Understanding the Lyrics
"A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
Written in support of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. some lyrics were inspired by an incident where Cooke and his friends were arrested for disturbing the peace after being denied a motel room in Louisiana. it was released a few months before Cooke was Murdered at by a motel owner who claimed he was raping a young girl in one of the rooms.
"Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday
the lyrics symbolize brutality and racism, with the practice of lynching in the American South. the song has grown into a symbol of racism, cruelty, pain, and suffering endured by so many in the United States. it became the song of the century in 1999 by Time Magazine, and 70 years later used by rapper Kanye West on his album Yeezus
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles
The joyous track blasted over the airways at a point when Americans were still reeling over the assassination of John F. Kennedy. going to the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, the band drew in more than 70 million viewers, the most in the history of tv at the time
"Imagine" by John Lennon
Lennon famously said the track is anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic...but because it's sugar-coated, it is accepted." the track conveyed his wishes of world peace and harmony, it's message resonated widely and was given added poignancy after Lennon's assassination in 1980. the message has since been derided by many who point out the contradiction of a multi-millionaire asking for the rest of the world to imagine no possessions
"Juicy" by Notorious B.I.G
being the first single off of Big's debut album, Ready to Die, it was also the first track to establish him as a titan. telling the story of a rapper's own rise to fame, becoming bigger, rising above struggles, which is something people told him he'd never be able to do.
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem
Hailed from the semi-biographucal movie 8 Mile, it is considered to be one of Eminem's best songs, and is his biggest hit
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