Reflection 1: Get Up, Stand Up—Exploring the Political Songs of the Seventies

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the Sixties are generally regarded as having the most robust political music, the Seventies’ contributions to the genre are also vital. With musical calls to action addressing everything from women’s rights and the environment to the anti-war movement, the decade produced some of the most memorable anthems of any period. For this reflection, explore the musical and political contributions of the 1970s—specifically, examine two songs from two of the following categories: War Protest, Feminism, Civil Rights, Environmentalism, Class Divisions, and Political Activism. In your analysis, consider what it might it have been like to hear them at the time of their release. Would they have been enough to simply inform you of an issue, or might they have actually prompted you into action? Why or why not? Finally, you might also consider why our equally turbulent decade lacks the same kind of political-musical landscape.

Notes:

• Refer to the protagonist of a song as the "speaker."
• When citing a song in-text, cite the artist in your citation. Example: The brash, young singer reminded 1980s listeners that "that we are living in a material world" (Madonna).
• Use a "/" to separate lines in a song's lyrics. Example: Superficially, the song extols the virtues of American individualism: "Ah, but ain't that America for you and me? / Ain't that America? Somethin' to see, baby / Ain't that America? Home of the free, yeah / Little pink houses for you and me" (Mellancamp).
• It's highly recommended you look up your songs' lyrics in multiple locations. Internet lyric sites are notoriously unreliable—even YouTube’s own close captioning is often erroneous. So, it would be wise to check multiple sources for lyrics. Do your best to be as accurate as possible. 
• The groupings or divisions of lyrics in a song are referred to as a "verse”—as opposed to a "stanza" in poetry.
• In MLA Style, a song's reference in the works cited is as follows: Artist(s) Last Name, First Name. "Song Title." Album Title, Publisher, Year. Example: Styles, Harry. "As It Was." Harry’s House, Columbia Records, 2022.
• Some of these songs may contain adult themes.  

Choose two songs from two of the following categories of your analysis (four songs total):

War Protest:

• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, "Ohio" (1970)
• Edwin Starr, "War" (1970)
• John Lennon, "Imagine" (1971)
• Cat Stevens, “Peace Train” (1971)
• John Prine, "Sam Stone" (1971)
• Freda Payne, "Bring the Boys Home" (1971)
• Curtis Mayfield, “We Got to Have Peace” (1971)

Feminism:

• Helen Reddy, "I Am Woman" (1972)
• Loretta Lynn, "The Pill" (1975)
• Janis Ian, “At Seventeen" (1975)
• X-Ray Spex, "Oh Bondage! Up Yours!" (1977)
• Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive" (1978)
• Chaka Khan, "I'm Every Woman" (1978)
• The Slits, "Typical Girls" (1979)

Civil Rights:

• Marvin Gaye, "What’s Going On" (1971)
• Gil Scott-Heron, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (1971)
• Billy Paul, "Am I Black Enough For You?" (1972)
• Redbone, "We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee" (1973)
• Bob Marley & The Wailers, "Get Up, Stand Up" (1973)
• Stevie Wonder, “Living for the City” (1974)

Environmentalism:

• Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi" (1970)
• The Beach Boys, "Don't Go Near the Water" (1971)  
• New Riders of the Purple Sage, "Last Lonely Eagle" (1971) 
• Marvin Gaye, "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" (1971)
• John Prine, "Paradise" (1971)
• Jackson Brown, "Before the Deluge" (1974)  
• John Denver, “I Want to Live” (1977)

Class Divisions:

• John Lennon, "Working Class Hero" (1970)
• Dolly Parton, "Coat of Many Colors" (1971)
• Loretta Lynne, "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1971)
• Johnny Cash, "Oney" (1972)
• Merle Haggard, "If We Make It Through December" (1973) 
• Willie Dunn, "I Pity the Country" (1973)
• Johnny Paycheck, "Take This Job and Shove It" (1977)
• John Conlee, "Common Man" (1978)

Political Activism:

• Archie Shepp, "Attica Blues" (1972) 
• The Honey Drippers, "Impeach the President" (1973) 
• Stevie Wonder, "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (1974) 
• Phil Ochs, “Here’s to the State of Richard Nixon” (1974)
• The Doobie Brothers, "Takin’ It to the Streets" (1976)

Required:

• MLA Style, including works cited
• 500 words (≈2 pages)

Due: Fri 2.20 (via Canvas)