fighting for freedom through music major stars have shown that even mainstream pop music can be profoundly political machine is a very powerful tool to awaken us to move towards actually. be on say uses her fame to draw attention to social issues. and the things that get you off your get you involved mother. throughout history songs have been a vehicle for social change inspiring rebels pioneering thinkers and those fighting for a brighter future. is now seen as it has always been a huge part of the struggle and crying for freedom good to his name use it can be moving emboldening and comforting. you trying to empower people to try to siphon people yeah we're going to do this is she going to have you know. she's going to cost the country we all need freedom and peace in our lives and music that expresses that will always touch our hearts will always. keep what is the sound do you think you can carry listen to people and be a really strong sosa's of our own and always cause pain say i do believe in how. caring he. gives it also mobilizes people it can help people to survive music is protest liberation hope a song can become the statement of thousands of people. to 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 as in a french national anthem is such an extraordinary composition it gives me goose bumps. at. the massey age represents the values of the enlightenment which have been honored in 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 it helped to bring unity and reassurance to friends. it was sung in a public defense and affirmation of the values of freedom. it's an incredibly moving experience to see how music and songs can really sweep a crowd away and create a sense of community. joining forces to support a cause it's a wonderful feeling 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 was 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. it's no coincidence that the monsters was born here. in 1789 the french people freed themselves from the monarchy with the storming of the busty and 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 muscle yes. 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. it don't fall if it hit us over there's a temple of $120.00 beats per minute similar to the speed of someone marching to a fast human heartbeat. so they're mostly years as an organic rhythm. and that's why it has such a positive feel to it was the reason for the was. this was there 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 holes yeah were good were great can have a very strong influence on the masses of people. everyone knows the song and most people sing it without realizing that some of the lyrics are kind of embarrassing today because of the horse wars it's really not 3rd. sure. the musci 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. this is it's often it's strange for a country that isn't actually a war to get to its feet and sing about taking up arms and we're not even talking about metaphorical arms here we can have a full scale minds and carry is it still ok to sing this song today in the must be part of contemporary society on her i think certain songs deserve an upgrade you know if you're not in a situation of war. a situation of moral political freedom that is needed. maybe certain lyrics should be adapted or renewed. 79 french singer songwriter's gaines ball recorded a reggae cover and his version to citizens becomes a slightly less reference to arms etc and. the very famous french music. groups in particular version was an affront and a provocation. the song a whole new tone 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. it was an incredibly powerful expression of rage suddenly he used his guitar to create the sound of falling. jimi hendrix guitar version of the national anthem. was probably one of the most powerful nonverbal messages that were ever set 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 is an ongoing debate about which ideals and values are associated with the star-spangled banner and 2016 american footballer calling capper 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 these guys. trumps threats became something of a reality for capper 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 key on locks the door but what it does to a has the ability to make you feel as if you're not along gudrid to put where the pop culture is good or bad always has a lot to do with the concept of freedom does this you tube rapper singer or d.j. stimulate my mind or not and i'm order house so if i just blindly follow them that's bad pop culture. but if they have something that unsettles me and gets me thinking so i have to use my brain and i develop intellectually good pop culture. the fight for freedom can also come in satirical form. * controversial figures such as. decisions like breaks that are all too inviting targets for pop culture. the greatest. british history. the british. people very powerful. the power of. attacking. the most the most powerful people in our country is 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. believe. in 1983 city law perpetrate them and has them as a carefree dance towards empowerment. girls just want to have fun was a breakout hit for the singer the song zany music video fueled the hype it was among the 1st to place the spotlight firmly on women playing to be physically. female listeners in particular were quick to interpret the song as a message of liberation. but also it's a liberation of. allowing. believe just like everyone else. women were being given the chance to live their own lives and realize their true selves. just want to have fun. we are humans to. describe. what feminists need. your spirit strong. so now it's prescription. we hear the song now and so it's a great song but i think that when it came out it's just early eighties just someone to guys and girls just wanna fun we just want to 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 1010 was written by british suffragette 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 this go. back in the 1960 s. african-american singer a wreath the franklin to use the power of soul music to fight for emancipation respect is a call reason for him to come on. i used to bump a wreath at franklin in my car when i was in college and roll down the windows and seeing that either yes be easy to see 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 for respect is such an important song because it kind of shows like look what's important to me. it is 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. and i heard there was another version but i'm just 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. this is not it was the other way around he comes home and says i worked all day in some respect and bring me my slippers and did not appeal for this interview this change of perspective touched on some poignant issues. 