A very Happy Birthday to the brilliant Rowan Atkinson who turns 60 today. What with Mr Bean, Johnny English and Blackadder – Rowan Atkinson has been making us laugh for years!
The multi-talented actor, comedian and screenwriter is most famous for his sitcoms Mr Bean and Blackadder. The Observer listed him in their 50 Funniest Actors in British Comedy and also amongst the Top 50 Comedians of all time.
Atkinson first appeared in the spotlight in the Oxford Revue at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 1976 and in 1978 he started a series of comedy shows for BBC Radio 3 called the Atkinson People (written by Atkinson, Richard Curtis and produced by Griff Rhys-Jones). However, it was his appearance on Not the Nine O’Clock News from 1979 – 1982 that really introduced him to the world.
Atkinson is known and loved for speaking absurd lines with a completely deadpan delivery, for making the most incredible faces and expressions and for making hilarious fun of himself. News is just out today (January 6) that Atkinson will don tights for the first time since Blackadder to feature in the upcoming sixth series of the BBC’s historical comedy children’s show, Horrible Histories, playing Henry VII.
We don’t know much about his personal life, he has managed quite successfully to keep that private – but we do know that he loves cars, and with an estimated fortune of approximately £85 million, he is able to indulge his passion. He owns an Mclaren F1, Renalut 5 GT Turbo, Austin Metro, Audi A8 and a Honda Civic Hybrid, to name just a few. He is obsessed with cars but hates Porsche: “I have a problem with Porsches. They’re wonderful cars, but I know I could never live with one. Somehow, the typical Porsche people – and I wish them no ill – are not, I feel, my kind of people. I don’t go around saying that Porsches are a pile of dung, but I do know that psychologically I couldn’t handle owning one.”
In celebration of Atkinson’s birthday we have gathered together some of our favourite funny moments from the last 30 years. To watch these videos in a playlist, scroll to the bottom of the post.
Release: December 25, 2014 The Gambler is based on the 1974 film of the same name written by James Toback. The remake, starring Mark Wahlberg, is a literature professor with a hidden life as a high stakes gambler runs afoul of gangsters. Also starring; John Goodman, Brie Larson, Michael K. Williams, Jessica Lange, Anthony Kelley, Alvin Ing, Domenick Lombardozzi, Emory Cohen, Steve Park, Leland Orser, and George Kennedy.
Release Date: December 25, 2014 This is a chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film stars David Oyelowo as King, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon Johnson, Common as Bevel, and Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King. Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Sheen and Cuba Gooding Jr. add to the starlit cast.
Release: December 31 A crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically one of the most violent years in the city’s history, and centered on a the lives of an immigrant and his family trying to expand their business and capitalize on opportunities as the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built. The film stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain with Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.
Release: March 13 A live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale, Cinderella brings to life the timeless images from Disney’s 1950 animated masterpiece as fully-realized characters in a visually dazzling spectacle for a whole new generation. Starring Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine, Lily James as Cinderalla, Richard Madden as the Prince, Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother, Stellan Skarsgard as Arch Grand Duke and Sophie McShera as Drizella.
Release: March 17 You’ve got to love a bit of Will Ferrell. This new comedy depicts Ferrell as James King, a super wealthy guy that gets done for fraud and sentenced to ten years in a maximum security prison. The film follows King as he recruits Darnell Lewis (Hart) to teach him how to survive in prison under the assumption that he actually had been there himself. Starring Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Edwina Findley and Craig T. Nelson.
Release: May 1 The Marvel comics superhero team The Avengers are back with a vengeance and work together to defeat Ultron, their enemy bent on human extinction. The film has a loaded cast of stars with Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Release: June 12 Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park (1993), Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor’s interest, which backfires horribly.
Release: June 19 The third in the Marvel comic series stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell as the Fantastic Four. The team work together to save Earth from a one-time friend turned enemy “Doom” (Toby Kebbell).
Release: July 10 The Minions have done it, they’ve got their own movie. This prequel to the very successful Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 comes with lots of laughs and Minion language for kids and adults alike. Starring Sandra Bullock as the voice of the female villain and John Hamm as her husband.
