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Freedom song

Freedom songs were songs which were sung by participants in the civil rights movement. They are also called "civil rights anthems" or, in the case of songs which are more hymn-like, they are called

Notable songs from the civil rights movement#

Some 100 or so songs were commonly sung during the Civil Rights Movement protests of the 1960s. Some of the best-known or the most-influential songs are: * “A Change Is Gonna Come (song)”: Composed and performed by Sam Cooke; #12 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list of Rolling Stone magazine * “Oh, Freedom”: a spiritual dating back to slavery times * “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round” * “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” * “Certainly Lord”: based on a spiritual * “Hold On” (also known as “Keep Your Eye On The Prize”): Based on a spiritual * “How I Got Over” * “I Love Everybody”, the most important song in the civil rights movement according to SCLC’s James Bevel and Andrew Young, sometimes sung for an hour at a time. * “If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus”: Adapted from a composition by Chico Neblett * “I’m Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table”: Adapted from a Spiritual * “I Woke Up This Mornin’”: Adapted from a Spiritual * “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”: Composed by James Weldon Johnson * “This Little Light of Mine”: Originally a spiritual, associated with Fannie Lou Hamer. * “We shall not be moved”: Also, likely originally, a labor union song. * “If I had a hammer”: A labor union song by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. * “Hymn to Freedom”: Composed and performed by Oscar Peterson on the album Night Train

See also#

  • Civil rights movement in popular culture
  • Music in the movement against apartheid
  • Soundtrack for a Revolution (2009), a documentary which focuses on some of the songs sung during the civil rights movement.
  • “Strange Fruit” was a significant anti-racist protest song made famous by Billie Holiday in 1939.

Bibliography#

  • Everybody Says Freedom, by Pete Seeger & Bob Reiser. Norton, 1989
  • When the Spirit Says Sing! The Role of Freedom Songs in the Civil Rights Movement, by Kerran Sanger. Taylor & Francis Inc, 1995
  • Sing for Freedom: the Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through its Songs, by Guy and Candie Carawan, Sing Out Corporation 1990
  • Goertzen, Chris. “Freedom Songs.” Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music, and Art. Ed. Charlie T. McCormick and Kim Kennedy White. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011. 586–588. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13 May 2014.
  • The Mix: Songs Inspired By The Civil Rights Movement by Michele Norris - a list of 160 songs that were either sung during the movement or, afterwards, inspired by the movement. This list was produced by NPR Music to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil rights movement in July 2013.
  • 10 Essential Civil Rights Songs according to About.com.
Genre family
Civil rights movement in music