Music is a direct reflection of a society. It can be interpreted simply for entertainment,therapy, and political reasons to bring people together. Music speaks a thousand words, as it has a profound effect to portray a message, raise awareness, change opinions and provoke action towards a mass audience. In particular, “Black or White” by Michael Jackson which was released in 1991 is a song that did just that. “Black or White” was written to promote equality at a time when The United States of America dealt with severe racism. Often referred to as the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson was one of the all-time greatest artists that the world has come across as he was known for his music, dance moves and caring heart towards the world, as most of …show more content…
Michael was raised in a time where African Americans were essentially treated like they were from a whole other planet. He grew up watching African Americans going to different schools, restrooms, stores, jobs and the list goes on. Micheal was often criticized for his skin tone. For example, in 1979 The Rolling Stones magazine refused to put Michael Jackson on the cover of their magazine simply because they thought that black people on the cover would not sell as much. Another case occurred in 1978 when he invited Tatum O’Neal to be his date at a movie premiere. Much as she wanted to be his date, she turned him down because her agent did not want her seen out with a “nigger”. Despite all the controversy, Michael never let the haters get to him and continually fought against …show more content…
He wanted the world to have the same vision as he did which was that everyone is unique. Furthermore it did not matter what race, gender, ethnicity or culture people were because the only thing that mattered was that everyone is human at the end of the day. In respect to that vision he wrote the song “Black or White” to teach people that the color of an individual 's skin did not define who that person was, but the character and demeanor did. Michael made specific references to a number of situations that people of colour deal with throughout the song and demonstrated it through a video. The song begins with the line “took my baby on a Saturday bang, Boy, is that girl with you? Yes, we 're one and the same.” That line indicates a conversation that he is having with a racist who is offended at the view of a black man with a white girl. The term “boy” is also a racial slur meaning black slave that is frequently used by racists. Later in the song Michael sings “I ain 't scared of no sheets”, which is a reference to Ku Klux Klan (KKK). KKK was a white extremist group who thought they were superior to any other race in the world. They essentially tried to scare the blacks and segregate them from the whites. In the video Michael blasts into a KKK meeting, symbolising that they are not a threat. The verse “They print my message in the Saturday Sun, I had to tell them I ain 't second to
Some people may call him “The King”, Elvis Presley is a well-known musician who stepped out of the norm and created a different kind of music. Presley combined pop, country, gospel, and black R&B to create his musical style. Presley caught everyone’s attention with his dance moves and musical talent. Elvis Presley led the way for many musicians, and has impacted the lives of many people.
In one of the chapters, ‘Where Did Our Love Go?’ the author reveals how blacks in America use the music to express their anger and commitment to emerge as great people in an unfair community. Most songs are written to educate the society on the negative effects of racism. They encourage the society to love one another and embrace unity. The human nature is founded through a social platform where philosophers claim that people were created to love one another and live with peace and unity. Through this book, it is clear that the blacks in the hip-hop generation are money minded. However, this is expected in a world where the economy is tough. The author claims that the youth are the people who are majorly affected by racism. Many of them have been arrested for pity mistakes which are magnified in the courts due to the impression that the society has on the black people. They engage in dirty activities like drug dealings that that put them on the wrong side of the
Moreover, the task at hand is not one that is easily accomplished. In order for music to be a hit, it had to be a hit within the white community. The ...
Black people were disenfranchised and to make it in the industry, they turned to music.
Artists write about what they know; they pull feelings from their heart and their songs relay what the artists’ emotions, whether it be of their hometown, their high school crush, or their experiences. Many artists that came to fame during the twentieth century have a fair share of experiences they share with us in the form of their songs. The twentieth century is comprised of the institution of slavery and its effects, war, gender norms, discrimination based on nationality, sex, race, etc., and countless events that sparked protests and uproars in the United States. Music at this time was a phenomenon, and artists could use it to their advantage. Artists used their music to spread awareness about their cause, influence their listeners, and
The Social construction of racial formation categorized racial groups and formed negative social identity. Skin color and skin pigment is used to categorize certain individuals which are causing oppression. Black music and blues were used as a form of arts to escape the oppression that was placed upon them based on their skin color. Our society has constructed a black/ white color line that forces evident uprising of racism. Media has become a big impact on racial oppression and developmental more issues that involve the black/ white color line. Music was a crucial survival method to slaves by creating a new separate language. The blues was a huge liberating foundation of this separate language. Musical history is crucial to comprehend because it involves the importance of our history. Different variations of music were formed off of blues which was the spiritual ideal. Blues ideals and black music, spiritual values were liberating for African Americans during their time of
When the piece was originally written for the Hot Chocolates, it was considered to be “America’s first `racial protest song`… [and] certainly Razaf’s lyric stripped bare essences of racial discontent that had very rarely if ever been addressed by any African American musically” (Singer 219). The music was created to express the hardships of the black community and the intra-racial discrimination, evident by the line: Browns and yellers all have fellers, gentlemen prefer them right. This illustrates that within the black community, those of fairer complexion were preferred. In Armstrong’s performance, the piece was removed from its original context of a Broadway show and placed as a stand-alone piece. In doing this, the emotion created by the Broadway performance and the stage scene were lost and “Black and Blue” became just another bluesy piece. Further, his “recitativo vocal style underscore[d] the song’s plaintive quality, while his exuberant embellished trumpet solos at the beginning and the end … counteract[ed] despair” (Meckna 38). However, Armstrong dropped the verse about intra-racial prejudice and made the chorus a “threnody for blacks of every shade” (Teachout 139). In doing this, he altered the music from being just about intra-racial issues to a global of scale of the battle between black and whites and the prejudices.