Release: July 17 This is definitely a big year for Marvel comic characters. Ant Man stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, Jordi Molla, and Michael Douglas. The plot; Thief Scott Lang must aid his mentor Dr. Hank Pym in safeguarding the mystery of the Ant-Man technology – which allows its user to decrease in size but increase in strength – from various new threats, and plot a heist that will save the Earth.
Release: November 6 This is the twenty fourth Bond film, the second by Sam Mendes and the fourth for Daniel Craig starring as James Bond. The actual name of the movie is Spectre and the plot is A cryptic message from an unlikely source sets James Bond (Craig) navigating the layers of a sinister organisation known as SPECTRE. As M (Ralph Fiennes) continues fighting political pressures that threaten the future of MI6, Bond draws closer to uncovering a hidden truth that threatens to destroy everything he has fought to protect.
Release: December 18 Episode seven in the Star Wars series is set 30 years after Return of The Jedi’s events. The film stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. The Force Awakens also features Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker, reprising their roles from previous films.
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The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The latest 37th edition, held at the beginning of last month at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, honoured ballerina Patricia McBride, singer-songwriter Sting, singer Al Green, comedienne Lily Tomlin and actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama presided over the star-studded gala and the honorees sat with them in the presidential box. The honorees don’t have to give acceptance speeches or perform, and they don’t know who is paying tribute to them in advance. “Allow us to love you,” host Steven Colbert said. “Tonight, Washington puts the arts above politics, because no matter what party you belong to, everyone wants a selfie with Tom Hanks,” Colbert said.
President Obama stated in his introductory speech: “The group on stage with me tonight understands what President Kennedy understood: that our art is a reflection of us not just as people, but as a nation. It binds us together. Songs and dance and film express our triumphs and our faults, our strengths, our tenderness in ways that sometimes words simply cannot do. And so we honor those who have dedicated their lives to this endeavor.”
The event conveys such a lot of warmth and appreciation for those being honoured and quite a lot of fun and giggles as well as you watch the celebrity attendees behaving like real groupies at a One Direction concert.
Just being there, Al Green said, “means the world to me.” The 68-year-old soul singer turned Baptist preacher said the honor was different from selling millions of records or winning multiple Grammys. “I worked 40 years to get this one.”
This has to be broadcast TV’s classiest show and the star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center stage was a sight to behold. We’ve collected together our favourite performances from the show – ones you’ll want to keep in your collection. If you would prefer to listen to the songs in a playlist format – no problem, scroll to the bottom of the page for that.
(Tap on any video title to watch it using Creation 5 Media App.)
In our opinion it was Bruno Mars who stole the show with his musical tribute to Sting. Mars kicked off his tribute with the 1978 chart topper So Lonely from the Police’s debut album Outlandos d’Amour. He followed this with the 1979 mega hit Message in a Bottle from the Regatta de Blanc album. The cast of Sting’s broadway musical The Last Ship then joined Mars on stage for the “Sending out an SOS” part of the song – which was quite a real surprise for Sting. Soon enough Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and President Obama were singing along, as were the rest of the audience.
Lady Gaga’s performance of If I Ever Lose My Faith in You to honor Sting was a powerful, heartfelt rendition. She changed the words to “If I ever lose my faith in you/oh, it would sting, how it would sting.”
Another highlight for us was when Pentatonix hit the stage to honour actor Tom Hanks with a great performance from his 1997 film of the same name, which is the story of a boy band that rises to fame from the success of the catchy track That Thing You Do.
Saturday Night Live is one of the funniest and longest running comedy TV shows of all time. It began back in 1975 and is now in its fortieth season on NBC! The show has been the launch to many a long and successful career in comedy and film. Some of the best known names in show business have come from a Saturday Night Live background. For example; Chevy Chase, James Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Joan Cussack, Robert Downey Jr., and more recently Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Mike Myers, Jimmy Fallon to name but a few of the regular cast. Justin Timberlake’s acting career could well have been assisted by the performances he has given on the show. The following is a list of all the most current pop stars to have appeared on or hosted the show in the last ten years, and their comedy skits.
