Listen to Top Songs of the: 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s. Links from more recent decades don't appear to work anymore - try searching YouTubeLinks to an external site. for something which appeals to you! If you select a song in a different language please provide lyrics in English and a link to the song in the original language so I can both understand it and hear it.
The Task:
- Select a song of your choice and identify the title, artist, and release date - include lyrics or a link to the song if possible. Consider if the meaning of the lyrics will be affected by the passage of time and explain the meaning or message of the song lyrics. Remember to think about implied meanings as well as expressed ones. (20 points)
- Your post should be a minimum of 250+ words and you should cite resources used. (5 points)
- Leave substantive* comments on THREE (3) other student posts – select ones who wrote about different songs than you selected. Use this as an opportunity to learn what they have to share. Each comment should be a minimum of 75+ words. (5 points each)
The Lyrics of the 1965 Pop Hit “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Shows Us It is Now Our Turn!
"Turn! Turn! Turn!”, also known as "To Everything There Is a Season" written by Pete Seeger in 1959 (Winkler), was an international hit in 1965 after the American rock band The Byrds released it in their single record (Unterberger). The lyrics mostly adapted the verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon (Belcher) around the tenth century BCE, in the Hebrew Bible.
The YouTube link to the audio track of this song is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKP4cfU28vMLinks to an external site.
(“Turn! Turn! Turn! (Lyrics) - the Byrds.”). Below is the lyrics:
“To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn”
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven
A time to buid up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rain, a time of sow
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late (“Turn, Turn, Turn” Lyrics)
The Vietnam War started in 1954 (Moyar). The president of the United States, Lyndon Johnson in March 1965 declared strong support to back up the South Vietnam government and dramatically increase the US combat forces into battle in Vietnam (Berman). It is a time of war and capriciousness. Young male get drafted into military service to fight for a war they do not know why they should fight and lose their time, health and sometimes life for a conflict in a remote country (Isaacs). It is a time of conflict, a time of instability. The lyrics of this song raise the question to everyone to think about what is life for and face our loss. The expressed meaning of the lyrics shows different incidents will happen in different times and we just cannot escape for the moment for our turn. The hidden meaning of the sovereignty of God is “that however difficult things may be because of the curse upon mankind in this fallen world, there is purpose and grace for all. There is enduring hope and satisfying life as we walk with God.” (“The Global Message of Ecclesiastes.” ESV Bible)
This song is especially meaningful for us today. The global challenges we are facing in 2024 are actually not too different from what the generation before us in 1965 faced. The Russian invasion into Ukraine, the Israel–Hamas war, the 2024 Yemeni airstrikes by US and UK all remind us we no longer live in a mostly peaceful world any more. We may likely enter into a period of several pre-WWIII local conflicts which may eventually escalate into a global war soon. In this new era, how should we view our world? How should we face tomorrow? How should we deal with all these world conflicts that are not in our control? As the ending phrase in the lyrics states- “A time for peace, I swear it's not too late”.
Belcher, Richard P. A Study Commentary on Ecclesiastes. Evangelical Press, 2014.
Berman, Larry. Lyndon Johnson's war: The road to stalemate in Vietnam. WW Norton & Company, 1991.
“The Global Message of Ecclesiastes.” ESV Bible, www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/global-message-of-ecclesiastes/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2024.
Isaacs, Arnold R. Vietnam shadows: The war, its ghosts, and its legacy. JHU Press, 2000.
Moyar, Mark. Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954–1965. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
“Turn! Turn! Turn! (Lyrics) - the Byrds.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 Sept. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKP4cfU28vM.
“Turn, Turn, Turn” Lyrics, www.austincc.edu/dlauderb/2341/Lyrics/Turnturnturn.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2024.
Unterberger, Richie. Turn! turn! turn!: the'60s folk-rock revolution. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002.
Winkler, Allan M. " To Everything There is a Season": Pete Seeger and the Power of Song. Oxford University Press, 2009.
Thanks for sharing your example!
It’s fun to learn what people appreciate about the songs they listen to. Sometimes we don’t really hear the lyrics quite right and are surprised when we read them in a written format. I find it interesting how many classic songs get shared - it shows how much longevity they enjoy.
I remember listening to this song on the radio when I was a kid. I always enjoyed when it came on because it was one of those songs with lyrics which I could remember. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized it's actually quite a sad song and that really changed my enjoyment of it. I still appreciate the song, only associated with sadness rather than pleasure. I had no idea that the lyrics were adapted from The Book of Ecclesiastes! How very interesting- I will have to go read more.
