ROCKY’S PANDEMIC PLAYLIST, PART 12

STRANGE FRUIT

Billie Holiday, 1939: “Strange Fruit” is one of the most important songs of the 20th century. Written by New York poet Abel Meeropol in 1937, the song evokes the horrors of the widespread lynching of black men in America. Holiday began singing it in 1939 during her act at New York’s Café Society. Her label, Columbia, refused to record it. In a remarkable act of courage, Holiday defied Columbia and recorded it on the alternative jazz label Commodore. It would be her biggest hit.

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME

Sam Cooke, 1964: It was Sam Cooke’s greatest composition and would become an anthem of the civil rights movement. It was not a huge chart success for Cooke who had much bigger hits with “Cupid,” “You Send Me,” and “Twistin’ the Night Away.” The song was recorded for Cooke’s LP “Ain’t That Good News.” It was released as a single in December 1964, two weeks after Cooke was fatally shot in mysterious circumstances by a Los Angeles motel manager. He was 32.

LIVING FOR THE CITY

Stevie Wonder, 1973: The great Stevie Wonder was one of the first soul performers to portray systemic racism in song. “Living for the City” appeared on the classic LP “Innervisions,” with Wonder performing every instrument on the track. The song won two Grammy Awards, one for Wonder as best R&B song in 1974 and again, the following year, for Ray Charles’s cover version. The song demonstrates that you cannot escape racism simply by moving north.

BLACK DAY IN JULY

Gordon Lightfoot, 1968: Sometimes it takes an outsider to chronicle social upheaval. Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot wrote “Black Day in July” in reaction to the Detroit riots of 1967. The song is a plea for racial peace, but, following the murder of Martin Luther King, it was pulled by radio stations in 30 U.S. states out of fear it would encourage further rioting. More than 40 people died in the Detroit riots, many shot by police or National Guardsmen.

GET TOGETHER

The Youngbloods, 1967: Written by Chet Powers (who would later lead Quicksilver Messenger Service as Dino Valenti) in 1963, “Get Together” was recorded by the Kingston Trio and the Jefferson Airplane before The Youngbloods recorded the best known version in 1967. It had only minor chart success that year, but rebounded to the Top 5 in 1969 when the National Council of Christians and Jews used “Get Together” in a TV commercial. Its message is timeless.