LADY GAGA: Hosted the show on November 16 2013. She playfully sang one of her own songs with new words to suit the opening of the show and featured throughout the programme in different skits. Gaga has appeared a few times and has the ability to laugh and make fun of herself and the industry while still showing off her musical talents…
MILEY CYRUS: took a shot at hosting the show in October 2013. She poked fun at her own twerkiness and raunchy new attitude as well as her old country ways. Her controversial performances were the subject of the following skit…
JUSTIN BIEBERas host featured him appearing in nearly all the skits throughout the show and in a few of them impersonated Miley Cyrus, the following though is of him as a nerdy presenter…
BRUNO MARStook a turn at hosting and performing on the show and did a hilarious skit as a girl named Melody…yes this is really him! He also performed his latest track, New Wild Girls for the first time on the show. The second video is a skit called Sad Mouse…check out Bruno’s first attempt at comedy!
Here’s a couple of TAYLOR SWIFT’s best moments as host on SNL in 2013. She also does a good job of laughing at herself whilst writing a cute little song to introduce the show, her musical monologue goes really well, her comedy timing is great and shows that she’s a pretty good little actress too…
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE has appeared on and hosted SNL a few times but here are a few of my favourite videos of his. He has so much talent for acting, singing, dancing and here we also see his superlative comedy skills.
One person who it could be questionable as to whether they could take on comedy, especially as a reflection of self is JENNIFER LOPEZ. But, here she is hosting Saturday Night Live and doing a great job of not being a diva! She even comes on stage in her bathrobe…until she strips off to her Versace.
The December 6 2014 episode, hosted by James Franco, saw NICKI MINAJ showcasing her comedy chops and celebrity impersonation skills. The highlight was the Jingle Ballerz Special skit, a hip-hop version of the Nativity Story with many of SNL featured players pretending to be rap all-stars. It would have easy for Minaj to just play herself but instead she gave a Flawless impersonation of Beyoncé. The second skit – not quite as good as the Beyoncé impersonation – but excellent nonetheless was the Kim Kardashian impersonation. Minaj rivalled Franco in terms of screen time on the episode plus she performed three songs from her Pinkprint album.
Last but sort of not least on the list is our California Girl KATY PERRY as host on the show. She is seen here on a Finnish TV show…and later on Bronx Beat bouncing her boobies in an Elmo T-Shirt…
As we glide into the new year (hopefully leaving behind the tacky trail of mainstream songs and music videos which have been largely about big butts and twerking them) we can start to celebrate the great new sounds that some truly talented song writers and, quite frankly, underrated artists have created. Watch out for these guys in 2015!
Great New Sounds for 2015 – Tap on a video title to open it in Creation 5. If you want to grab all these songs as a whole playlist – you’ll find it at the bottom of the post.
George The Poet
A runner up in the Brit Awards for Critic’s Choice Awards 2015, George The Poet is a North West Londoner climbing the fame ladder. He always makes a point to send a strong positive message to his listeners. These are the kind of hip-hop artists we want the youth to be listening to. He’s studied politics at cambridge while pursuing the most important thing he can do; performing his poetry. Oh, and his smile is to die for!
Genre: electronica. A three-man show, also from London, also shortlisted for the 2015 BRIT Awards – Critics Choice Award. The trio consists of keyboardist Olly, bassist Mikey and synth player Emre. What’s so great about them you ask? Just check them out:
The one who beat George The Poet and Years & Years to the first award of the season. Just a 23 year old from Hertfordshire with raw talent, an intriguing ‘chiselled by angels’ look, and a knees-weakening husky voice. How’s that for contrast? Oh, and he’s majorly skilled with his hands. (Guitar… what did you think?)
