Political Music in American History

Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY 1
American History
Name
Institution

AMERICAN HISTORY 2
American History
Music has been used in the United States of America for quite a long period of time.
The purposes for which the music is used vary depending on the artist/musician, event
leading to composing the song, and to communicate an opinion. Many musicians in the
United States use music for expressing love, political opinion and enlighten the society. What
is important in music however the tone is and purpose for which such music is being sung.
The focus here is to identify and analyze political music in the context of purpose and tone.
Human Rights
John Lennon’s song “Imagine” is a soft rock type of genre that is lyrical and sang
with utmost plea to human opinion. The song was release back in 1970s and the American
fans felt that was the song they needed at that time (Susan, 2002). Lennon’s song however,
still remains a big hit in the 21st century given the fact that his desire and opinion is what the
world needs today. The world needs to be a place of human freedom, peace and value for
human life. This makes it a choice for this discussion and further elaborates on the purpose of
the song. The last line of every stanza just speaks a lot of sense to the world of today, for
example, stanza three; Imagine people sharing all the world
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FX4D1jU2m8) brings the sense of political freedom
and democracy. In expressing his political opinion, he uses a thoughtful mood to bring the
message home.
Poverty/Economy
Michael Franti and Spearhead’s song Crime to be broke in America becomes the
favorite when discussing about poverty/economy on the United States. The song was