Influential Songs for Social Change

Slide 1
“Music is a great blessing, it has the power to elevate all and liberate us. It sets people free to
dream. It can unite us to sing with one voice. Such is the value of music”- Nelson Mandela
Music unites people, creates a force for change, raises awareness, provides new perspectives to
look at things and helps to use imagination and creativity. Music has a great influence on the
society, community and the people. 10 influential songs that had a great influence on the society
that is discussed in this Pechu Kucha are:
Imagine by John Lennon
Redemption Song by Bob Marley
From Little things big things grow by Paul Kelly & The Messengers
A change is gonna come by Sam Cooke
Man in the mirror by Michael Jackson
One by U2
We shall overcome by Joan Baez
Fight the power by Public Enemy
Blowing in the wind by Joan Baez
Strange Fruit by Billy Holiday
Slide 2

He was a member of the Beatles, a famous British Rock band of 1960’s. Born in 1940, was shot
dead in 1980. He was a musician, poet and a humanist who believed in the importance of peace.
He considered peace as something that one can make, or achieve through their actions, or is a
part of the identity or something one gave give to others. He believed that peace can be shared
and harmony can be achieved in the world if we start being more empathetic to each other. He
also thought that fighting poverty, and hunger is necessary to achieve global peace, brotherhood,
fraternity and equality.
Slide 3
This song is from a studio album by John Lennon after he left the Beatles. The song was
recorded as well as released in 1971. This song is considered one of the best by John Lennon as
well as one of the most influential songs, ranked 80th in the ‘500 greatest songs of all time’ list of
the Rolling Stone magazine. The song can be understood as a plea for global peace.
Slide 4
The song is a plea for world peace and talks about a new world that does not have geopolitical
boundaries or communal divides, where the resources are shared equally among the people and a
better world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and a world where there is no
poverty, and everyone has enough to eat.
“Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Imagine all the people
Living for today (ah ah ah)
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people