Movie, I was age 14...it was 1984

[tblue]

14. ??? Maybe "People Got to Be Free" by the Rascals

[Skittles]

15. Marvin Gaye's Mercy Me

I remember that song made me think about pollution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WxgeYXCjM8

[RebelOne]

16. Indian Reservation and One Tin Soldier

are two of my favorites. Bring back memories.

[Swede]

17. Black Sabbath - Children of the Grave

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=236Lquwq22A

Revolution in their minds - the children start to march
Against the world in which they have to live
and all the hate that's in their hearts
They're tired of being pushed around
and told just what to do
They'll fight the world until they've won
and love comes flowing through

Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today
Will the sun rise up tomorrow bringing peace in any way?
Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?
Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear?

So you children of the world,
listen to what I say
If you want a better place to live in
spread the words today
Show the world that love is still alive
you must be brave
Or you children of today are
Children of the Grave, Yeah!

[Iggo]

18. Whoa, shit!

Those are my two, polly7.

What a trip!

[polly7]

22. Very cool! All of these are such great meaningful songs. Thankfully they're preserved

for everyone now digitally and will never be forgotten. I wonder if the artists knew at the time how much they'd affect so many people, even kids listening to them now all these years later seem to appreciate them, if the comments at YouTube are anything to go by.

[applegrove]

19. Amazing Grace as Meryl Streep sang it in silkwood. I had no experience of it sung outside of church.

[pokerfan]

20. Sailin' Up, Sailin' Down

Learned it at summer camp about forty years ago...


Clearwater III

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River_Sloop_Clearwater">The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. is an organization based in Beacon, New York that seeks to protect the Hudson River and surrounding wetlands and waterways through advocacy and public education. Founded by folk singer Pete Seeger with his wife Toshi Seeger in 1966, the organization is known for its sailing vessel, the sloop Clearwater, and for its annual music and environmental festival, the Great Hudson River Revival.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da8kcFEaoAI">Pete Seeger (Banjo), Lorre Wyatt & Friends live on The Clearwater (Youtube)

Sailing up (sailing up), sailing down (sailing down)
Up (down), down (up!) - up and down the river
Sailing on - stopping all along the way
The river may be dirty now but it's getting cleaner every day

G - - - / / / / C - - - / / G - - - / / D - - - / C - - - / G - - - / (D) - - - //

People come (people come), people go (people go)
Come (go), go (come) - up and down the river
Sailing on - stopping all along the way
The river may be dirty now but it's getting cleaner every day

Garbage here (garbage here), garbage there (garbage there)
Here (there), there (here) - up and down the river
Sailing on - stopping all along the way
The river may be dirty now but it's getting cleaner every day

Catching fish (catching fish), catching hell (catching hell)
Hell (fish), fish (hell!) - up and down the river
Sailing on - stopping all along the way
The river may be dirty now but it's getting cleaner every day

People come (people come), people go (people go)
Come (go), go (come) - up and down the river
Sailing on - stopping all along the way
The river may be dirty now but it's getting cleaner every day

Singing here (singing here), singing there (singing there)
Here (there), there (here) - up and down the river
Sailing on - stopping all along the way
The river may be dirty now but it's getting cleaner every day

Some are young (some are young), some are old (some are old)
Young (old), old (young) - up and down the river
Sailing on - stopping all along the way
The river may be dirty now but it's getting cleaner every day

[SoCalDemGrrl]

21. Buffalo Springfield "What It's Worth"

there's battle lines being drawn
nobody's right if everybody's wrong
young people speakin their minds
getting so much resistance far behind

it's time we stop,
hey what's that sound
everybody look what's goin down

what a field day for the heat
a thousand people in the street
singin songs that they carry inside
mostly say hurray for our side

These lyrics prompted me and my friends to protest the Vietnam War and they still resound in my mind
as I listen to the bullshit from the GOP

[DianaForRussFeingold]