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 mainly it was kind. of 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 reach. 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 and certainly in power in the female hand punk rock i knew she broke close tie blues of the girl having to have makeup on i mean this girl looked like the guy in. 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. to do and so she became a huge influence and inspiration for generations of female musicians. 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 you know that they don't love you that. they don't love you that. strong women generate a sort of excitement. i think 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 that. these songs are expressing the idea freedom from any kind of restraint and feeling liberated. i guess expressing some kind of crying when she saw me looking to hang in there. has been kenyans is going to get you know you might be a big either club either but they are hot. so he 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 if it 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 what we needed things like fighting for abortion rights and so now after starting it somebody fearful to me and several of. the current political situation isn't always aligned with pop music trends. good great. sexist comments by donald trump have also helped to fuel female protest he dismissed as irrelevant and infamous recording of him making vulgar comments about women in appropriate 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 is among the many american women who say he's not their president. in the language terms which can vary. by 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 i was. told. by 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. have been keeping an. eye was this underground movement of the song because i don't think the institutions were able to digest such a message. that the internet people are not heard quiet and they would have been able to share the song in a truly expanded from the us to god. i want to change in my heart open heart my words many changes to you was the internet and social media are also changing the opportunities that music offers in the struggle for freedom. i but 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. in 1909 the citizens of communist east germany finally game their freedom. as a kind of occasions for private trips abroad may be submitted without preconditions reasons for travel family times comments will be issued a chart notice year by. it was. just you know it's again top on the buck when the people came over to the west in their truck violence it felt like we were suddenly discovering a foreign country and its people were now our friends one was the oldest son in the back and. look at 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. it's got the right time in the right places can be liberating like. oh. you know it was everywhere and i think about it but casting so for a german. i can almost see klaus my no walking through gorky park and just reflecting and thinking like some things and i had this wind which is bringing about a change and then 3 or 4 months later the wall in berlin fell. 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 $89.00 the scorpions traveled to russia to play at the moscow music peace festival alongside acts like bon jovi and ozzy osborne it was the soviet union's 1st rock festival with bands from the west. the olympic flame was burning for rock n roll. 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 they turned toward us on the stage and become part of the audience for tides because. i thought because you. see it in a lot of young people in moscow told us to the cold war would soon be like. 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 couple of linked with the fall of the wall for a year earlier. the single arrived as the event was already receding into the history books based on 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 you can feel. sometimes certain songs they have their own fanatic because something happens in history that is not in your hands now a sign that something 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 now 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 reunified berlin began to boom and for many it became the soundtrack to a new life of freedom. i experienced we're going to cation through east germany yes 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 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. they could get drugs and all the things that the east german regime dwarf would happen did happen it was a sudden promise of salvation. and hates bush was. in berlin became one of the biggest music festivals of the ninety's attracting crowds of over 1000000 people. freedom songs are songs of celebration. celebrating our successes celebrating who we are celebrating our culture that is also a part of that freedom song family the notion that you. the things in life was perhaps best summed up by the american radical emma goldman who said when she was criticized for dancing. at a party event and she was serious enough about politics she said if i can't don't i don't want to be part of your revolution. dancing was a statement and an act of liberation. the love parade was seen by many as much more than an expression of hedonism. the love which i think the love parade was the most political development in the history of music in germany. bunch of influence produced of us you can see it played a huge role in the reinvention of the country from george from the