Unit 9: Changing America, 1974-2000
United/Divided | War & Peace | Work | Home | Moving Along | Faith & Ideals
UNITED/DIVIDED
“A.I.M. Song”
Severt Young Bear, 1977
A staple of Native American protests and intertribal powwows.
Recording Source
“Yellow Pearl”
Chris Kando Iijima, Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto, and William "Charlie" Chin, 1973
A call for an end to anti-Asian racism.
Lyric source
“What's Going On”
Marvin Gaye, 1971
A call for peace abroad and at home.
Lyric source
“Self Destruction”
KRS-One, 1989
A collaboration created to spread the message of Stop the Violence Movement.
Lyric source | Recording
“Chocolate City”
Parliament, 1975
A funk song describing Washington D.C.
Lyric source | Recording
“If We Must Die”
Olly Wilson, 1991 A call for the oppressed to resist.
Lyric source | Recording
“Born in the U.S.A.”
Bruce Springsteen, 1985
A hit rock song describing the non-heroic return of a Vietnam veteran
Lyric source | Recording | Lesson ideas
“Gangsta’s Paradise”
Coolio, 1995
A rewrite of Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” about the gang environment.
Lyric source | Recording “Ladies First”
Queen Latifah with Monie Love, 1989
A celebration of trailblazing women.
Lyric source | Recording
"Oye mi canto”
Gloria Estefan, 1989
A song encouraging tolerance for people of differing backgrounds and viewpoints.
Lyric source | Recording
“To Be Young, Gifted, and Black”
Nina Simone, 1969
A tribute to Lorraine Hansberry, intended to instill confidence in black children
Lyric source | Recording
WAR AND PEACE
“War”
Edwin Starr, 1970
A powerful anti-Vietnam War song originally written for The Temptations.
Lyric source | Recording
“In America”
Charlie Daniels, 1980
A song of unification during the Iran Hostage Crisis
Lyric source | Recording
“Russians”
Sting, 1985
A peace song from the last decade of the Cold War
Lyric source | Recording
“Menominee Vietnam War Song”
Myron Pyawasit, ca. 1973
A tribute to Native American veterans of the Vietnam War
Recording
WORK
“Contrabando y traicion”
Los Tigres del Norte, 1974
The first popular narcocorrido.
Lyric source | Recording
“9 to 5”
Dolly Parton, 1980
The trials of women in underpaid clerical jobs.
Lyric source | Recording
“Allentown”
Billy Joel, 1982
Coming of age in a rusting steel town.
Lyric source | Recording
HOME
“At Seventeen”
Janis Ian, 1975
A song about the difficulties of being a teenage girl.
Lyric source | Recording
“Dear Mama”
Tupac Shakur, 1995
An autobiographical tribute to Shakur’s mother.
Lyric source | Recording
“Mother Earth”
Six Nations Women Singers, 1995 A lament for what the white man has done to Mother earth.
Recording
“Plastico”
Ruben Blades, 1978
A criticism for those who live artificial lives and prioritize artificial things. Lyric source | Recording
“Love Child”
The Supremes, 1968
A woman doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of her parents
Lyric source | Recording
“I Was Born This Way”
Valentino, 1975
The first commercial available gay anthem.
Lyric source | Recording
“The Message”
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, 1982
A lament about wanting to leave the ghetto but not having the money to do so. Lyric source | Recording
“Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)”
Marvin Gaye, 1971
A vivid description of the environmental crisis.
Lyric source | Recording
“Small Town”
John Cougar Mellencamp, 1985
Rock looks at the virtues of living in a small town, rather than a big city.
Lyric source | Recording
“Mountains O’ Things”
Tracy Chapman, 1988
Comment on the fruitlessness of Yuppie conspicuous consumption.
Lyric source | Recording
“Information Undertow”
Dada, 1998
A look at how our lives are being ruled by technological advances.
Lyric source | Recording
MOVING ALONG
“Clandestino”
Manu Chao, 1998
The difficulty of living undocumented between the borders of two nations. Lyric source | Recording
“Convoy”
C. W. McCall, B. Fries, C. Davis, 1976
Truckers protest against gas prices and speed limit changes caused by the oil embargo .
Lyric source | Recording
FAITH AND IDEALS
“Controversy”
Prince, 1981
Prince’s attempt to address the controversy related to his sexual and spiritual ambiguity.
Lyric source | Recording
“We Are the World”
Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and Quincy Jones, 1985
A call for people of all backgrounds to support people in need in Africa.
Lyric source | Recording “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy, 1989
A call for listeners to rebel against racial discrimination and economic inequality, even if it
means turning to violence.
Lyric source| Recording
“The Greatest Love of All”
Whitney Houston, 1986
An inspirational ballad that rocketed Whitney Houston to fame.
Lyric source | Recording
“Man in the Mirror”
Michael Jackson, 1988
A song about self-transformation and the ability for everyone to make a difference in the world.
Lyric source | Recording
“Imagine”
John Lennon, 1971
Written at the height of the Vietnam War, this song has remained a popular peace anthem
Lyric source | Recording
“God Bless the U.S.A.”
Lee Greenwood, 1983
Patriotic song from the Reagan and Bush, Sr. campaigns; revived in the 2001 terrorist attacks
Lyric source | Recording
“From a Distance”
Julie Gold, 1985
A song about a peaceful Earth as seen from space, that became popular during the Gulf War
Lyric source | Recording
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