The third Monday in January is reserved for celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and his historic activism. However, musicians have been reserving space for King for decades. Find three songs that sample King and his speeches, below.
Videos by American Songwriter
3 Songs That Sample Martin Luther King Jr.
1. “The King (Extended Vocal Mix)” (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five kept things simple while delivering their ode to King. With one of his speeches at the epicenter, the hip-hop giant keyed in his generation to the enduring messages of the late activist.
I come here tonight to plead with you
Believe in yourself and believe that you are somebody
I said to a group last night: Nobody else can do this for us
No document can do this for us
No Lincolnian emancipation proclamation can do this for us
2. “The Fool on the Hill (Live)” (Paul McCartney)
Paul McCartney has penned his fair share of politically-charged songs. He added another to his catalog in 1990, when he added in King’s famed “I Have a Dream” speech to the Beatles’ “The Fool on the Hill.” Lyrically, this track is about someone being cast aside for an unpopular, perhaps dangerous point of view. McCartney conflated that idea with King’s shepherding of the marginalized, which wasn’t accepted by the powers that be in his era.
Well on the way
Head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him, or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to notice
But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head see the world spinning ’round
3. “HIStory” (Michael Jackson)
Despite not experiencing the greatest era of his career, Michael Jackson emboldened himself on “HIStory.” While hearing soundbites from Malcolm X, Neil Armstrong, and–importantly, for the purposes of this list–King, Jackson issues himself a set of inspiring messages. Don’t let no one get you down / Keep movin’ on higher ground, he sings. If you’re looking for someone to be emblematic of that message, King is certainly a strong choice.
Don’t let no one get you down
Keep movin’ on higher ground
Keep flying until
You are the king of the hill
No force of nature can break
Your will to self motivate
She say this face that you see
Is destined for history
Photo Credit: Getty
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.