Until The Ribbon Breaks (awesome name isn’t it?) is another British trio that might not have as much recognition as Years & Years, but their music is like a fine wine you never knew could taste so good. The band consisting of Peter, Elliot and James just recently produced a goose-bump inducing cover of Blondie’s hit song One Way Or Another. The cover was featured on one of the latest episodes of Stalker, CBS’ new chilling series. We just have a feeling about this band.
You say you a gangsta, that don’t impress me none – are the famous lyrics off her first single, appropriately titled Gangsta. This fierce rapper with cuban roots is all about the passion in life and she expresses that through her music (which she writes herself.) What we find intriguing is the fusion of her seemingly mainstream beats with these razor sharp lyrics and unique aggressive flow. Her album My Garden has it’s release date set for January 13 of 2015. She absolutely classifies as an up-and-coming in our books. A lot of people say she sounds like Miley Cyrus. Well, all press is good press right?
If you don’t know who Buck 65 is, we are so glad to be the introducer. Deep, intelligent and rough is one way to describe his music. More like a diamond in the rough that you never want cutting or polishing because it’s flawless as it is. In his most recent release Super Pretty Naughty he takes a stab at the mainstream mayhem of the music industry in this day and age. We found it hilarious and actually really good. There seems to be so much that needs explaining about him, but it’s always best to let the music do that for itself.
Fink, aka Fin Greenall, is a singer/songwriter/producer. Earlier on in his career he worked with a 17 years young Amy Winehouse of all people, and that’s a fond memory he carries with him to this day. He dabbles in the genres of blues, dub, folk and indie. Indie is where we found him, and where we fell in love. His song Looking Too Closely was competing for Song of The Year 2014 and blew up when it was featured in an episode of USAs Network hit series Suits. He will be touring globally throughout 2015 and hopefully showcasing new material. Watch his space.
This jazz-trained group of folk from Norway came together after their musical studies and formed one of the best groups in todays ‘underground’ indie scene. The fab five consisting of two gals, Ingrid and Marte, and three guys, Kristoffer, Øystein and Trond, recently have been nominated for 3 Norwegian Grammy Awards and have already had their album Silent Treatment named Album of the Year as well as their song Leaving No Traces named Song of the Year in Norway. They’ve undoubtedly been causing waves in the industry since their latest album release and we only see them moving on up from here. We had the pleasure of interviewing them for one of our Sunday Sessions earlier this winter. Check it out here.
Not much has to be said about this artist. He’s not exactly a rising star, already being at the top and all and he shouldn’t really be in this list. We just had to have his new song i on our New Sounds for 2015 playlist though. This refreshing, uplifting and brutally honest track is one that will shape hip-hop and rap throughout 2015. Touching on some real trials and tribulations, it keeps a beautiful message throughout. Let’s all make a new years resolution to love ourselves. Time to get your dancing shoes on!
Santa season last year here at Creation 5 was kept classy with the classics. This year we’re still keeping it classy, but slightly more contemporary. We hope you enjoy our 2014 Christmas Holiday playlist, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
If you are already using Creation 5, you will find this playlist inside the app. (If you don’t have Creation 5 you can find download links at the bottom of the this page.)
Coming up is our list of worst Christmas Music Videos from some of the biggest names in the business that will leave you cringing in your Christmas Stockings. If I were a family member or friend of any of the following I would organize a huge screening each year as punishment for these truly terrible works of shame.
This one is just embarrassing, and it doesn’t even have the longevity behind it like some other bad videos (Wham! For example are excused for having a long lasting success story Christmas tune and can blame the 80’s for their video!). Justin Timberlake will be hiding behind the tree this Christmas if this one gets played.
The fake sets and ridiculous words, plus some pretty ludicrous looking elf in a shell suit who decides whether Run DMC are naughty or nice, give this video an award for being really, really not cool.
This is basically a lucid depiction of festive shallowness by the Destiny’s Child girls…a list of material (expensive) things that they got for Christmas this year, them piling mountains of random toys into trolleys in the shop and no, the sexy santa outfits do not make up for any of the awfulness this video has to deliver. Ice, bling and a Mercedes are not things to teach kids to want for Christmas girls!
