The History of Song

Music has always been an escape, even from the beginning of time. Pilgrims, merchants, colonizers, and slaves; flappers, soldiers, boomers, and millennials; parents and children; rich and poor; black, brown and white. People of all decades and centuries can connect with the power of music. It hasn’t always been a musical world full of Kanye Wests and Ariana Grandes, but there has always been a song. There has always been a story waiting to be told. Not just written on paper or blurted out of one's mouth, but a story told with a beat. With the clapping of hands and the stomping of feet, we can hear and feel the pain, the sorrow, the love and happiness, the war and the peace. Music has evolved just as much as our nation. The diversity of music over the years mirrors the diversity of our people and the cultures that are living in this melting pot. The story of America can easily be explained through the evolution of song. Music is, and always has been, a reflection of the time in which it is created.

It started in a time of isolation, in a time of confinement and on a voyage to a new world, to a new life. Stripped of their belongings, loved ones and their definition of themselves, many Africans were sent to the United States to be slaves. Stolen from them were not only their families and freedoms but also, their dignity. For many, their masters changed their names, stripping them of their heritage as well as their identity. But there was one thing that nobody, no matter how hard they might try, couldn't wrest away from the slaves’ hands and hearts: their culture and their song. Though they were forced to live a life in shackles and pain, music was the only way they could maintain their identity and culture half a world away. From singing tunes known as “work and field songs” which distracted slaves from their labor and unfair living situations to the children chanting “play and game songs” to experience the life of a youth that all of us are supposed to enjoy, slave music was incredibly diverse. Music was an escape, a gateway to salve and/or express their hurt and pain. They used lyrics and the sounds of instruments such as the xylophone, kalimba, and rattles to express their sorrows. As a former slave once wrote, “Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears. At least, such is my experience. I have often sung to drown my sorrow, but seldom to express my happiness” (Douglass 11). From a man who went from nothing to one of the most celebrated authors in the history of the United States, Frederick Douglas, the author of the above quote, exposed the injustice within the world of slavery and unmasked the true face and life of a slave. He proclaimed that music was a way to drown your tears, to cope with life. Slaves sang for freedom, for the chance to thrive in the real world.  

On the flip-side, while non-slave Americans had their freedom they were lacking something else, and that was their identity. When the last of the founding fathers died in 1826, the people of America were lost in a haze of confusion. How were people supposed to claim their identity when the people who gave it to them were no longer there? This was a time when people needed to step up and change something. The Second Great Awakening raised the consciousness of religion, especially within the Christian community. Religion became a focus and a way to cope with all the devastations that were facing many at this time. People needed hope and began praying to a man we all know, God. Gospel music was a dominant part of the religious community. Church music had become the regular tune people sang and heard. In a time of isolation and being lost, America turned to god for a guiding hand. Trying to find themselves through the path of religion, the arts were a light at the end of the tunnel. Known as arranged spirituals, the African American tunes would be focused on hope and the hardships of slavery, while “Chrisitan hymns”, or the white churches’ songs, were more about praising God and referring directly to Jesus himself. Gospel was a base for many new genres of music, giving the word “soul” and “rhythm” and new meaning. 

After gospel, blues and ragtime emerged as did, arguably, one of the most influential genres of music our country has yet to encounter: Jazz. Exploding during the Great Depression, Jazz was a widely listened to new beat. With every trumpet blare and snare drum bang, one was overwhelmed with the emotion that hit the country. Combining elements of the sadness of the blues and the upbeat tempo and unique form of ragtime, jazz was and has been forever embossed on the music world. Started in New Orleans, one of the biggest music capitals in the world, and soon spreading to the rest of the world, jazz changed the game. Before the introduction of jazz into the mainstream, it was primarily music sung by and listened to by the black and brown communities. What changed it? Two names we all know, Ella and Louis. With a natural tick for playing the trumpet and one of the most triumphant voices in history, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald catapulted jazz into the mainstream making the rest of the world stop and take notice. Jazz laid the foundation for everything from funk to disco, continuing to leave a mark on all future genres of music - including Rock n’ Roll.

The age of rock was influenced by war, drugs, and sex. The Vietnam war was one in which the US was greatly affected. Much like the previous generations, people needed an outlet and they turned to the arts. Sounds of this time period are defined with an electric guitar and a heavy bass reflecting the wars and the drug use going on in the country at the time. The people who dominated the rock n roll era were Elvis, The Beatles, and Jimmy Hendrix. All still relevant today, these artists laid the groundwork for what we now know as rock. Elvis with his pelvis, John Lennon with his words, and Jimmy Hendrix with his guitar have altered the direction of music. By speaking out against war, they created a generation of strength and pride. Not only did they bring us hippies, but they brought us anti-war music. With songs like “ If I Can Dream” by Elvis, “Revolution” by The Beatles, and Jimmy Hendrix's’ famous rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock in 1969. These pioneers of rock opened people's eyes to the division that plagued the United States and the world. These songs gave young people an anthem to unify around and create a worldwide anti-war movement. This was a battle for world peace while there was still a continuing battle of individual freedoms and rights here at home in the United States. The war was raging but discrimination at home was too.  

Long after the war ended, discrimination and race problems in the US lingered. Racial biases have continued to take a toll on the whole country and the power of music has continued to fill that void. In the mid-’80s, a group called NWA targeted police brutality and injustices the black community endured. They changed the name of the game and used their powerful lyrics (otherwise known as bars) to fight the system rather than using their fists. Though faced with many challenges, such as restrictions on what they could and couldn't sing at their concerts and the risk of walking through LA, being handcuffed and imprisoned for no reason, they fought and created a legacy. The era of rap all started with Eazy E and Ice Cube fighting for equality, then the emergence of Christopher Wallace and Tupac Shakur transformed rap into an art form. These artists have defined old school rap and made our musical culture what it is today. Without them, there would be no Jay-Z, Kanye or any of the thousand “Lil-somethings” out there. And without them, there would be no Soundcloud rappers, and without them? Our generation could be outrageously different. Rap is a special type of getaway. One that jazz, or rock, or gospel is not. One where you can be true and you can say whatever you want and make a fresh beat to say it on.  

Music doesn't have one definition, it has millions. Everyone uses songs in a different way to deal with different things. One thing is true...the arts have an incredible power to make a change. The ability to change either someone or something. The music of our history can be reflected in the obstacles people have endured and the devastations and comebacks that were made. We can feel the pain and sense the longing for the freedom of the slaves. We can imagine ourselves as lost and desperate as the country was in a time of isolation. We can enjoy the marvelous voice of Ella Fitzgerald and the sounds of Louis Armstrong while in a great depression. We can listen to Elvis and the Beatles and realize the effect that war has on a country, on its people. We can fight the political system to get what is right and we can make a change. From a world where folks were forcibly taken from their homes and stripped of their identity to a world where some of the most celebrated and historical artists are of every race, gender, and sexuality, our country has transformed. It has evolved from a cruel place, a divided one, to one where we can have a voice and fight for what's right. With just the power of words and the power of music, we have grown. We have come to realize that everyone has a song, and we are willing to listen to that record. Music has a power, a special one that unifies us and connects us through hundreds of years. The power of a word, the power of a line, the power of a song.