3 Folk Songs That Changed the Way We Write Lyrics

One of the many, if not the foundation, of modern songwriting is folk music. We know that is quite the statement, as it is difficult to connect the threads between Sabrina Carpenter and Leadbelly. However, we believe there is an unconscious understanding of lyrics and the writing of them that relates to the centuries-old genre. Songwriters and musicians might not be aware of this understanding, but it has been passed down through the development of country, blues, R&B, and even pop music. All that being said, here are three folk songs that changed the way we write lyrics.

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“This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie‘s 1940 protest anthem, “This Land Is Your Land”, was a first of its kind. Without this politically charged track, the work of Dylan, Ochs, Young, Baez, and many, many others might have been a little less socially sharp. In essence, Guthrie leaped in courage, so future generations wouldn’t.

Certain scholars and artists have always viewed art as innately political. Before Guthrie, painters, poets, singers, and many other artists poked and prodded systems. However, when Guthrie released this track, he further infused this belief into American culture. Thus, passing the torch to Dylan, who then lit the entire bush on fire.

“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” by Bob Dylan

The underlying meaning of Bob Dylan‘s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” pertains to a societal and political disillusionment. However, that is not why we are featuring it. Rather, we are featuring it because Dylan is one of the first popular folk musicians to view lyrics as true literature.

If you read the lyrics to the song, you can tell that Dylan articulates nothing in a straightforward manner, and that every line is like an onion—layered in subtext. Prior to this, the majority of musicians kept things fairly straightforward, but this song, and maybe this song alone, altered the lyrical perspective held by many musicians.

“Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell

Most art, if not all of it, is personal expression. Thus, human beings have been expressing themselves via art for hundreds of thousands of years. However, one individual who took self-expression to a whole different level via music is Joni Mitchell, particularly on her song, “Both Sides Now”.

Again, Mitchell was far from the first individual to wear her heart on her sleeve. Although she was one of the first to do so on a profoundly philosophical level. Yes, there were incredibly personal songs about love, loss, and heartbreak, but were there incredibly personal and popular songs about internal metamorphosis, reality, and metaphysics? Not a whole bunch, but Mitchell opened the door and made such themes present to a mass audience.

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