23. These had a real impact growing up!

'Kent State Song'- ten Soldiers and Nixon's Coming..
"41 years since the Kent State Massacre of May 4th, 1970, this is a memorial song that was made just a few days later on May 11th, 1970, which is called 4 Dead In Ohio by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Its a song that is in memory to the 4 students who died"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCc0vivqbyw


John Lennon 'Imagine' "words, and beautiful pictures. Very Touching!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNKhIJfB510

This came out when I was an adult during the first Gulf War-1990...this song puts war into perspective!
'From a Distance' Bette Midler
"effects of war but also the glimmer of hope for 'peace and harmony' throughout the world."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouUXmLkMS-s

[struggle4progress]

24. Nash's Chicago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyJRPAmGNwA

Dylan's Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHrK6L91BgA

Byrds' version of Dylan's Chimes of Freedom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkZlKZutSYQ

Joe Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f2J4ceCikI

[Dogtown]

25. "Fernando"

ABBA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ohr4P8E_io

[Myrina]

26. Genesis - Another Day in Paradise/ Bruce Hornsby - The Way It Is

Perfect essays on the assholishness of the 80's Gordon Gekko attitude.

[Rambis]

27. There were Roses,Tommy Sands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVlIV9dqVXA

[BrendaBrick]

28. Elvis Presley: If I Can Dream

I still have the 45!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P5i7naMTuo&feature=related

[DianaForRussFeingold]

33. Awe.. That's beautiful!

If I Can Dream-Lyrics

"There must be light, burning brighter, somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher, in a sky, more blue
If I can dream, of a better land, where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true?
Oh why?

There must be peace and understanding, sometime
Strong winds of promise that will blow away, all the doubt and fear
If I can dream of a warmer sun, where hope keeps shining on everyone
Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun appear?

We're lost in a cloud, with too much rain
We're trapped in a world, that's troubled with pain
But as long as a man has the strength to dream
He can redeem his soul and fly

Deep in my heart, there's a trembling, question
Still I am sure that the answer's gonna come somehow
Out there in the dark
There's a beckoning candle
And while I can think, while I can talk, while I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream, come true
Right now
Let it come true right now"

[BrendaBrick]

35. I'm glad you like it too and thanks for posting the lyrics

From wiki:

"If I Can Dream" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley, written by Walter Earl Brown<1> and notable for its direct quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr. It was recorded by Presley in June 1968, two months after King's assassination. The recording was first released to the public as the finale of Presley's '68 Comeback Special.

[dixiegrrrrl]

36. Sigh......damn, he was so rare, so good.

[BrendaBrick]

41. yeah. It's a shame that his legacy

has come to be mostly known for insensitive cracks about his weight and dietary habits latre in his life rather than on his talent.

[hifiguy]

29. Neil Young's "Ohio"

I was 13 or 14 and Kent State freaked me out badly. Neil gave me some righteous anger to stiffen my spine.

[geardaddy]

30. I remember owning the 45 for "Indian Reservation"

as a youngster and being moved by it then.

[BrendaBrick]

31. Josh White: Strange Fruit

My mom had one of his albums when I was really young and I'll never forget this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Z8azU6njU

[Gidney N Cloyd]

32. "The Green Beret" but thank god it wore off in about 5 minutes,

Had a truly whackjob RW 3rd grade teacher back when the song came out. After all these years I still can't help wondering how she justified playing that song in class like it was a lesson.

[progressoid]

34. Peter Gabriel - BIKO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTlzamUlQkg

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

37. Deportee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjAzZKZV1Ek

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. This one always made me cry, and has stayed with me for years.

Tim Buckley - Once I Was

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDvxQNQhRLU

[larkrake]

39. american pie and sound of silence

[guitar man]

40. King Harvest

The Band.... awesome working class anthem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxzQChNxQQ8

[grilled onions]

42. War and Eve of Destruction

So much of the music in the sixties had meaning behind it. A group would sit around listening to an album and discuss what we thought the singer was trying to say. It brought about many stimulating conversations.