This has got to be a winner of worst video by Billy Idol ever, it’s so awful. It’s not a real rock song Billy no matter how many buttons you undo. We have one word for you…why?
This one is pretty much vomit-worthy. Although Harry’s voice is undeniably good, this video just sucks the life out of any respect we may have had for it.
Somebody should have put a stop to this as it has to be one of the worst filmed music videos of all time. There’s a Christmas tree backdrop and Jessica Simpson holding a red umbrella…and that’s pretty much it. That wouldn’t be SO bad if the camera didn’t keep randomly zooming in on bits of her face and making us totally dizzy by the end of this seriously bad rendition of Let It Snow!
This is an act of sheer defiance. Defiance against tradition, against fashion, against good music, against humanity and all the while they thought they were defying conformity. I don’t know why No Doubt did this but it should never have happened. I feel sorry for the people who got roped into being in this video, who are now no doubt (sorry) cringing for having been involved.
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Bond, James Bond; our favourite swarthy, smooth, lady-loving secret agent has always been accompanied by more than just beautiful Bond girls. The scores and theme tunes to so many of the 007 movies have become popular in their own right, some even having been awarded Golden Globes and Academy Awards…the following is a list of the best, most successful and celebrated James Bond songs ever written.
The relationship between Bond and composer John Barry began with his work on Dr. No in 1962. Following the success of this he was asked to compose the score for the sequel plus arrange the title song, thus inspiring one of the most symbiotic musical partnerships in screen history. From Russia with Love was written by Lionel Bart and powerfully sung by Matt Monro. It differs from the rest on this winners list by being played over the closing credits in the movie as opposed to the typical opening song.
The film that perfected the 007 formula and sound and maintains the classic voice of Bond theme tunes, Goldfinger marked Barry’s first top-to-bottom Bond score, but the title song alongside Shirley Bassey’s delivery provide the greatest Bond theme tune to date. Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley supplied roaringly melodramatic lyrics for Barry’s brassy, classy music which gave Bassey her only US Top 10 hit.
Nancy Sinatra provided the appropriately haunting vocals on this most bewitching of Bond theme songs. With lyrics, written by Leslie Bricusse and now veteran at Bond music, John Barry in control of the rest (his best score yet), this could not fail to become one of the most recognized and successful of the Bond title songs.
One of Barry’s main assets as a composer has always been his dramatic nous, and never more so than on this introduction to Sean Connery’s sixth and last Eon-produced Bond movie, which won him an Ivor Novello award. From the sinister, sparkling opening to the punchy climax, all his hallmarks are there: lyrical melodies, gently propulsive dotted bass figure, rich orchestration and bold theatricality. It saw Bassey return for her second 007 venture, belting out Don Black’s brazenly materialistic words with typical gusto.
Paul McCartney turned his musical skills to Bond and what a masterpiece he constructed; and it only took him a few hours one afternoon apparently. This continues to be one of McCartney’s favourites in his live performances. A British agent dies by snakebite, and composer (and former “fifth Beatle”) George Martin’s strings slither mercilessly down and melt into the opening of this melodious punchy number. This combined with Maurice Binder’s superb flaming-skull visuals make Live and Let Die’s opening credits the most exciting of the lot.
This became Carly Simon’s biggest and best known hit. Her vocals perfectly matched the Bond sound alongside the talents of Marvin Hamlisch whose arrangements made Nobody Does it Better a huge success. This was the first 007 opening theme song not to be named after its film (the Spy Who Loved Me), and also the first to be nominated for an Oscar.
Moonraker saw James Barry, back on the Bond team as he delivered a superlative score and a title track that’s not his most celebrated, but definitely among his most beautiful. Returning to Bond for a third and final time, Bassey injects considerable passion into this yearning love song (lyrics again by Hal David), while Barry’s strings ripple into infinity.
There’s no way there could be a best Bond theme list without this being on it. It’s classic, it’s upbeat and it’s very, very eighties (see mullets, trench coats and very outdated graphics for reference). What more could you want? Hey presto, A View To a Kill makes it to the top of the 007 theme tune success stories. This was the first time a band had ever collaborated to make a Bond song but the successes and sounds of Duran Duran at the time made them a natural choice. And, Simon Le Bon looks very comfortable acting the Bond part (perhaps he saw it as a semi-audition?).
