A broadside ballad is a topical song that deals with a social or political issue. The issues these songs deal with are ephemeral or the topic is something temporary, of the specific time period. Many times these ballads were simply popular melodies that most people knew that had the lyrics changed to address the specific topic. This was done so the song could easily be picked up by the masses. In the 16th century these ballads came out on single sheets of paper, and were sold in the streets which made them widely accessable. An important part of broadside ballads are that they cannot be censored. This allowed people to voice their opinions on these important topics in society.
"Alice's Restaurant" is a song by Arlo Guthrie during the Vietnam War.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_7C0QGkiVo
Arlo Guthrie is an American folk singer who often sung songs of protest of social injustice. He is the son of a folk singer, Woody Guthrie. This song "Alice's Restaurant" is one of Arlo Guthrie's better known songs. It is an anti-war song that protests the draft during the Vietnam War. This song is based on some real events that took place during his life. An interesting fact is that the length of the song is the same length as the gap in one of Nixon's Watergate tapes.
http://www.arlo.net/bio.shtml
This broadside ballad was an important part of its time. During the 1960's this song was widely played accross America. This song was good for protest because it was mostly played live due to the length of the song. This song was not on the radio so it could not be censored, and people throughout America would play this song to protest the war.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Joe Glazer
The purpose of this blog is to look at interviews of American musicians who have fought social and political injustices. This MUS300 course is intended to explore music that deals with controversial issues that are both social and political. I am currently taking this class in order to fulfill my upper level class that is outside of my major (ULOD). I also enjoy music so that is an aspect that drew me into taking this class. In this class, I would like to further my understanding of music that is about resistance, revolution, and liberation since i do not have much knowledge on this topic.
This video is about Joe Glazer
http://www.folkways.si.edu/video/usa.aspx
Joe Glazer was a singer and songwriter that associated himself with labor unions. His songs are about the labor movement, and fighting for the interest of the working class. He believed that music was a very important part of the labor movement in that it uplifted and motivated other workers. Joe Glazer sang at some political rallies for people such as John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton. Glazer liked to sing for people who had similar spirit and beliefs as himself.
The primary issue Joe Glazer dealt with in his music was the rights of the working class. He sang in order to fight for safer working conditions as well as fair wages. One of his most known labor songs is "The Mill was Made of Marble". This song fought for safer and cleaner working conditions in mills for the Textile industry. He saw this movement as a war because he said that you can have the best arguments in the world, but you have nothing if the workers do not stick together. He used his music in order to keep the workers fighting together and build their spirits. Joe Glazer wanted his music to have a specific meaning, and wanted it to inspire people want to "do or die" for the cause.
Joe Glazer adresses the issue of workers rights, which include fair wages and safer working conditions. Since I am taking this course in order to fulfill my ULOD teir I chose an artist I had the most interest in. I was drawn to this artist because the subject he fought for of workers rights peaked the most interest for me.
Extra information links
http://www.wfma.net/glazer.htm
http://www.folkways.si.edu/explore_folkways/joe_glazer.aspx
This video is about Joe Glazer
http://www.folkways.si.edu/video/usa.aspx
Joe Glazer was a singer and songwriter that associated himself with labor unions. His songs are about the labor movement, and fighting for the interest of the working class. He believed that music was a very important part of the labor movement in that it uplifted and motivated other workers. Joe Glazer sang at some political rallies for people such as John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton. Glazer liked to sing for people who had similar spirit and beliefs as himself.
The primary issue Joe Glazer dealt with in his music was the rights of the working class. He sang in order to fight for safer working conditions as well as fair wages. One of his most known labor songs is "The Mill was Made of Marble". This song fought for safer and cleaner working conditions in mills for the Textile industry. He saw this movement as a war because he said that you can have the best arguments in the world, but you have nothing if the workers do not stick together. He used his music in order to keep the workers fighting together and build their spirits. Joe Glazer wanted his music to have a specific meaning, and wanted it to inspire people want to "do or die" for the cause.
Joe Glazer adresses the issue of workers rights, which include fair wages and safer working conditions. Since I am taking this course in order to fulfill my ULOD teir I chose an artist I had the most interest in. I was drawn to this artist because the subject he fought for of workers rights peaked the most interest for me.
Extra information links
http://www.wfma.net/glazer.htm
http://www.folkways.si.edu/explore_folkways/joe_glazer.aspx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)