Apart from both having been written and performed in the 1960's and both addressing racism, the two songs "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke and "Mississippi Goddam" by Nina Simone have very little in common. The most blatant disparity in these two songs is the overall mood. While Cooke's song has a very solemn tone, Simone's song is very upbeat, almost like a show tune. "A Change Is Gonna Come" talks about the struggles Black Americans had faced, and even though the past was terrible, Cooke preaches hope and optimism for a future in which all Americans can live together equally. "Mississippi Goddam" makes light of the racial inequality situation, taking an angle that this injustice had been going on for so long, it was almost comical. Simone's song also makes racial equality seem like a far off idea, saying "I've even stopped believing in prayer," in stark contrast to Cooke's song, which says change is on the horizon. The differences in these two songs really portrays how differently the two artists viewed racial inequality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVQjGGJVSXc
-Amrita Mitra
I think you did a great job at mentioning the major differences between the two songs. While they were both written in the 1960s, they have a completely different tone and attitude. Which song do you believe had a larger impact on the people during this time period? Since the artists viewpoints differed so drastically, which do you think the people enjoyed more?
ReplyDelete-Zachary Karetsky
You knocked it out of the park, choosing to compare these two songs. "Mississippi Goddamn" is one of my favorites, and I'll play in later in the semester, so I hope you'll bring your expertise to bear on that conversation. I wonder if it's worth addressing extrinsic ethos in these singers?
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