In true Adele style she has captured the essence of all that is Bond, James Bond, with the Skyfall theme tune. She gave her first performance of the song at the Academy Awards where it became the first Bond theme tune to win an award for best and at the Golden Globes and Brit Awards. Skyfall achieved impressive statistics by getting to number two on the UK charts, eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and skyrocketing to the top of the iTunes chart. Aside from that, in our opinion, it is the first modern 007 track that represents the original stylings of the traditional Bond while managing to incorporate a contemporary edge. Nice work Adele.
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Music is one of the most powerful genres in the media industry as it is truly a place where people can voice their opinions and be heard without (much) censorship. Some of the most poignant political moments have been affected by or captured within songs containing and delivering powerful messages.
There have been thousands of songs that managed to epitomize a cultural situation and shape historical moments but the following is an example from a selection of decades (in chronological order) of some of the top success stories in fusing music culture and political activism which have/will transcend time.
Originally a poem by Abel Meerpol, Strange Fruit outlines the severity of the American racist issues of the time; lynching being one of the main topics covered within the powerful lyrics of this tune released by Billie Holiday in 1939. Her version of the song, despite having been covered and performed by many other artists, was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978. The lyrics of the song/poem became the inspiration for many novels, poems, and other creative works. In 1999, Time magazine called it the song of the century and in 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the ‘Top 20 Political Songs’.
Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is a strange and bitter crop.
Bob Dylan is one of the most prominent writers of anti-war and protest songs in the 20th century. His commentary style prose has led to many a story revolving around war, racism, social injustice being told as he rages against “The Man” as only Dylan can. There are many songs to choose from by Bob Dylan which fall into this category, in fact a top ten could have been written by him alone. However, the most prominent, popular and effective of his protest songs has to be The Times They Are A Changin’. Dylan went all out with this one combining the folk protest movement of the 1960’s with the civil rights movement. The shorter, punchier verses pile upon one another in such a powerful way with lyrics such as, “There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’ / It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls / For the times they are a-changin’,” – iconic Dylan statements that manage to transcend the times and capture the spirit of social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s.
Come gather ’round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you Is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’.
A Change is Gonna Come is a single by the R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke; the song was written in 1963 and was released as a single shortly after his death in late 1964. This song soon came to represent the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Over the years, the song has gained popularity and even made it to #12 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is often thought to have been a reaction to an incident in Shreveport, Louisiana where Cooke and his band tried to register at a ‘whites-only’ motel and were arrested for disturbing the peace. Cooke is commonly known as the ‘King of Soul;’ his contributions to the genre paved the way for many other prominent figures such as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder.
I was born by the river in a little tent Oh and just like the river I’ve been running ever since It’s been a long, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will It’s been too hard living but I’m afraid to die ‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there beyond the sky It’s been a long, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will I go to the movie and I go downtown Somebody keep telling me, “Don’t hang around” It’s been a long, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
War is a counterculture anti-Vietnam War protest song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1969. Whitfield first produced the song with The Temptations, but later re-recorded it with Edwin Starr after the label decided to withhold the Temptations version so as not to alienate conservative fans. Starr’s version of the song quickly became a Nº1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and became one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded. Big names like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Joan Osborne have since covered the song, which has proven applicable in any era.
Peace love and understanding tell me Is there no place for them today They say we must fight to keep our freedom But Lord knows there’s got to be a better way War, huh, good God y’all What is it good for? You tell ’em, say it, say it, say it, say it War, good Lord, huh What is it good for? Stand up and shout it, nothing War, it ain’t nothin’ but a heartbreaker
This incredibly famous song was written and performed by John Lennon on his solo album Working Class Hero. His poetic lyrics depict the idea that the world could be a most wonderful place if we lost the greed and attachment to material things, a world without a class system and political boundaries; a world without religion. It is ultimately a call for world peace. One month after the release of his LP, Lennon released Imagine as a single in the United States; the song hit Nº3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the LP reached the top spot on the UK charts only a few months afterward. Lennon himself once said of the song that it is “virtually the Communist manifesto, even though I’m not particularly a Communist.” It was written in 1971 during the Vietnam War, though its message encouraging tolerance and equality is no less relevant today.