- Title: Pretty Little Fears
- Arist(s): 6lack feat. J Cole
- Release Date: Oct. 15, 2018
- Link: https://genius.com/6lack-pretty-little-fears-lyricsLinks to an external site.
- https://genius.com/6lack-pretty-little-fears-lyrics
Dear Katie
Thank you for sharing the song “Pretty Little Fears”. It is not a genre of music I usually listen to so this is the first time I hear this song. I pay extra attention to the lyrics and wonder when the lyrics mentioned “West Side” and “East Side”. What are these meanings? Which city is 6LACK talking about?
I searched and found 6LACK was born in Baltimore, Maryland but raised in Atlanta, Georgia (Obasa). This song was one song included in his second studio album “East Atlanta Love Letter” released in 2018 (Saponara). Therefore, we can conclude that the phrase “East Side” vs “West Side” are talking about the area in Atlanta, Georgia.
The lyrics states:
“Girl, I'm from the East Side, mm, mm
Girl, you want my best side, mm
Bet you from the West Side, mm, mm”
And later
“Bet she from the West Side, mm
And she see my best side, mm, mm”
After a prayer to God, not talking to the girl:
“Due to my past transgressions you believed in me
I guess the light I see in you is what you see in me, Lord”
The full acceptance can only come from the almighty God, never from another girl or a broken self, unless a person sees they are fully accepted by the redeeming Lord, as what 6LACK wrote in here. Only after we believe God is accepting our true self, we then are able to accept our broken self, because we know the best how bad and corrupted we are. Only when we are assured the Lord redeemed our past transgressions, we can face tomorrow and to love the one we long to pour out our love.
This song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance and went platinum on 5 June 2019 through Recording Industry Association of America (i_am_music_criticism).
Works Cited
i_am_music_criticism. “Does ‘Pretty Little Fears’ Reveal a Lot More about 6lack and j.Cole?” I_am_music_criticism, 11 June 2020, sarahmkorongo.wixsite.com/website/post/does-pretty-little-fears-reveal-a-lot-more-about-6lack-and-j-cole.
Obasa, Sola. “6lack’s Inspiring Story.” Apprentice Nation, 4 Dec. 2019, apprenticenation.co.uk/6lacks-inspiring-story/.
Saponara, Michael. “J. Cole Delivers Surprise Performance at 6lack Concert in L.A.” HipHopDX, HipHopDX, 11 Oct. 2023, hiphopdx.com/news/j-cole-surprise-performance-6lack.
- The Christmas SongLinks to an external site. (1946) by Nat “King” Cole
Dear Jo:
Thank you for sharing this old song. It is really nice. I was not aware this song was written in July 1945 till you pointed it out. And I think the timing of the song is important. The song writer Mel Tormé was born in 1925 (Nobbman). Therefore he was 20 years old when he wrote this song. During that time, Mel was drafted and served in the United State army during WWII. At the end of April 1945, Germany surrendered in the European theater (Wilson) but the war did not end. Many US troops were still fighting Japanese in the Pacific theater and had no idea when and how the war against the Japanese would end. The 82-day brutal Battle of Okinawa lasted from 1 April until 22 June 1945 and cost a total 83,000 American combat casualties (Alexander). 12,500 American soldiers killed and missing, and another 36,122 wounded (Altenberg). The news about this armed conflict is still impacting daily American life. Many just learn they will not see their son, father, or husband coming back. Even worse, for most young Americans, they still have no idea where they will spend their Christmas that year in 1945 and who will still be with them. Will they be able to rest at home? Or station in a remote island in the Pacific ocean to fight the last Japanese soldier? Will their loved one make it home safely, without losing any limb? No one knows. So many loved ones were hurt and killed the previous four years. No one knows what will happen to their life five months down the road in that year.
Consider if you are a soldier of the American Marine stationed in a tiny Pacific Island at that time, and your trop are preparing to fight the next battle against the Japanese next week. What would come to your mind when you hear the lyrics:
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight” (Cole and Carmichael)
No wonder Mel wrote this lyric on a July day. He needs Christmas so strongly and cannot wait till December. Not the Christmas of the coming December 1945, but a Christmas that everyone can come home and enjoy peace with their family, as what they have enjoyed before the damned WWII.
