Transcripts For DW DocFilm 20200207 : comparemela.com

with fighting for freedom through music major stars have shown that even mainstream pop music can be profoundly political that very harmful to awaken us. beyond say uses her fame to draw attention to social issues. the things that get you off and get you involved. throughout history songs have been a vehicle for social change inspiring rebels pioneering thinkers and those fighting for a brighter future. has always been a huge part of the struggle and crying for freedom good. news it can be moving emboldening and comforting. if you're trying to empower. people you know we're going to do this is going to happen you know change is going to come we all need freedom and peace in our lives and music that expresses that will always touch our hearts always. what is the sound of freedom why is girls just want to have fun a freedom song and how has music contributed to female empowerment. do you think you can carry listen to people and be a really strong sosa. cause. i do believe in the house so that. music also mobilizes people it can help people to survive music as protest liberation hope a song can become the statement of thousands of people. to see. my ca's is associated with liberty equality and fraternity but it was originally a war song. what is it that still fascinates people about this piece of music. answers that's not the french national anthem is such an extraordinary composition gives me goosebumps as. the mass e.a.'s represents the values of the enlightenment which have been honored and revered for more than 200 years in an age of global terrorism the song is more relevant than ever following the murderous attack on the satirical magazine charlie a dog that helped to bring unity and reassurance to france oh it was sung in a public defense and affirmation of the values of freedom. i see it's an incredibly moving experience to see how music and songs can really sweep a crowd away and create a sense of community. as with joining forces to support a cause it's a wonderful feeling that with music and the power that he has you can you can hear something you can identify with and you make that your own and you make that into your song your fight. music has also played a role in the ongoing protests by the yellow vests in france the law songs of freedom have been used throughout history for a wide range of causes a tradition that lives on today. this kind of resistance is a typically french trait he says taking to the streets to say enough is enough yes . is it it's no coincidence that the monster is was born here these days as a guy they stood. in 1789 the french people freed themselves from the monarchy with the storming of the bus did an event that laid the foundations for our understanding of modern democracy in the western world. as the nobility elsewhere in europe tried to challenge the revolution army officer and poet. wrote the patriotic song. it was a call to arms for the people of france soon the troops of the revolution were marching to the rhythm of the musée is. that is more music in its root. that does something with you that's a jacket see going you know it's different to hearing dancing queen we just want to dance. all the time for if it is the silva there's a temple of $120.00 beats per minute similar to the speed of someone marching or to a fast human heartbeat. so the muscle years as an organic rhythm. and that's why it has a positive feel to it was the reason for my god this was a law have this desire to feel that we're part of something big something important and that something is good and the measure of all things and so sometimes a good song with you know trumpets tend to knees and and the whole yeah we're good we're great can have a very strong influence on masses of people. everyone knows the song and most people sing it without realizing that some of the lyrics are kind of embarrassing today and behold scores will swing not further. the player on. the show are the must see is hardly a peaceful song. the lyrics are bloody and violent and so the context in which the song is used today can seem contradictory. it's strange for a country that isn't actually a war to get to its feet and sing about taking up. and we're not even talking about metaphorical here. is it still ok to sing this song today in the must be part of contemporary society. i think certain songs deserve an upgrade you know if you're not in a situation of war in a situation of moral or political freedom that is needed. maybe certain lyrics should be adapted or renewed. 79 french singer songwriters ball recorded a reggae cover in his version to arm citizens becomes a slightly less reference to arms etc. the very famous french music. groups in particular version was an affront and a provocation. the song a whole new town another energy. the patriotic and historical nature of national anthems means they've often been used as political tools in the debate over national identity especially during times of crisis in the late 1960 s. american society was divided by the conflict in vietnam many saw it as a pointless and unjust war. the woodstock festival in 1969 was a mass celebration of love and. protest. jimi hendrix stood before the crowds to perform the national anthem of his homeland. his performance transform the song into a political protest. star-spangled banner. it was an incredibly powerful expression of rage suddenly he used his guitar to create the sound of falling bombs the thing. jimi hendrix guitar version of you know the national anthem was probably one of the most powerful nonverbal messages that were ever said in music and he as an american was kind of saying i'm not with this war and this is how i hear the national anthem. to this day there's an ongoing debate about which ideals and values are