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one
This iconic reggae song written by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh originally appeared on The Wailers’ 1973 album Burnin’ and was played live in many versions by Bob Marley & The Wailers. While touring Haiti, Marley was extremely moved both by the lives of the Haitians and the extreme poverty they faced; according to his then-girlfriend Esther Anderson, this is what inspired him to write this song. As with many of these songs, Get Up Stand Up still holds relevance in the modern world where inequality and human rights violations still abound. It has been covered by a myriad of other artists and remains legendary within the Bob Marley classics.
Preacher man don’t tell me heaven is under the earth I know you don’t know what life is really worth Is not all that glitters in gold and Half the story has never been told So now you see the light, aay Stand up for your right.
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight
Most people think great God will come from the sky Take away ev’rything, and make ev’rybody feel high But if you know what life is worth You would look for yours on earth And now you see the light You stand up for your right, yeah!
Sunday Bloody Sunday is the opening track from U2’s album War, and is one of the rock group’s most overtly political songs. Its lyrics relate to the troubles in Northern Ireland, focusing on the Bloody Sunday incident in the county of Derry where British troops shot and killed many unarmed civil rights protesters who were there to rally against internment. The song has remained one of the band’s staples in concert and is considered one of U2’s signature songs.
And the battle’s just begun There’s many lost, but tell me who has won The trench is dug within our hearts And mothers, children, brothers, sisters Torn apart
Fight the Power was brilliantly used as Radio Raheem’s musical motif to the classic Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing. It was Public Enemy’s breakthrough song incorporating references to many parts of African-American culture; civil rights samples, black church services sounds plus the music of James Brown. A few attacks on Elvis Presley & John Wayne for their on-the-record white supremacist views later provide the cherry on top of this political protest tirade of a track which encourages us all not to “believe the hype”.
Elvis was a hero to most But he never meant shit to me you see Straight up racist that sucker was Simple and plain Mother fuck him and John Wayne Cause I’m Black and I’m proud I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps Sample a look back you look and find Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check Don’t worry be happy Was a number one jam Damn if I say it you can slap me right here (Get it) lets get this party started right Right on, c’mon What we got to say Power to the people no delay To make everybody see In order to fight the powers that be
Rage Against the Machine was one of the most politically active groups at a time when political protest songs weren’t very common. Killing in the Name is the quintessential Rage Against the Machine song, with its confronting vocals that link police to racism with the line “Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses,” and with the ending refrain “Fuck You, I won’t do what you tell me.” Zach de la Rocha & Tom Morello almost inspired a riot at the Democratic National Convention in 2000. Then de la Rocha abruptly left the group, but Tom Morello has continued his political activity, most recently getting involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites You justify those that died by wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn cross And now you do what they told ya, now you’re under control And now you do what they told ya! Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me
An unlikely candidate but a nod to the modern day political activity within music…this punk rock anthem is the title track from Green Day’s album American Idiot was released in August of 2004 to mostly positive reviews by critics and four Grammy nominations. The song criticizes America circa 2004 in the midst of the Bush Administration and the growth of the “new media,” which comes under fire in this song. In a 2004 interview with Q magazine, members of Green Day even discussed flag desecration in relation to their song, saying that they would support it. American Idiot was ranked the Nº13 Single of the Decade by Rolling Stone in 2009; Stone also placed it at 432 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. The album American Idiot has since been adapted as a hit Broadway musical.
