Song 2: Apache Indian Drums (Sedona) / American Indi...
Song 3: Shaman's Call (From Earth Spirit) / R. Carlos N...
I think the recording artist hoped to show the peacefulness in which both the Native Americans and the Europeans lived in before they came into contact with each other in the early 1600s. I think that these songs do a good job in representing the tone of the two groups of people, especially with songs two and three. These two songs make me think about the culture in which the Native Americans lived before the colonists came.
Song 4. Brave Wolfe / Mark O'Connor & Wynton Marsalis
No lyrics are in this song. However, it was composed in the mid-1700s when James Wolfe led the British army to a victory in Quebec in 1759 during the French and Indian War. I think this was a great tune, but since there were no lyrics, I didn't get much out of it.
Song 5. Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier / Mark O'Connor
This song was written during the American Revolution, and it is about the sacrifice that a women goes through as her husband goes to war. The story is told in perspective of a women who must give up all she has because the man that provides for her is leaving. I think that this is a great primary source that reminds us that the men who fight are not the only people that are affected.
Song 6. Hard Times Come Again No More (feat. The Ro...)
"Hard Times" was written in 1854 by Stephen C. Foster during the Civil War. I believe that this song is about the hard times people face when at war. It is a very sympathic song that the writer offers during the event as it happens. This is definitely not my type of music, but it conveys the message (just like song 5) that war brings hard times to everyone.
Song 7. Paddy's Lament / Sinead O'Connor
Paddy's Lament is another song written during the Civil War about a person from Ireland who moved to America to escape poverty. However, he ended up joining Lincoln's army. Now he hates America because all that is there is war, and he wants to go back to Dublin. He is writing this song as he experiences these troubles. This is my favorite song so far because the lyrics are really revealing, and they say a lot about America in that time. The song tells me that immigrants fought in the war, and that some favored poverty over war.
Song 8. Jesus Christ / Woody Guthrie
This song was written during the Great Depression reminding people that Jesus Christ told people to give all their things to the poor. This song is written as a story about something that has happened in the past. I think it was a well written song that might have been useful for begging during the Great Depression.
Song 9. Do Re Me / Ana DiFranco
Another song written by Woody Guthrie during the Great Depression, Do Re Me is a song about people trying to escape the depression by moving from their home states to California. However, Guthrie explains that if you can't sing, than you won't find a job, because there aren't any around. The writer is writing this as he experiences it. It uses Do Re Me as a useful metaphor for singing voice, and because of this I thought it was a good song. The song reminds us that there were no jobs around in the Great Depression.
Song 10. Strange Fruit / Billie Holiday
This is a song about American racism written in 1939 during the Great Depression. It is about the hanging of African Americans, and the song vividly describes the picture of blacks lynched. The song is recorded during the time this type of thing happened, so it is a great primary source. I think it is a very gruesome song that tells us that job hunting wasn't the only issue in 1939.
Song 11. A Change Is Gonna Come / Seal
This is a song about an African American who is confident that he won't be afraid much longer because a change is going to come, meaning the Civil Rights Movement. It was recorded in 1963. The story is told as it is happening to the speaker. I think it is a great song about the rising spirits of the African Americans, and tells us a little about how they felt before the movement.
Song 12. Youngstown / Bruce Springsteen
This song was released in 1995 about a steelworker that made weapons that won wars across the history of the US in a furnace (named Jenny) in Youngstown. The author of the song provides a look back at history in this song instead of writing it as it happens, so it isn't a great primary source for the wars in history unless the author was present. I think it was a great song, but mostly because I like country music, and that is the kind of tone it had to it. But I learned from this song that bombs are made in Youngstown, Ohio instead of some factory in China.
Song 13. The Times They Are A-Changin' / Bob Dylan
This song was written in 1963. It is about history, and how nothing stays the same. He says that if you stick to the past you will "sink like a stone." He is looking back at history as he writes this, but he is also taking his point of view from the present. The song wasn't great, because it really didn't list any specifics like song 12 did. But I learned the point of view is the same now as it was back in 1963 about times changing.
Song 14. The Hands That Built America / U2
This song was written for the film "Gangs of New York", which was released in 2002. To me, it is mostly about America and its immigration from other countries, which are the 'Hands that built America.' It is written as a story while looking back on events such as 9/11. However, it was a good song because it reminded us where we came from and why we are what we are.
Song 15. We Didn't Start the Fire / Billy Joel
This song was first recorded in 1989, and is about events, people, and topics in history from 1949 up until the song was made. Billy Joel wrote this song looking back at past events, however, instead of giving his opinion about them, he just listed them. I honestly thought that this song was useless, and it gave me a headache. It didn't really teach me anything, except that there are lots of things that can happen in such a small amount of time.
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