Stevens Memorial Library (North Andover)

Which side are you on?, 20th century American history in 100 protest songs, James Sullivan ; foreword by Reverend Lennox Yearwood and Bill McKibben

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Which side are you on?

bibliography

1028209582

James Sullivan ; foreword by Reverend Lennox Yearwood and Bill McKibben

20th century American history in 100 protest songs

When he emerged from the nightclubs of Greenwich Village, Bob Dylan was often identified as a "protest" singer. As early as 1962, however, Dylan was already protesting the label: "I don't write no protest songs," he told his audience on the night he debuted "Blowin' in the Wind." "Protest" music is largely perceived as an unsubtle art form, a topical brand of songwriting that preaches to the converted. But popular music of all types has long given listeners food for thought. Fifty years before Vietnam, before the United States entered World War I, some of the most popular sheet music in the country featured anti-war tunes. The labor movement of the early decades of the century was fueled by its communal "songbook." The Civil Rights movement was soundtracked not just by0the gorgeous melodies of "Strange Fruit" and "A Change Is Gonna Come," but hundreds of other gospel-tinged ballads and blues. 0In 'Which Side Are You On', author James Sullivan delivers a lively anecdotal history of the progressive movements that have shaped the growth of the United States, and the songs that have accompanied and defined them. Covering one hundred years of social conflict and progress across the twentieth century and into the early years of the twenty-first, this book reveals how protest songs have given voice to the needs and challenges of a nation and asked its citizens to take a stand - asking the question "Which side are you on?"

Nonviolence -- Workers unite -- Civil rights -- The rights of women -- The environment -- Freedom of speech -- Gay pride -- Immigration and the "other" -- No nukes -- Into the twenty-first century

20th century American history in 100 protest songsTwentieth century American history in one hundred protest songs