world outside got to see germany in a different light because we always believed in the liberating force of music and music as flags concept. using 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 you know that we've 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. back to childish gambino you know this is america i mean that's probably the most radical thing i'm in the 21st century. with the. guy just living in a childish gambino paints a dark picture of hate and extreme violence in america. we're talking about a whole different level of expression in sports and obviously multiple lives what if we watch as the full moon which is all about this crazy entertainment it's kind of lived to the fact that world 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. of america his song triggered a huge public discussion let me know you're going to have to go out and face reality over whenever people are suffering pop music becomes more political because it often expresses what they're going through with the forests. the fight against the oppression of the black population is deeply ingrained 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. really leaves. and. 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 the neck state in trees. that is swinging. in this 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 isn't something pretty hearty day 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 commodore music where old friend milton glaser said ok let's record this is now certain. billie holiday experienced racism firsthand on a daily basis strange fruit was a song of a deep painting and billie holiday being able to carry that song. that pain and that story in the way that she did there's no one else who could have done have the load. 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 kierkegaard 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 holiday. just was no new or this thing about music is it really hits you never very profound the brain gets into implant streams trying to write in a way that maybe other forms can't and its ability to communicate means and i do think it can carry messages to people and be really strong sosa of power. by the early 1960 s. the civil rights movement had emerged to fight discrimination against african-americans. was i have a dream. but one day. this nation will rise up. and live out the true meaning of its creed. was also at the historic march on washington in 1963 joan baez perform the song that united people in protest we shall overcome was originally a gospel song it combines a simple melody with an appeal for a peaceful future. the music from the struggle doesn't always have to be called as sad or angry it can sometimes be lifting you're 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 compete for the. 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 injured and in our resistance. but the spirits of we shall overcome quickly became a distant memory. was 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. 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 their i know who they are and what they have done to my of people around the world that's not angola it anger anger rises fear is anger as are the fire. lose think this is. going to get it. right don't you know nina simone became an activist through her music and not be mediating in mina's was a liberated place her dynamics were incredible you know very very brave very very radical. everything. you think of those songs from the civil rights movement in the night and sixty's those songs chose stars all those those issues pressed on those artists to such an extent by forced to articulate their feelings about politics well than just what songs about russian ships. in the 21st century controversy continues to rage over police 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. are superior. we share carey says that was. 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 me in the mainstream to speak about police violence is a very radical thing to do you know. things have been filling you sound as i whip and they have remained silent as. 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 with 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. i love them all. but the code she uses convey 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 outfit she chooses her dancers costumes are a reference to the black panther movement in the 1960 s. and seventy's. using the opportunity. to be a. focus of american culture. and she makes a statement about. they're not dangerous and almost you know. i kind o. i said i like the poetry. i also like the actions well i like the things that get you off and 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 kendrick lamar really achieve in music change the world in times of social crisis the truth is revealed lucian rate. 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 so i do think that music in itself changes things and changers. people's trajectory life. 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. was. i. was. i. italy's little criminals many young people are entangled in robberies drug dealing and violence and. some eventually end up in the mob. but there are those working on solutions a country wide network gives juvenile delinquents a chance the organization aims to save the mafia. 30 minutes on d w. they were forced into a nameless mass. their bodies your tools with. the history of the slave trade is africa's history. to struggle for power and profit plummeted an entire continent into chaos and violence. this is the journey back into the history of slavery. i think will truly be making progress when we all accept the history of slavery as all of our history. our documentary series slavery routs starts march 9th on d w. this is g.w. news live from but a central europe braces for a major winter storm extreme weather has already pants of bush in an odd and causing flooding in transport chaos weather services and people should stay inside if they can do so coming up the battle to contain the coronavirus all 4 of these in china say that the death toll has now paul 6 the $800.00 mark plenty more dollars the deadly sauce outbreak nearly 2 decades ago will give false and the.