Throughout time, music has been an influential part of society. As a form of entertainment and expression, its impact has always been felt both economically and emotionally. During the Vietnam war, music evolved into more a form of expression rather than pure entertainment. Emotionally charged songs became a method to oppose the war, and vent frustrations. While many songs opposed the war, numerous others focused on peace and happiness. They provided a positive perspective in an otherwise depressing time. Along with incorporating passion into music, cultural diversity increased in music greatly. Black artists became progressively more popular and accepted in the musical scene. This respect carried over to society slowly but surely. During the Vietnam war, music played a crucial role in the societal evolution into a state where emotions fueled actions, more emphasis was put on equality, all opinions counted.
Music is an art and a wonderful gift to human race. It soothes, stimulates and makes us feel happy. It affects our moods in many different ways from lullaby to war cry for changes in the society. Music is actually distinct to different people. Above all, it has a transformational importance that is captured in its art and nature. Music draws our emotions and it has an impact of bridging different cultures across the continents. Slave songs were very vital channels through which all kind of information was conveyed both positive and negative.
Michael Jackson was a very charismatic, influential individual. He took the world by surprise as his long, successful career blossomed at such a young age. Throughout his many years of hard work, and unparalleled performances, he changed the world with his music. He became one of the most popular recording artists, delivering his sweet, funky tones, smooth dance moves, and versatile music capabilities across the world. He was a legend that continues to influence other musicians, as well as his large, loyal fan-base, and is well-deserving of the title of “The King of Pop”
African-American music is a vibrant art form that describes the difficult lives of African American people. This can be proven by examining slave music, which shows its listeners how the slaves felt when they were working, and gives us insight into the problems of slavery; the blues, which expresses the significant connection with American history, discusses what the American spirit looks like and teaches a great deal from the stories it tells; and hip-hop, which started on the streets and includes topics such as misogyny, sex, and black-on-black violence to reveal the reactions to the circumstances faced by modern African Americans.
Throughout his song “Black or White,” he brings up the issue of racial discrimination. In the song he repeats in the refrain, “It don't matter if you're black or white” (Jackson). He wanted to create a song that would leave an impact and this line definitely met that goal. Not only did he meet a goal, but he brought to realization that it didn’t matter who you were, whether you were crippled, gay, atheist, anything, it was all in the eyes of the beholder.
The Jewish were angered by the lyrics in the fifth verse of the song because phrases such as “Jew me” and “Kike me” where used. Today, when you listen to the song, those parts have been changed to sound like “do me” and “strike me.” According to Michael Jackson.ru, “Later these words are masked by sound effects, and History is reissued with a new version of “They Don’t Care About Us.” The original version of the album is a collector’s item today,” (Sirosh). Michael Jackson himself tried to justify his actions by saying that offending the Jewish community was not his intention. The lyrics were never meant to be pejorative. His exact words
Michael Jackson inspired the world with his music, also with the way he dressed, he changed millions of lives with his attitude. Michael Jackson has change the pop chart because no African American artist has ever achieved a high level of success like him. Also he change the way people view music and clothes. Michael Jackson change society by his music, some of his music was to inspired humans to do something about the world. He also help a lot of people, but some of the things he did didn’t make it to the headlines.
Michael Jackson is one of my favorite singers. He is very famous, so most of all people in the world know him, at least his name. I began to listen to his songs because I was recommended them by my friend, and I was really attracted by them. I have two reasons why I like him.