Don’t wanna be an American idiot Don’t want a nation under the new media And can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mind fuck America Welcome to a new kind of tension All across the alien nation Where everything isn’t meant to be okay Television dreams of tomorrow We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow For that’s enough to argue
Although Same Love is a recent addition, the song’s popularity and political message award it a position within the ranks of politically significant songs. The track is the fourth single released by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis from their 2012 album, The Heist. The track also features Mary Lambert and discusses the issue of gay and lesbian rights. It was recorded during the campaign for Washington Referendum 74, which legalized same sex marriage in Washington State. It was most recently nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year at the 2014 Grammy Awards, its not hard to see why when you hear the sincerity and clarity of these lyrics. Spot on!
If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me Have you read the YouTube comments lately? “Man, that’s gay” gets dropped on the daily We become so numb to what we’re saying A culture founded from oppression Yet we don’t have acceptance for ’em Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it Gay is synonymous with the lesser It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference! Live on and be yourself When I was at church they taught me something else If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen I might not be the same, but that’s not important No freedom ’til we’re equal, damn right I support it
(I don’t know)
And I can’t change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to My love My love My love She keeps me warm We press play, don’t press pause Progress, march on With the veil over our eyes We turn our back on the cause ‘Til the day that my uncles can be united by law When kids are walking ’round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are And a certificate on paper isn’t gonna solve it all But it’s a damn good place to start No law is gonna change us We have to change us Whatever God you believe in We come from the same one Strip away the fear Underneath it’s all the same love About time that we raised up… sex
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The very first BBC Music Awards were held last week (December 11) at Earls Court, hosted by DJs Fearne Cotton and Chris Evans. It was more like a celebration of music than your typical award show. There was no mind numbing clapping after the umpteenth award had been dished out – like the 93-category Grammy awards – quite the opposite in fact. There were just four awards – International Artist of the Year – won by Pharrell Williams, Song of the Year – Happy by Pharrrell Williams, British Artist of the Year won by Ed Sheeran and BBC Introducing Award won by Catfish and the Bottlemen. The Song of the Year Award was the only category that was decided upon by public vote, with the others decided upon by a panel of industry experts.
The magnificent BBC Concert Orchestra were there to accompany the performing artists which gave the show a real grandeur and sense of occasion. The bottom line of the show and main message was the fact that the BBC supports and promotes new music. Many a star has been ‘found’ by BBC Introducing. “The BBC started playing me before anyone else did,” said Ed Sheeran. “Mistajam played me in 2008 and 1Xtra named me one of their top picks for 2011. It was the first place to champion me. The best thing about the BBC being funded by the government is that they have to play all types of music. They have to play songs you wouldn’t necessarily play on commercial stations.”
Judging by the reactions from the artists themselves this inaugural ceremony was a resounding success. Labrinth said “There aren’t as many awards – but I think people want to see their favourite artists do their thing, instead of going ‘thank you for loving me.'”
This sentiment was echoed by many other performers, “The awards are almost a sideshow,” said Grace Chatto, cellist with chart-topping dance act Clean Bandit. “There’s a focus on the actual music as opposed to the pomp.” An award show without pomp? At last! Calvin Harris thought the same: “It’s not a whole drawn-out thing, it’s more like a celebration.”
Radio 1 DJ Greg James said the BBC ceremony was not really just about the awards. “The whole point of it is to celebrate a brilliant year of music and go ‘Do you know what? We play a lot of music across the whole of the BBC.’ You don’t get this eclectic a line-up at any other awards ceremony.”
Ed Sheeran argued that the fact that there was only 4 awards made the show more trustworthy: “Most awards shows, you don’t really know… whether it’s rigged or not,” he told the press before the ceremony. “I won an award in the summer for a very big show, and I won it because Pharrell didn’t turn up. They just said, ‘he didn’t turn up so you can have it.'” Fittingly, when he won the trophy for British Artist of the Year, Sheeran seemed genuinely surprised. “I’m absolutely chuffed,” he said. “But I think everyone knew but me – because my name’s on it!”
Chris Martin opened the ceremony, performing the opening lines of A Sky Full of Stars whilst still backstage amongst all the assembled artists of the show – who apparently were told to ignore him during this part.
(To watch any video in Creation 5, just tap on the title)
