Much Euro-Western music has driven movements and emotions over time. The old DOXOLOGY, Martin Luther’s EIN FESTE BERG (A Mighty Fortress) and Julia Ward Howe’s BATTLE HYMN (of the Republic) as well as the MARSEILLAISE undoubtedly stirred many hearts. But did those tunes directly cause change?
I searched for “most influential song” and found many lists of songs influencing music, and this list of politically significant Anglo-American songs. But for an individual song with a measurable influence on the world, directly provoking a significant change in real-world life, I nominate PF Sloan’s otherwise trite EVE OF DESTRUCTION. One line: You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’ - those eleven syllables drove passage of the 26th Amendment granting the franchise to 18-year-old citizens. THAT was impact.
I could point to books and speeches that altered reality. Do you have any other songs?
Macarena? Gangnum Style? Both turned 3/4 of the world fucking nuts. Imagine the lost productivity! Goddamn cancer could have been cured with half that attention!
Some Bob Dylan songs have effected substantial change to a small number of people–I’m thinking about “Hurricane” (which got Rubin “Hurricane” Carter out of jail by drawing public scrutiny to his case) and “Oxford Town” (which kept the University of Mississippi from sweeping an incident of discrimination under the rug). Beyond that, I don’t think he changed the world so much as provided some elements of it with a soundtrack.
I have to assume that “Do they know its christmas” did actually generate money and help for a lot of people in the real world, even accounting for cynicism.
Well, the Bobs’ version of Helter Skelter didn’t make me want to go a’slaughter, just watch Janie-Bob’s legs when they played the Sonoma County Fair between the Texas Tornadoes (great) and Randy Newman (drunk). Listen to them with eyes closed and they’re still fine, and non-murderous.
Anyway, I seek momentous stuff. Did a song ever incite a revolution?
My understanding is that they raised a lot of money, bought a lot of food, and were not allowed to take it off the boat because the intended recipients were being deliberately starved to death by the then-dictator of Ethiopia. I may be confusing this with “We Are The World.”
The case for national anthems (& co) looks pretty strong, in which area I’ll nominate specifically the Horst Wessel Song, which certainly served as a rallying point for Nazis (and I wouldn’t be surprised if it still did; the fact that it is still banned in Germany attests to its power.)
Along slightly similar (and more insiduous) lines, I saw Henning Wehn a few weeks ago. He’s a German born but English based standup, and some of his humour is (deliciously) politically black. At one point he got us all to clap along with an old German folk song before announcing* Congratulations - you’ve just been clapping along to an old Hitler Youth song. It’s a good song isn’t it? That’s what happened to us.*
The Civil War was a dreadful bloody affair that pitted cousin against cousin; ending the war with some armistice or treaty had great appeal. But the stirring melody and words of “John Brown’s Body” (or “Battle Hymn”) became enormously popular in the North during the War and may have played a pivotal role in keeping the North inspired that they were on a noble mission. It is a good candidate for #1 on OP’s list.
In 1861 “John Brown’s Body” was popular; the alternate lyrics by Howe weren’t published until 1862. Is there a credible source that can inform us which of the two sets of lyric was most popular 1862-1863?
On June 1, 1944, Radio Londres broadcast the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, alerting 100,000 members of the French Resistance to the imminent Allied invasion of France.
I feel “We Shall Overcome” is a song that was adopted by the civil rights movement after it was already up and running. “Strange Fruit” on the other hand, is a song that I feel helped inspire the development of the civil rights movement.
Three very poignant songs, and who the hell doesn’t sing Auld Lang Syne at new year’s? It’s certainly the defacto in English-speaking countries. (Thanks Rabbie!)
The Third Estate declared itself to be the National Assembly in June 1798.
The Tennis Court Oath was taken in June 1798.
The Bastille was stormed in July 1798.
Feudalism was abolished in August 1798.
The Declaration of Rights of Man and the Citizen was published in August 1798.
The Church’s authority to tithe was abolished in August 1798.
Monasteries and convents were closed in February 1790.
The first constitution, which enshrined popular sovereignty, and severely curtailed the king’s power, took effect in 1791.
La Marseillaise was not written until 1792, and not adopted as the national anthem until 1795.