Tuesday, 13 August 2019

Ecology and Police Profiling

Both of these topics remain in the forefront of 21st Century activists' attempts to increase  awakening in Society. As it should be.
However, what comes to my mind is how long this fight for better practices has been going on, and while big gains have been made, so much remains to be done. It is wonderful to see someone as young as Greta Thunberg getting centre stage at International Events and calling out us adults to do much more for the next generations.

Pop music from the sixties Protest Movement echoed the sentiments of the population. As the sixties became the seventies, music continued to echo the worries of the population passed the Anti-war rhetoric. 

Throughout the sixties, Motown was staunchly grinding out memorable pop hits; However, they did in fact become aware of the changing sentiments in society and even Stevie wonder covered Bob Dylan‘s Blowing in the Wind. It made the top 20. As mentioned earlier MOTOWN was a purveyor of great pop songs,  however, long before the 21st century & the growing awareness of racial profiling, this was the theme for one of Stevie wonders massive hits in 1973 recorded on the album Innervisions. The album version of Living For The City which includes a spoken section in the middle where Stevie indicates how he is railroaded into jail simply for being with other Black youth; His innocence was irrelevant to the case.  The album track was edited and released as a single without the dialogue in the middle piece and it made the top 10. 

 In the early seventies, Marvin Gaye was moved by the state of society and the environment and wrote a whole album about ecology. Berry Gordy was loathe to release it, but Marin had clout after 2 number 1's and a decade of popularity, Berry gave in and the album was a huge hit and remains a classic with What's  Going On being covered by many others. 

SONGS
blowing in the wind. - Stevie wonder
Living for the City - Stevie wonder
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye


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