The worldwide phenomenon that is music is known to have a strong emotional impact on people, tugging at their heartstrings when influential lyrics emphasize the spectrum of personal to ubiquitous issues such as the Civil Rights Movement. Despite this movement occurring several decades ago, the issue regarding racism and discrimination still permeates in societies today. In an effort to address this issue, many artists have decided to write and spread their songs for the world to listen to. John Legend and Common both produced a song titled “Glory” in 2014 that conveyed the struggle African Americans suffered both currently and in the past. With the powerful message and their wide popularity, the two sang “Glory” live at the Oscars, “I always
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Throughout the time period of the active Jim Crow laws, Civil Right activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks would emerge and fight for their rights. On an ordinary bus in 1955, an average African American seamstress, Rosa Parks, would “initiate the civil rights movement in the United States” by maintaining her seat and refusing to give it up to a white male (“Rosa Parks”). In the lyrics of “Glory,” “Every day women and men become legends,” Common analogizes that any person is capable of being a hero, just like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.. King was a prime leader in the Civil Rights movement as “he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the United States, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965” (“Martin Luther King Jr”). Here, “From dark roads he rose, to become a hero” Common is speaking about King’s difficult past and how he was still able to overcome his struggles and become an inspiration to the nation. When Pete Hammond spoke to John Legend over the phone and asked Legend about the presumed critical reception on the song, John replied, “for us to talk about things that may not be popular with everybody, it is part of carrying on with his (Dr. King’s) spirit.” Those who participated in this movement left their legacy to the …show more content…
One of King’s many exceptional moments was in 1965 when he rose “awareness of the difficulty faced by black voters in the South” and marched with thousands of protesters from Selma to Montgomery (“Selma to Montgomery March”). The movie Selma captured the essence of the struggle African Americans felt when their voting rights were disrespected and the tiresome three day march that a plethora of African Americans walked. The two artists have also performed their song at the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge on January 18, 2015 – the exact place Dr. King and thousands of other protesters marched and were also beaten in an effort to reach Selma, that day most commonly known as “Bloody Sunday.” When John Legend and Common agreed to write this song, both wanted to include problems in today’s world that resembled the Civil Rights era, such as the protests that occurred in Ferguson. Common said, “It’s a song for right now… Everything about the song is about the present. It resonates with what we see going on in the country, in Ferguson, other cities, and in the world” (Farber). The tragic death of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager who was killed by a police officer, sparked a negative response in the media. Common references Ferguson and Michael Brown in the following lyrics, “Sins that go against our skin become blessings / The movement is a rhythm to us” and “That's why
Throughout the time period of the active Jim Crow laws, Civil Right activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks would emerge and fight for their rights. On an ordinary bus in 1955, an average African American seamstress, Rosa Parks, would “initiate the civil rights movement in the United States” by maintaining her seat and refusing to give it up to a white male (“Rosa Parks”). In the lyrics of “Glory,” “Every day women and men become legends,” Common analogizes that any person is capable of being a hero, just like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.. King was a prime leader in the Civil Rights movement as “he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the United States, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965” (“Martin Luther King Jr”). Here, “From dark roads he rose, to become a hero” Common is speaking about King’s difficult past and how he was still able to overcome his struggles and become an inspiration to the nation. When Pete Hammond spoke to John Legend over the phone and asked Legend about the presumed critical reception on the song, John replied, “for us to talk about things that may not be popular with everybody, it is part of carrying on with his (Dr. King’s) spirit.” Those who participated in this movement left their legacy to the …show more content…
One of King’s many exceptional moments was in 1965 when he rose “awareness of the difficulty faced by black voters in the South” and marched with thousands of protesters from Selma to Montgomery (“Selma to Montgomery March”). The movie Selma captured the essence of the struggle African Americans felt when their voting rights were disrespected and the tiresome three day march that a plethora of African Americans walked. The two artists have also performed their song at the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge on January 18, 2015 – the exact place Dr. King and thousands of other protesters marched and were also beaten in an effort to reach Selma, that day most commonly known as “Bloody Sunday.” When John Legend and Common agreed to write this song, both wanted to include problems in today’s world that resembled the Civil Rights era, such as the protests that occurred in Ferguson. Common said, “It’s a song for right now… Everything about the song is about the present. It resonates with what we see going on in the country, in Ferguson, other cities, and in the world” (Farber). The tragic death of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager who was killed by a police officer, sparked a negative response in the media. Common references Ferguson and Michael Brown in the following lyrics, “Sins that go against our skin become blessings / The movement is a rhythm to us” and “That's why