A Change Is Gonna Come And The Civil Rights Movement

Music is the universal language in which people can communicate. No matter the genre, rap, rhythm and blues, heavy metal, or pop, it is a way that people can get their thoughts and views across to a larger audience in a manner that they can understand without having to listen to a long speech. This is why music was a great vessel for messages during the civil rights movement and protests today. A good song from the civil rights movement is “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. This was his most politically-oriented song and he wrote it in response to Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind”. He said that although he liked the song then he would have rather if someone of color had sang it (NPR Staff). The song is very short but in that short time …show more content…
They are also telling the African American population to stay on their feet and keep from bowing down to the white people. The differences between the two songs lie in how they want to go about this change. Sam Cooke is more passive. He knows that equality is going to come eventually but he does not know when that time will be. He wants the African American population to stay optimistic and support the civil rights movement; as long as they do that then they will get they equality they have been waiting for. James Brown, on the other hand is mostly talking about being proud to be black and working hard to be successful. He thinks that they should no longer tolerate the way that they have been treated and to demand their rights. Cooke and Brown’s difference of thought on the civil rights movement can also be seen in the instrumentals of their songs. Cooke has more of a soft, slow, and kind of foretelling song, while Brown’s song is more upbeat and more prone to cause action. Even though the time period has changed, it does not mean that issues in the African American community has