associated with the star-spangled banner in 2016 american football are calling copper nick refused to stand for the u.s. national anthem in an act meant as a protest against racism and police violence in his country when somebody disrespects our flag to say get that son of the field right now out of the sky. trumps threats became something of a reality for copper nick who was effectively shut out of the sport by the national football league. this symbolic neal divided society and he became an icon of protest. fires frustratingly music doesn't have agency. it doesn't actually have the power to actually change things like a goal but what it has the ability to make you feel as if you're not along. the pop culture is good always has a lot to do with the concept of freedom does this. singer or d.j. stimulate my mind or not. or else. if i just blindly follow them it's not pop culture but if they have something that unsettles or bothers me and gets me thinking things so i have to use my brain and i develop intellectually then that's good pop culture. the fight for freedom can also come in satirical form *. controversial figures such as trump. and decisions like breaks it are all too inviting targets for pop culture. which the greatest democratic british history. of the time. the british. think mica satire out people very powerful. attacking. among the most powerful people in our country is. still a. mockery and ridicule and music are not a 21st century phenomenon. originates from acute spanish nursery rhyme but then became a mexican revolutionary song. not only a cockroach but also a colloquial term for a bandit who was the butt of the joke in the original song. music has also played a big role in the struggle of women for self-determination and equal rights. i. wanted. in 1903 city law perpetrate bettman ism as a carefree dance towards empowerment. girls just want to have fun it was a breakout hit for the singer the songs in the music video fueled the hype it was among the 1st to place the spotlight firmly on women to be physically. female listeners in particular were quick to interpret the song as a message of liberation. but also it's a liberation. just like everyone else. women were being given the chance to live their own lives and realize their true selves. just want to have. to. prescribe. what feminism needs. your spirit strong. so many scripts. you hear the song now and so it's a great song but i think that when it came out it just early eighty's just someone to gossip girls just went to fun with just one that you know party and have sex and at that time people like wow that's very controversial. 70 years earlier the fight for female empowerment was more about marching than dancing the song march of the women from 1910 was written by british separate ethel smith. the activist used radical methods to fight for women's right to vote. and in 1018 women in britain finally gained the right to vote. one year later parliament welcomed its 1st female member of parliament. a lot of the rights that we take for granted is something that people fought for and people died for you know the radical ideas of today are just going to be hopefully be tomorrow's world. back in the 1960 s. african-american singer a wreath there franklin to use the power of soul music to fight for emancipation respect as a call reason for him to come on. i used to bump everything franklin in my car when i was in college and roll down the windows and sing that obvious be easy you know just like really feeling my liberated self as a young woman. in 1967 many women were housewives seen as an extension of their husbands without their own needs and dreams a reason frank and respect is such an important solve because it kind of shows like look what's important to me. it's to be seen for why yeah and not for a 2nd class b. not someone or something you can just use and abuse and misuse and play around with this you have to respect me. haven't i heard there was another version reading right was the song was written by otis redding but the message he was conveying 2 years before franklin's hit version was entirely different there's. this new study it was the other way round he comes home and says i worked all day some respect and bring me my slippers and did. some. this change of perspective touched on some poignant issues . thomas in that sides back then in the early sixty's the songs were full of your my baby my baby here my girl it was all about men owning women was its archive. respect became an anthem of the women's liberation movement especially among african-american women. aretha franklin wasn't an activist as such but she knew how to use her platform. well namely it was kind as you say a woman's anthem a battle cry. mantra. but everyone wants respect everyone needs respect from the young to the very old and in the middle male female . we all want to respect. the 1960 s. more and more women putting themselves and the empowerment of women at the center of their art another prime example was 17 year old lesley gore with you don't own me and british style icon dusty springfield proclaiming i want to be a free girl. helen reddy is i am woman also became a key song of the. feminist movement. westerman singer nico with her dark and non-conformist demeanor established a new image of women. in 9 to 5 dolly parton song about unequal treatment in the workplace suzi quatro was the 1st female bass player to become a major rock star. in the early 1970 s. patti smith conquered yet another male bastion punk she crushed and cast aside practically every stereotype about how women should look and behave. nicely at certain powers of female and male punk rockers i know she wrote close tie blues of the girl having to have makeup on i mean this girl looked like a guy and. i think. the rock sort of