For the Panthers, everything was political, including art and entertainment. Music offered an important outlet for expressing the realities of Black Americans’ despair as well as capturing the hope of the movement. I’ve created a Spotify playlist for Revolution in Our Time, covering pieces from the civil rights era and from today.
Here are few background notes about the included songs:
“Talkin’ Bout A Revolution,” sung by Tracy Chapman: “Finally the tables are starting to turn.” This song was created during the height of the Reagan era, a time when numerous policies were being set in motion that would impact Black communities for the coming decades. Corporate policies and tax cuts led to an increasing wealth gap between rich and poor and opened the door for extreme wealth accumulation and the creation of the ultra-rich 1%. “War on drugs” policies led us toward mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex. Yet, even with this as the backdrop, Chapman’s debut album landed in a moment when the idea of revolution that had defined the 1960s and 1970s felt more distant and theoretical.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” sung by Gil Scott-Heron: “There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay.” This was an iconic song of the Panther era, and I’m particularly struck by this quoted line, because it is no longer true in the twenty-first century. We have many, many recordings of exactly this phenomenon, to the point where the pervasiveness of social media videos of police violence is creating its own form of trauma for Black Americans. The larger point that the revolution not being televised still holds, I think, and yet so much has changed about the way we witness injustice and how we use the tools available to us in responding to it.
“Seize the Time,” sung by Elaine Brown: “Seize the time; the time is now.” Elaine wrote numerous songs during her time in the Party and ultimately put out her own album, Seize the Time.
“Mississippi Goddam,” sung by Nina Simone: “The King of love is dead. I ain’t about to be nonviolent, honey.” Nina Simone refers to the death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when she talks about the “King of love.” In the wake of his assassination on April 4, 1968, uprisings broke out in over 100 cities around the country as anger and frustration caused many young people to lose faith in Dr. King’s message of nonviolence. Simone’s lyrics capture and echo this widespread sentiment, which the Panthers sought to tap into and channel into positive community organizing efforts.
“Strange Fruit,” sung by Billie Holliday: “Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.” The visceral lyrics coupled with the haunting melody paint a clear picture of the horror of lynchings. When Billie Holliday performed this song, she would do it at the very end of her final set. The lights would come down. Her voice would fill the space for those few minutes, and when the last words were sung, they’d be the final words spoken from the stage that night. She’d walk offstage and not return, no matter how hard the audience clapped for an encore.
“We Shall Overcome,” sung by Mahalia Jackson: “We shall overcome some day.” This is an upbeat jazz interpretation of the spiritual that became perhaps the best known anthem of the civil rights era. The song has roots in field songs sung by enslaved people in the southern U.S., then was adapted by a Methodist minister who published his version in 1901 as a gospel hymn called “I’ll Overcome Someday.” It later was used in labor organizing. Read more of this song’s history here.
“Backlash Blues,” sung by Nina Simone: “I’m gonna leave you with the backlash blues.” This song, written in 12-bar blues style, evokes the suffering of Black Americans as well as capturing a hope for brighter days to come. The lyrics, which are a poem by Langston Hughes, personify the pressure facing Black communities by addressing the song to “Mr. Backlash,” vowing to turn things around on him.
“A Change Gonna Come,” sung by Sam Cooke: “It’s been a long time coming, but I know—a change gonna come.” Knowing how important popular music had become in the context of the struggle, and after observing white artists like Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary producing music about civil rights that also achieved commercial success, Cooke felt inspired to write an anthem of his own. This song became popular in 1965, at the height of the civil rights movement, and remains one of the most emblematic pieces from that era.
“A Song for Assata,” sung by Common: This song retells part of Assata Shakur’s story, as a freedom fighter and target of police repression. Assata Shakur’s own voice rounds out the recording, talking about her relationship to the idea of freedom.
“The Panther,” sung by Elaine Brown: “He’d die for you to get your freedom back.” This song reflects the Panthers’ conviction that they were willing to die for the people, and that they viewed themselves as the front line of resistance, the vanguard of the revolution.
“Changes,” sung by Tupac, featuring Talent: “Some things never change.” This song includes samples from Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It Is,” giving the piece a feeling of stretching across eras.
“Black America Again,” sung by Common, featuring Stevie Wonder: “We are rewriting the Black American story.” This song is full of references to recent and current events in the Black Lives Matter movement. Things we take for granted in this life include violence against Black bodies and resources being taken from us, but we can do more than lament our losses—we can fight for change and claim the right to tell our own stories.
“Say it Loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud,” sung by James Brown: A big part of the Black Power movement involved pressing the message that “Black is Beautiful.” Centuries of racism and oppression sought to diminish Black life and worth, in the world and in our own minds. Songs like this help remind us how vital it is to do the work of restoring confidence in who we are, and to celebrate that.
“Fight the Power,” sung by Public Enemy: “We’ve got to fight the powers that be.” Film director Spike Lee commissioned this song for the soundtrack of his film Do the Right Thing, released in 1989. The goal was to capture the tension and feeling of life in New York City’s Black communities. On the 25th anniversary of the film’s release, Public Enemy sat down for an interview with Rolling Stone about creating the song.
“To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” sung by Nina Simone: The title says it all, doesn’t it? In the midst of all the struggles, it’s vital to remember the power and potential we carry in us. Simone’s uplifting words recast Black youth as an aspirational status, rather than a thing to be resigned to or a thing to fear.
“The End of Silence,” sung by Elaine Brown: “We’ve just got to get guns and be men.” The repeated line echoes the Panthers’ vision of self-defense, and the song overall speaks to the deeper idea that Black people had been silenced for so long, existing in frustration over being held down.
“Glory,” sung by John Legend and Common: “They say ‘stay down’ and we stand up.” This song was written for the soundtrack of the film Selma, which recounted the events surrounding a famous civil rights march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital, Montgomery. It’s nice to end on a hopeful note, imagining what the future may hold.
