The folk music scene of the 1950s and early 1960s became a burgeoning conduit for social awareness and calls for change. Bob Dylan was one songwriter who tapped into that growing consciousness and the folk group, Peter, Paul & Mary helped to carry that awareness in concerts and on the airwaves.
From the YouTube notes:
"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962 and released on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. Although it has been described as a protest song, it poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war and freedom. The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described[by whom?] as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind". In 1999, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked #14 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday, here is perhaps his best known early hit. When Peter, Paul and Mary performed Blowing in the Wind in live concerts, Peter Yarrow would introduce the song saying, "This song asks nine questions. The answers to these questions could determine the fate of all of us in this next generation."
In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. When Peter, Paul and Mary performed Blowing in the Wind in live concerts, Peter Yarrow would introduce the song saying, "This song asks nine questions. The answers to these questions could determine the fate of all of us in this next generation."
I have heard "500 Miles" all my life, it seems. It was written in 1961 by folk singer Hedy West and quickly became so ingrained into the fabric of our culture that most Americans probably know the song. Sometimes the simplest of songs can become the most enduring and profound.
I gained a new appreciation for the song in 1981 when I went to Hong Kong to teach English for two years. One of my colleagues, Linda Pegram, worked with the Vietnamese refugees. At that time there were large refugee camps in Hong Kong and in The Philippines to aid in the resettlement of refugees from Vietnam to other parts of the world. American folk songs were quite popular throughout Hong Kong, but I learned from my friend, Linda, that among the Vietnamese refugees, "500 Miles" was one of the best loved songs. It, of course, spoke to their own plight of being far from home, with few possessions to call their own. I cannot hear the song today without seeing the images of those refugee camps.
In the video below, live concert footage accompanied by the original studio recording by Peter Paul & Mary make this a stunning offering. Mary Travers is superb -- riveting and captivating with her clear, strong, and plaintive voice.
Peter, Paul & Mary, the folk trio that emerged from the folk scene of the 1960s, recorded many albums. My three favorite albums of theirs span their career. the first is their live Peter Paul & Mary In Concert double album released in 1964. It offers a wonderful taste of the folk music scene and they include their hit by the up and coming young artist, Bob Dylan, "Blowin' in the Wind."
Their Reunion album in 1978 is, just as the title states, their first venture coming back together after having disbanded.It is a real musical treat, hearing the group as they have matured and reflected upon what it means to live in the world, dream the dream and fight the good fight. The selection here is another Dylan song, "Forever Young."
The third of my favorite PP&M albums is Life Lines, released in 1995. It continues in the tradition of celebrating the vigor of life committed to serving the common good, celebrating live lived on this planet, and affirming the beauties of humanity.
So it was that in the 1980s after we had struggled for civil rights and protested the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s that the country put on the brakes. We will usually brake for business, which is why we must be vigilant about justice.
This is a song that helped me during those early Reagan years, and maybe it will speak to some today (from Peter Paul & Mary's Reunion album)
Sweet Survivor
You have asked me why the days fly by so quickly
And why each one feels no different from the last?
And you say that you are fearful for the future
And you have grown suspicious of the past
And you wonder if the dreams we shared together
Have abandoned us or we abandoned them
And you cast about and try to find new meaning
So that you can feel that closeness once again
Carry on my sweet survivor
Carry on my lonely friend
Don't give up on the dream and don't you let it end
Carry on my sweet survivor
Though you know that something's gone
For everything that matters, carry on
You remember when you felt each person mattered
When we all had to care for all was lost
But now you see believers turn to cynics
And you wonder was the struggle worth the cost
Then you see someone too young to know the difference
And a veil of isolation in their eyes
And inside you know you've got to leave them something
Or the hope for something better slowly dies
Carry on my sweet survivor
Carry on my lonely friends
Don't give up on the dream and don't you let it end
The custom of soaling dates back to pre-Christian Celtic practices when soul cakes were baked and given to "soulers" who went from house to house singing and praying for the departed. It was done at the Celtic new year which coincided with the later Christian calendar of Halloween and All Souls day. Thus the practice influenced both "Trick or Treating" at Halloween, and caroling at Christmas (see more at wikipedia).
Peter, Paul & Mary took a traditional soul cake folk song, added strains of "Heigh Ho Nobody, Home," and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and created a popular Christmas song, "A Soalin'," which they recorded in 1963. Though some curmudgeons see this as a corruption of an old song and an older tradition, PP&M managed to put the public in touch with some folk history that many would have otherwise been unaware of. Not to mention the fact that their lively instrumentation and vocals showcase their remarkable talent.
Here is a live version from a 1965 concert in France.
This is Peter Paul & Mary at the top of their game appearing on the BBC TV program, "Tonight in Person." The year was 1966 and they are singing a song written by Gordon Lightfoot, "Early Morning Rain." Dick Kniss is the upright bass player off to the side. A self-taught musician, he played bass for PP&M for over 40 years and was sometimes called "the fourth member of the trio."
Look who is singing his song with Peter, Paul & Mary back in the day! I must admit, I was excited when I first found this grainy video on You Tube. In the early days John Denver was on the folk music scene, playing in local venues and relatively unknown. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was one of the first songs he wrote. Peter Paul and Mary liked the song and began performing it. It became one of their signature songs and reached number 1 on the Billboard charts. When they picked up the song, it also helped to launch Denver's career in the music industry.
Here they all are singing that song that PP&M made famous for John Denver.
