About the Songs Page
This page will contain a list of all songs we listen to in the class and as well as links to any song videos we’ll be watching. Nearly all the songs will be available on our Spotify playlist. If the song is not on Spotify, I will alert you in the homework and will provide a link to it below or, if necessary, on the Readings page. Sheet music is available on the Readings page.
Protest Music Spring 2020 Spotify Playlist
List of All Required Songs
The below list and the Spotify playlist will be updated throughout the semester.
- Week One
Jimi Hendrix, “Star Spangled Banner” (1969) - Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the U.S.A” (1984)
- Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the U.S.A.” (1982)
- Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the U.S.A.” (2018)
Week Two - Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit” (1936)
Week Three - “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (Ray Charles, April 1972)
- “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Kim Weston (Live, Watts Stax, August 1972)
- “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” by Beyonce (Live, Coachella, 2018)
- Video: “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” by Beyonce (Live, Coachella, 2018)
- “This Little Light of Mine” (versions to be added)
- “O Mary Don’t You Weep” (versions to be added)
- Kim and Reggie Harris, “Oh Freedom” (1997)
- Kim and Reggie Harris, “Follow the Drinking Gourd” (1997)
- Kim and Reggie Harris, “Now Let Me Fly” (1997)
- Kim and Reggie Harris, “Go Down Moses” (1997)
- Kim and Reggie Harris, “Deep River/Swing Low” (1997)
Week Four - This Little Light of Mine – Betty Mae Fykes
- Get On Board, Children – Willie Peacock
- Calypso Freedom – Willie Peacock
- Oh Freedom – Hollis Watkins
- Ain’ Scared Of Nobody – Amanda B. Perdew/Virginia Davis
- We Are Soldiers In The Army – Voices Of Civil Rights Movement
- Go Tell It On The Mountain – Fannie Lou Hamer
- Wade In The Water – Fannie Lou Hamer
- Come Bah Yah – Willie Peacock
- Freedom Train – Sam Block
- Don’t You Think It’s About Time That We All Be Free – Mabel Hillary
- We’re Marching On To Freedom Land – Carlton Reese
- We Shall Overcome – Voices Of Civil Rights Movement
- We Shall Not Be Moved – SNCC, Rutha Harris
- Certainly, Lord – CORE Freedom Singers
- Get Your Rights, Jack – CORE Freedom Singers
- Which Side Are You On? – SNCC Freedom Singers, Cordell Reagon
- Oh Pritchett, Oh Kelly – SNCC Freedom Singers, Bertha Gober
- In The Mississippi River – SNCC Freedom Singers, Marshall Jones
- Ain’ Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around – SNCC Freedom Singers, Cordell Reagon
- Ballad Of Medger Evers – SNCC Freedom Singers, Matthew Jones
- Oginga Odinga – SNCC Freedom Singers, Matthew Jones
- We Shall Overcome – SNCC Freedom Singers
Week Five - “This Land is Your Land,” Woody Guthrie (1947)
- “This Land is Your Land,” Pete Seeger, Brother Kirk, Sesame Street characters and children (1974)
- “This Land is Your Land,” Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
- “Song to Woody,” Bob Dylan (1962)
- Woody Guthrie, “Hard Travelin’” (1944)
- “Johnny Hart (John Hardy),” Woody Guthrie (1944)
- “1913 Massacre,” Woody Guthrie (1945)
- “Do Re Mi,” Woody Guthrie(1940)
- “Talking Dust Bowl,” Woody Guthrie (1940)
- “So Long It’s Been Good to Know Ya,” Woody Guthrie (1940)
- “Which Side Are You On,” Pete Seeger (1967)
- “Deportees,” Arlo Guthrie (1974)
- “Deportees,” Odetta (1964)
- “Deportees,” Dolly Parton (1980)
- “Deportees,” The Highwaymen (1985)
- “Deportees,” Sandra Velasquez (2012)
- “Deportees,” Tish Hinojosa (2013)