guitar player or the rock god it's been a role reserved for men for a very long time and i think it's fantastic that women are just just pushing us aside and taking that role and being like you know this is who we are not like your bullshit i think it's great she's. doing so she became a huge influence and inspiration for generations of female musicians play since the ninety's women have been increasingly claiming center stage in the upper echelons of pop today they are the superstars fighting for equal rights in their own unique way. i consider them to be artists like beyonce have this attitude of hey dude sit down listen so powerful. it's cool that you. made on the view that. strong women generate a sort of excitement. i think that that's just to see stuff like that it's very empowering they have so many followers and there's so many people that actually listen to what they have to say so i think it it does matter i would like to see more of. these are expressing the idea freedom from any kind of restraints and feeling liberated and. i guess expressing some kind of trial and. looking to. buy just what they are. doesn't mince her words female empowerment is becoming the new norm but it's not without its risks says the rapper. if you miss most of them an ism is in serious danger of being co-opted by capitalism. becomes a consumer good then it's not much use to us. if you can go to the pharmacy and buy the feminist eye shadow range something's gone wrong but we need to things like fighting for abortion rights and so ne possibly eat some by spears since and yes if . the current political situation isn't always aligned with pop music trends. are good great i guess i'm sexist comments by donald trump have also helped to fuel female protest he dismissed as a relevant and infamous recording of him making vulgar comments about women inappropriate words 12 years ago locker room whatever you want to call. plays down his massage mystic statements and the countless accusations of harassment. musician milk use among the many american women who say he's not their president. you know the language trance action campaign it was very. such an ist you know talking about grabbing and all that i felt was very disrespectful so i felt like i needed to take a stand and say something was ok he was. ok . song why it gives women a voice she performed it shortly before president trump was sworn into office. a video of the flash mob what viral on the song was sung by thousands of girls and women across the globe. i think you can. just. move. this underground movement of the song because i don't think the institutions were able to digest such a message. that the internet people would not have heard. they would have been able to show the sun it 2 weeks at the us to god. i want to change in my heart my words live the changes through me was. the internet and social media are also changing the opportunities that music offers and the struggle for freedom. i put mass protest movements predate the online era of course some songs have changed the course of history others only later became part of the soundtrack of revolutionary change i in 1909 the citizens of communist east germany finally game their freedom. i. was a applications for private trips abroad may be submitted without preconditions reasons for travel family times comments will be issued at short notice year by i was 2 doors and top on the book when the people came over to the west and that trayvon said felt like we were suddenly discovering a foreign country and its people were now our friends and. i. i look back and i could that happen without any violence. peaceful revolution is possible and it came from the people i mean the change by west german rock band the scorpions became the anthem to the fall of the berlin wall. i almost think it's cold these days. it's hard to whistle into a mike. the right time in the right place of can be liberating i. love. it you know it was everywhere and i think about it it's a fantastic song for a trial to write. i can almost see klaus myna walking through gorky park and just reflecting and thinking next something and he had this wind which is bringing about a change and then 3 or 4 months later the wall in berlin fell i wind of change had nothing to do with the ball as such and had been written some time before the historic event in the summer of 89 scorpions traveled to russia to play at the moscow music peace festival alongside acts like bon jovi an ozzy osborne it was the soviet union's 1st rock festival with bands from the west. as the olympic flame was burning for rock n roll for. change was indeed in the air. i'm sure i wasn't the only one of the moscow music peace festival who sense that the world was changing before our eyes. were playing the red army soldiers working in security at the front all took off their jackets and threw their caps and do their business and how they turned toward us on the stage and become part of the audience for tides for people. of africa is he. see it a lot of young people in moscow told us to the cold war would soon be like these but. i. that feeling inspired wind of change. all the wind of change was not released as a single until january $91.00 the song is now in extra linked with the fall of the wall over a year earlier. the single arrived as the event was already receding into the history books and how did it was featured in documentaries about the fall of the wall all there were didn't even come out until around a year after that the thing is the scorpions are an international band but they come from germany. so to fans in the us the song has an authenticity about it. sometimes certain songs they have their own dynamic because something happens in history that is not in your hands now a sound that samba comes in the end to a certain historic