It had a very different atmosphere when the song was recorded and released in 1946. The Japanese surrendered in September 1945 (Itagaki et al.), less than two months after the lyrics were written. Whoever survived returned home. Many were still dealing with their grief, but nobody worried about the uncertainty of tomorrow on the same scale any more. Nat “King” Cole recorded this song in June 1946 (Lankford). He sang it with a very relaxed tone. Nat was born in 1919 (Teubig) so he was 27 years old when he recorded this song. When the general public heard that song in the public, it was November 1946, a very different kind of world than when it was written. The war was over for more than a year. It seems everyone is seeing a brighter future. The first batch of Baby Boomers just came to the world.
“And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you”
“Merry Christmas to you” seems a simple phrase today and in that time, but not a simple one to many those just one year prior. At that time, it was still not an easy one who was still dealing with their loss at war. But what else can the singer offer beside that?
Alexander, Joseph H. The final campaign: Marines in the victory on Okinawa. DIANE Publishing, 1996.
Altenberg, Blake. In the Shadow of Shuri Castle: The Battle of Okinawa in Memory. Diss. Chapman University, 2019.
Cole, Nat King, and Ralph Carmichael. The Christmas Song. Capitol, 1986.
Itagaki, General Seishiro, et al. "Japanese surrender."
Lankford, Ronald D. Sleigh Rides, Jingle Bells, and Silent Nights: A Cultural History of American Christmas Songs. University Press of Florida, 2013.
Nobbman, Dale V. Christmas Music Companion Fact Book: The Chronological History of Our Most Well-known Traditional Christmas Hymns, Carols, Songs and the Writers & Composers who Created Them. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2000.
Teubig, Klaus. Straighten Up and Fly Right: A Chronology and Discography of Nat King Cole. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 1994.
Wilson, Theodore A. "Götterdämmerung: War’s End in Europe, 1945." Between War and Peace: How America Ends Its Wars (2011): 197-219.
- "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby.
Dear Kailan:
This song was an important part of the 1942 American musical film “Holiday Inn” featuring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, with Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale, and Walter Abel (Wright). In the film, Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds sang a duet version together in front of a fireplace inside Holiday Inn (Prigozy and Raubicheck, “Holiday Inn”). This song was written by Irving Berlin (Decker). The composition of this song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 15th Academy Awards (Bergreen). Berlin was a Jewish immigrant born in Imperial Russia (Churnin). He moved to New York city in 1893 when he was five years old (Shaw) and lived there till he died 101 years old in 1989 (Nuchi). When Berlin wrote “a white Christmas Just like the ones I used to know” he could refer to the scene he saw in Russia during his young childhood or what he saw in New York City (Scholar and Roth). Berlin is a Jew and his view of Christmas is a holiday unrelated to Christian faith but rather a secular view of time for family gathering. We see no Biblical references or any mention of Jesus Christ in the lyric but rather the story of modern day family reunion. It became one of the early success of secular Christmas songs that many modern musican follow. “To hear sleigh bells in the snow” implied the experience of his Russian childhood experience that a modern day adult will not be able to experience inside New York City (Butnick et al).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gbGlm8YLinks to an external site.
Bergreen, Laurence. As thousands cheer: the life of Irving Berlin. Da Capo Press, 1996.
Butnick, Stephanie, Liel Leibovitz, and Mark Oppenheimer. The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar's and Everything in Between. Artisan, 2019.
Churnin, Nancy. Irving Berlin: The immigrant boy who made America sing. Creston Books, 2018.
Decker, Todd. "On the Scenic Route to Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn (1942)." The Journal of Musicology 28.4 (2011): 464-497.
“Holiday Inn | Bing Crosby Sings ‘White Christmas.’” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Dec. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gbGlm8Y.
Nuchi, Adah. God Bless America: The Story of an Immigrant Named Irving Berlin. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018.
Prigozy, Ruth, and Walter Raubicheck, eds. Going My Way: Bing Crosby and American Culture. University Rochester Press, 2007.
Shaw, John. This land that I love: Irving Berlin, Woody Guthrie, and the story of two American anthems. Public Affairs, 2013.
Scholar, Jefferson, and Andrew Roth. "Classic Book Notes# 82." (2023).
Wright, Julie Lobalzo. Crossover stardom: Popular male music stars in American cinema. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2017.