QUESTION: Collecting popular music to use with Transcendental Unit

[camille napier bernstein]

I am still stuck listening to the Pixies.  Yeah, that far back.  I know very little about music, so I hope you audiophiles wanna chime in.  I use these essays with my students, so the strictly nature theme wouldn't cut it:

"Walking"

"Life Without Principle"

"On Civil Disobedience"

"A Plea for John Brown"

 

Anyone have some ideas?

I am trying to lead each class next year with a song -- contemporary or not.

Thanks!

Camille

 

[Jennifer Pust]

Well, for Civil Disobedience, you might do U2's Pride (In the Name of Love) since that was about MLK and he was inspired by Thoreau.  I'll keep thinking about the others, and I look forward to other people's suggestions!

[Lorraine Caplan]

I wonder if you might want to explore some sixties folk music, which included many protest songs.  Just Googling that term should give you a long list.  I was there, but I'm darned if I can remember any titles right now.  And there is always "John Brown's Body," which, I am relieved to say, is from well before my day.

[Ryan Goble]

A start from the Rock and Roll Library - “Breaking Free From Conformity" - A study in modern day Transcendentalism

[Sean]

Brandi Carlile's "Have You Ever" echoes Transcendentalism and Naturalism.

[Zachary Ramsey]

There's nothing wrong with the Pixies!  When I think about transcendentalism, I always think about the end of Grapes of Wrath, which makes me think of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad."

[Sean]

"May It Be" by Enya from Lord of the Rings is also rather Transcendentalist-y, as well as her song "Paint the Sky with Stars."  Of course, these are the aspects of soul-searching rather than non-conformity.

[Zachary Ramsey]

I just thought of Pearl Jam's "Man of the Hour."  http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pearljam/manofthehour.html  It might work.  Also, Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/a-hard-rains-a-gonna-fall-0.  Maybe "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" by Dylan too http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/sad-eyed-lady-of-the-lowlands.

[camille napier bernstein]

Thanks, Zack and Sean!  THAT is exactly what I am looking for.  At the risk of sounding ungrateful, and with all due respect to the people who replied with general ideas to think about the 60s or check out a database, I wanted to get (as lazy as it sounds) some specific song ideas from people who know songs.  I don't know music well enough to go through a database.  I do, however, hear a song every so often and think, "Cool!  That would work."  For example, Jack Johnson's "Breakdown" is great for Transcendentalism.  Thoreau exhorts us to stop with all the rush of modern life (fast rail travel, newspaper gossip) and Johnson's song expresses the desire to slow down.

 

I don't mean to be one of those people who post a request for quizzes or lesson plans or other ideas to get out of planning -- I just have little knowledge of music and wanted some help.  So thanks!  And Zack, speaking of The Pixies, I might be able to use "Where is My Mind?"

 

[Zachary Ramsey]

"Where is My Mind" is awesome.  I like "Velouria" too.  Kind of abstract, but a great song.

[Wisdom]

"Drive" by Incubus works great