moment people choose their own freedom songs it's a process that's very difficult to influence so it's often surprising even for the musicians themselves. the song wouldn't have come to symbolize the fall of the wall if we just taken advantage of the images on t.v. and said cool marketing idea the wall fell 2 years ago no we'll release an anthem to celebrate it no it would have been shameless. kind of is. after the fall of the wall the techno scene in a unified berlin began to boom and for many it became the soundtrack to a new life of freedom. here. my experience reunification through east germany is and i could feel the energy there was something very naive about it because east germans were sort of in the dark. they stumbled into the dozen world of the west a bit like kids. suddenly so much was possible they could listen to any music be loud and do what they liked and suddenly they could get drugs and all the things that the east german regime warned would happen did happen it was a sudden promise of salvation. for. the love parade in berlin became one of the biggest music festivals of the ninety's attracting crowds of over 1000000 people. freedom songs are songs of celebrations you know celebrating our successes celebrating who we are celebrating our culture that is also a part of that freedom song family that notion that you. things in life was perhaps best summed up by the american radical emma goldman who said when she was criticized for dancing at. at a party event and she was serious enough about politics she said if i can't dance i don't want to be part of your. dancing was a statement and an act of liberation. the love parade was seen by many as much more than an expression of hedonism. i think the love parade was the most political development in the history of music in germany. in funds produced of it played a huge role in the reinvention of the country. and the world outside got to see germany in a different light because we always believed in the liberating force of music and. music obviously has several different functions one is to entertain one is to inform one is to inspire another is to question and obviously the entertainment that we got that covered. but you can spend your life on the don's floor you know you do have to engage with reality. in today's america one rapper in particular is holding a mirror up to society. to childish gambino you know this is america i mean that's probably the most radical thing i've heard in the 21st century. just live in a childish gambino paints a dark picture of hate and extreme violence in america the 3rd we're talking about a whole different level of expression of just what you can watch as the full moon which is all about this crazy entertainment it's kind of not live to the fact the rule destructed want to be entertained but if you forget about the foreground look what's going on in the background oh my god you know that oh my god. in just 2 days the video for this is america amassed 30000000 views the rapper referenced racist attacks and the reality of life for people of color in the united states. his song triggered a huge public discussion. you can have to go out and face reality whenever people are suffering pop music becomes more political because it often expresses what they're going through with the fewest so the fight against the oppression of the black population is deeply in graved in american music in the 1st half of the 20th century the ku klux klan terrorized the southern states of the us racially motivated violence was endemic. lynchings of african-americans were part of everyday life. one young woman lamented the state of affairs with a deeply moving piece of music. lee . and yet still. back in the day when my great great great great grandparents were being lynched from trees and billie holiday was touring around the south she unfortunately would see what she described the strange fruit which were black people hanging by then they stayed in trees. that is swinging. in the sun at the end of the 1930 s. the song strange fruit by jazz singer billie holiday was the 1st to openly deplore the lynch laws of america for impassioned protest sparked violent reactions this is something pretty hard to date on billie holiday 1st made the song known in the clubs of new york then she wanted to record it for her label columbia records but her producer john hammond said it was too much and they couldn't do it then she went to another label to commodore music where old friend milton glaser said ok let's record this is now. billie holiday experienced racism firsthand on a daily basis strange fruit was a song of the deep pain and billie holiday being able to carry that song or that pain and that story in the way that she did there's no one else who could have done. the work. of a man's heard memoirs give you a glimpse into her turbulent life drugs prostitution all kinds of humiliating experiences because she went through everything you can imagine a character god once wrote the mouth of an artist is molded in such a way that when they let out a cry of pain it sounds like beautiful music that's billie holiday the holiday. job was an am this thing about music is it really hits you never very profound the brain gets into the implant stream straight away in a way that maybe other forms concepts and its ability to communicate means and i do think it can carry messages to people and be a really strong sosa town. by the early 1960 s. the civil rights movement had emerged to fight discrimination against african-americans. was i have a dream. that one day. this nation will rise up. live out the true meaning of that scream. was also at the historic march on washington in 1963 joan baez performed the song that united people in protest we shall overcome was originally a gospel song it combined a