- “John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man,” The Carter Family (1928)
- “Can the Circle Be Unbroken,” The Carter Family (1935)
- “Lonesome Valley,” The Carter Family (1936)
- “Worried Man Blues,” The Carter Family (1930)
- “John Hardy,” Lead Belly
- “The Midnight Special,” Lead Belly
- “We Shall Be Free,” Lead Belly
- “Cotton Fields,” Lead Belly
- “Jim Crow Blues,” Lead Belly
- “The Bourgeois Blues,” Lead Belly
- “Blind Lemon,” Lead Belly
- “Broke and Hungry,” Blind Lemon Jefferson
- “Blind Lemon’s Penitentiary Blues,” Blind Lemon Jefferson
- “Hangman’s Blues,” Blind Lemon Jefferson
- “Match Box Blues,” Blind Lemon Jefferson
- “John Henry,” Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (1968)
- “Po’Boy,” Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
- “Pete Seeger, “If I Had A Hammer”
- Week Six
- Pete Seeger (with Arlo Guthrie), “If I Had a Hammer” (add date)
- Peter, Paul, and Mary, “If I Had a Hammer” (live) (add date)
- Sam Cooke, “A Change is Gonna Come” (1964)
- Phil Ochs, I Ain’t Marching Anymore (1965)
- Nina Simone, “Backlash Blues” (1967)
- Joan Baez, “Saigon Bride” (1967)
- Country Joe & the Fish, “Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die” (1967)
- Richie Havens, “Handsome Johnny” (1967).
- Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969)
- Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, “Ohio” (1970)
- Joni Mitchell, “Woodstock” (1970)
- Steel Mill (Bruce Springsteen’s early band) “Where was Jesus in Ohio” (1970)
- Edwin Starr, “War” (1970)
- Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (1971)
Week Seven - LGBTQ+ songs to be added
- Immigration songs to be added
- Woody Guthrie, “Plane Crash at Los Gatos” (Springsteen version) (2000)
- Miguel, “Now” (2017)
- J.S. Ondara, “God Bless America” (2019)
- Economic disparity songs to be added
Week Eight - The Damned, “Help!” (1976)
- The Sex Pistols, “God Save the Queen” (1977)
- The Sex Pistols, “Anarchy in the UK” (1977)
- The Clash, “London Calling” (1979)
- The Clash, “Straight to Hell” (1979)
- Bikini Kill, “Rebel Girl” (1993)
- Pussy Riot, “Our Lady, Chase Putin Out” (2012)
- Pussy Riot, “Putin will teach you how to love / Путин научит тебя любить Родину” (2014)
- Pussy Riot, “I Can’t Breathe” (2015)
- Pussy Riot, “Make America Great Again” (2016)
- Pussy Riot, “Police State” (2017)
- Pussy Riot, “Bad Apples” (2018)
Week Nine - Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
- Contract On The World Love Jam (Instrumental)
- Brothers Gonna Work It Out
- 911 Is A Joke
- Incident At 66.6 FM (Instrumental)
- Welcome To The Terrordome
- Meet The G That Killed Me
- Pollywanacraka
- Anti-Nigger Machine
- Burn Hollywood Burn
- Power To The People
- Who Stole The Soul?
- Fear Of A Black Planet
- Revolutionary Generation
- Can’t Do Nuttin’ For Ya Man
- Reggie Jax
- Leave This Off Your Fu*kin’ Charts (Instrumental)
- B Side Wins Again
- War At 33 1/3
- Final Count Of The Collision Between Us And The Damned (Instrumental)
- Fight The Power
- Week Eleven
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)- Wesley’s Theory
- For Free? — Interlude
- King Kunta
- Institutionalized
- These Walls
- u
- Alright
- For Sale? — Interlude
- Momma
- Hood Politics
- How Much a Dollar Cost
- Complexion (A Zulu Love)
- The Blacker the Berry
- You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)
- i
- Mortal Man
- Week Twelve
Beyonce, Lemonade (2016)- Pray You Catch Me
- Hold Up
- Don’t Hurt Yourself
- Sorry
- 6 Inch
- Daddy Lessons
- Love Drought
- Sandcastles
- Forward
- Freedom
- All Night
- Formation
- Week Fourteen
Protest Today Songs to be added