The Power of Music

Written by Red Williams

Music plays an intricate role in shaping the society around us. Music has the power to change the way we think, and thus change the world we live in. In the book Stand and Be Counted, Paul McCartney remarked that, "Often you find your musicians do more bloody good than your government does"(Crosby, 24). This was evident in the 1960's when thousands of college students, armed with protest-filled lyrics, flocked to the streets in order to protest the Vietnam War. An example of this was Bob Dylan's With God on Our Side, which contained the line, "Learn to accept it, accept it with pride, cause you don't count the dead when God's on your side" (Dylan). Thousands of people were able to identify with Dylan's lyrics, and he was able to act as a catalyst spurring along the anti-war movement.

In 1985, the United Artists Support for Africa wrote the song We are the World, which was simultaneously aired on eight thousand radio stations throughout the world. The group of popular musicians was able to raise more than 50 million dollars in order to end hunger in Africa. "We all have an experience in our lives were a song truly made a difference in us, and we will never forget the song, or what it taught us" (Crosby, 118).

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