simple melody with an appeal for a peaceful future. the music from the struggle doesn't always have to be called sad or angry it can sometimes be unleashed in your trying to empower people to try to sighted people you know we're going to do this this is going to happen you know change is going to keith. ablow that it's a spirit of unification it's about that we take knowledge that we're not alone in this in our who you are eager and in our resistance. but the spirits of we shall overcome quickly became a distant memory. the 1960 s. continued to see racially motivated murders and brutal police action. in the song mississippi goddam nina simone was explicit and her condemnation of this reality. while other musicians also stood up for the african-american struggle for freedom. so you sing from anda no i sing from. intelligence i sing from letting them know that i know who they are and what they have done to my of people around the while that's not enga it anger anger rises fear is anger as far and if i am moves think this is. going to get it. i don't mean no meanness. simone became an activist through her music and not me being in nino's was a liberating point her dynamics were incredible you know very very brave very very radical. if. you think of those songs from the civil rights movement in the night and sixty's those songs chose stars artists those issues pressed on those artists to such an extent of forced to articulate their feelings about politics well then just what songs about russian ships. in the 21st century controversy continues to rage over published violence and racism in the u.s. . new protests broke out across the country following a series of police killings of innocent young african-american men. raise us to very few of those we share carey says there were no god we know our economy one of the beautiful things about pain is that. it awakens us you know pain is a very powerful tool to awaken us to move towards action. the black lives matter movement was born a range of music stars have also addressed the issue and their material. to the money came out with a song called the hell you talk about as musicians in the mainstream to speak about police violence is a very radical thing to do you say. things have been filling you sound as i live and remain silent as. why the song lists the names of those who have been killed a litany of police violence so. for me the challenge has always been like how do you. take all these ideas that you know that you have and then how do you put them in another room and how do you talk to people. about political ideas that maybe they're not used to it or maybe they don't agree with you like how do you go on stage and sort of communicate there were people. even mainstream pop can be political as illustrated by superstar beyond say. isn't really a civil rights act to restore a protest singer beyonce as an entertainer did it help them. but the code she uses can be a message that goes beyond that. imagery of her videos speaks primarily to the african-american community and is subtle enough not to put off less politically minded fans. beyond say also make statements with the outfits she chooses are dancers costumes are a reference to the black panther movement in the 1960 s. and seventy's. if you think the super bowl music now opportunity. to be a. focus of american culture. and she makes a statement about. they're not dangerous enough i mean almost you know when. i kind of low i said i like the poetry. i also like the actions well i like the things that get you off they get you involved. protests on the street turn this song into an anthem. for the mars all right. if you're looking for someone who communicates with words who depicts the complexity of life for african-americans in the u.s. then that's kendrick lamar on his even. the observed things and in a really interesting way. he won the pulitzer prize which to a certain extent says the white establishment has recognized him as a poet. to say. the black lives matter movement demonstrates the enormous spectrum of music that plays its part in today's struggles for freedom. in the end the question remains what can the songs of childish gambino beyond say in kendrick lamar really achieve can music change the world in times of social crisis the truth is revealed lucian really. we can't count on pop musicians to save the world for us because it won't happen but we can use pop music to help save the world that's why. i'm here because of music and i have friends that are lawyers and human rights activists and because of music i do think that music in itself changes things and changes. people's trajectory life. our music has always accompanied great historical changes sometimes it can even change the course of history because music is a mobilizing force more than that it can articulate our aspirations and be the soundtrack to our individual freedom music has always gone hand in hand with the struggle for justice and peace. last. i. i. i. i. 2 brothers in slovakia caught between corruption and change. a businessman accused of hiring a hitman. even a cafe owner fighting for democracy. 2 brothers who couldn't be more different and they're torn country focused on europe. 13. made in germany. in 90 minutes on d w.

Related Keywords

Mexico , New York , United States , Germany , Moscow , Moskva , Russia , Gorky , Nizhegorodskaya Oblast , United Kingdom , Vietnam , Republic Of , Redding , Mississippi , France , Spain , Berlin , Springfield , Fife , East German , Americans , America , East Germany , East Germans , Spanish , French , Mexican , German , British , Russian , American , Emma Goldman , Klux Klan , John Hammond , Patti Smith , Helen Reddy , Dolly Parton , Lesley Gore , Nina Simone , Kendrick Lamar , Ethel Smith , Aretha Franklin , Milton Glaser , Joan Baez ,