”a new day is dawning”, “another day for You and me in paradise”, “may it offer something to believe in”, these are extracts of the songs I am serving in this episode, so relax and enjoy the next ninety minutes of popular vibes …
| Title | Artist | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Are you ready | Pacific Gas & Electric | “Are You Ready?”, released in 1970, is a song written by Charlie Allen and John Hill and performed by American band Pacific Gas & Electric, featuring the back-up vocal group The Blackberries. |
| Where Is the Love? | The Black Eyed Peas | The song was released during the Iraq war and was initially intended as a vessel to post-9/11 anxiety. Moreover, it discusses many issues including terrorism, US government hypocrisy, racism, gang crime, pollution, war, and intolerance, with the call for love in the chorus as the element tying these together. |
| I Love a Man in a Uniform (Yeah Yeah Yeahs remix) | Gang of Four | “I Love a Man in a Uniform”, released in 2005, by English band Gang of Four, is full of the sarcasm, trashing the machismo that’s used as a marketing tool of the armed forces. |
| Please Don’t | David Byrne & Fatboy Slim | “Please Don’t” by Scottish-American singer, songwriter, David Byrne & Fatboy Slim features Santi White (known professionally as Santigold). “Please Don’t” by former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and English DJ Fatboy Slim is about the life of the ex First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos and her relationship with a servant from her childhood. |
| Let ’em In | Billy Paul | “Let ‘em Im” was written by Paul McCartney, who released the original with his band Wings in 1976. Billy Paul covered the song in 1977, substituting a list of notable African-American figures such as Malcolm X and Louis Armstrong in lieu of the people named in the original. |
| Who Are These People? | Burt Bacharach | “Who are these people?” by Burt Bacharach, features vocals by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and is an anti-violence ode and attack on the George W Bush administration. |
| F*** You | Lily Allen | “F*** You”, released in 2009, by Lily Allen is a hard-hitting attack on racism, US President George W. Bush and neo-Nazism. |
| Makes Me Wonder | Maroon 5 | “Makes Me Wonder”, released in 2007, by American band Maroon 5, contains political insinuations disguised as a love song and combines lyrics about being in a state of a failed relationship and the “failure to understand or trust” the leadership of their country. |
| People Have the Power | Patti Smith | “People Have the Power”, released in 1988, is a rock song written by Patti Smith and her late husband Fred “Sonic” Smith, reminding the listener of their individual power but also of the collective power of the people, how we can do anything. |
| Tick Tock | The Vaughan Brothers | “Tick Tock”, released in 1990, by The Vaughan Brothers, was written by Jerry Lynn Williams, Jimmie Vaughan and Neil Rodgers. Stevie Ray, Jimmy Vaughan’s younger brother, sings simple, yet heartfelt lyrics about time running out for the people of the world to come together in harmony. On August 27, 1990, Stevie Ray boarded a helicopter to fly to Chicago after finishing a gig with Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Jimmie. The helicopter crashed in the dead of the night and Stevie Ray Vaughan died at age 35. |
| Make You Crazy | Brett Dennen & Femi Kuti | “Make You Crazy”, released in 2008, by Brett Dennen & Femi Kuti, is a catchy song about all the injustice in the world. |
| Master Blaster (Jammin’) | Stevie Wonder | “Master Blaster (Jammin’)”, released in 1980, by Stevie Wonder, envisions the people of the world coming together in peace and pays tribute to Bob Marley in this song, using a reggae rhythm and mentioning Marley in the line, “Marley’s hot on the box”. The title is a reference to the Bob Marley song “Jamming,” which appears on his 1977 album Exodus. |
| Jamming | Bob Marley & The Wailers | “Jamming”, released in 1977, is a song by Bob Marley and the Wailers from their 1977 album Exodus. In Jamaican patois the word jamming refers to a getting together or celebration. |
| U’Huh | Sinkane | Sinkane (born Ahmed Gallab), is a Sudanese-American musician, bringing a unique blend of indie rock, funk, and pop to his music. “U’Huh” tells about his personal experiences as an immigrant and a minority. Kulu shi tamaam is an Arabic phrase that means “Everything is going well”. The song encourages individuals to break free from societal constraints, embrace their true self, and overcome obstacles that come their way. |
| The Way It Is | Bruce Hornsby & the Range | “The Way It Is”, released in 1986, by Bruce Hornsby & the Range deals with the need to resist complacency and never resign yourself to racial injustice as the status quo. The lyrics refer to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 mentioning “The law passed in ’64”, supposed to prohibit discrimination in public places, the government and employment in the United States. |
| Amazing Grace | Judy Collins | “Amazing Grace”, recording by Judy Collins in 1970, has been used as an anthem for many causes, from the U.S. Civil War to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the anti-Vietnam war rallies of the late 60s and early 70s, and most recently by the pro-life side of the national debate over gun violence. It was initially written as a poem in 1772 by John Newton and composed with the melody of “New Britain” in 1835 by William Walker. Judith Marjorie Collins (1 May 1939 -) is an American singer and songwriter best known for her clear soprano voice and imaginative song interpretations and for her social activism, being active in politics, social issues and children’s issues as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. |
| Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen | Louis Armstrong | Louis Armstrong recorded in 1958 his own cover of “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”, an African-American spiritual song that originated during the period of slavery (but was not published until 1867), with The Sy Oliver Choir. |
| Another Day In Paradise | Phil Collins | “Another Day In Paradise”, released in 1989, written and performed by Phil Collins, addresses the consequences of ignoring the needy and homeless. |
| Eleanor Rigby | The Beatles | With “Eleanor Rigby”, released in 1966, The Beatles took a bleak message of depression and desolation with a sombre, almost funeral-like backing, to the number one spot of the pop charts, although none of the Beatles members played instruments on it (Lennon and Harrison did contribute harmony vocals). |
| Fast Car | Tracy Chapman | “Fast Car”, released in 1988, written and performed by Tracy Chapman, is considered as an “optimistic folk-rock narrative” about characters living in a homeless shelter, including a working woman trying to escape the cycle of poverty. Or it could also be basically about a relationship that doesn’t work out because it’s starting from the wrong place? |
| Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out | Nina Simone | “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”, released in 1960, by Nina Simone is a cover of a song written by Jimmy Cox in 1923, the decade when unprecedented prosperity in the US was just starting to roar, to warn that fortune, and the friendships gained from it, are fleeting. Bessie Smith’s release in September 1929 coincided with the start of the Wall Street Crash that initiated the Great Depression. |
Sources
The information sources of the song facts include, but are not limited to, Wikipedia, songfacts.com, discogs.com, secondhandsongs.com, YouTube and artists’ related websites.
