We shall overcome…
We must get together…
There’s revolution in the air…
We can change the world…
People all over the world, join hands…
Questlove‘s recent documentary called Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) reminds viewers that among the many hits of this enduring band are several anthems of collective empowerment and unity: “That’s the Way of the World,” “Keep Your Head to the Sky,” and “Sing a Song,” to name a few.
Below are five other songs, each from the 1960’s and early 70’s, that also evoke such themes.
I. “We Shall Overcome” (1961)
Best known by two different live versions—in 1962 by Pete Seeger and in 1963 by Joan Baez—this tune continues to be covered often and to be sung in various protest marches.
Bruce Springsteen has one of the more well-known contemporary covers. It’s on his 2006 tribute album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.
…Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome, some day…
II. “Get Together” (1963)
It started out as “Let’s Get Together” but was made more famous after The Youngbloods recorded it (1967) as “Get Together.” The chorus:
…Come on, people nowSmile on your brotherEverybody get togetherTry to love one another right now…
Belinda Carlisle has one of the newer versions:
III. “Something in the Air” (1969)
Among the worthy remakes of this tune are ones by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and The Chicks.
The opening lyrics:
Here’s the video of the original, a one-hit wonder by Thunderclap Newman:
IV. “Chicago (We Can Change the World)” (1971)
One of the reasons Graham Nash left his group The Hollies was to be able to record political songs like this, his first solo single. Its backdrop was the protest movement that raged outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
…We can change the world
Rearrange the world
It’s dying, if you believe in justice
It’s dying, and if you believe in freedom
It’s dying, let a man live it’s own life
It’s dying, rules and regulations, who needs them
Open up the door
Somehow people must be free…
From a 2018 remaster, audio only:
V. “Love Train” (1972)
Although The O’Jays made this spirited record decades ago, its message is always going to be needed.
People all over the world (everybody)Join hands (join)Start a love train, love trainPeople all over the world (all the world, now)Join hands (love ride)Start a love train (love ride), love train…
A worthy re-recording was filmed in 2019:
