A Message From The 60’s

How come a white Jewish guy from a port-city in Minnesota became one of the most prominent spokesperson of the African-American civil right movement during the 1960’s?
And what does he have to do with one of the most prominent activist of the 1960’s?
Join me as we explore one of Bob Dylan‘s most recognized songs with the struggle of the African-American community, “Only a Pawn In Their Game”, and discover how much influence Medgar Evers had on the history of the African-American community.

Table of Contents

1. Historic Background
2. The Rise of Urban Folk
3. Bob Dylan – a Quick Review
4. The Story of Medgar Evers
5. “Only a Pawn In Their Game”
6. Lyrics and music Analysis
7. Influence of the Song
8. Summery

Historic Background
The Cold-War
Probably the most significant history event that hover over the 60’s is the cold war. Beginning roughly at the 1950’s, the Cold War was an ideological and geopolitical tension between the eastern bloc, lead by the USSR, and the western bloc, lead by the US, rooted back to the results of the catastrophic WWII.
The Cold War had an absolutely massive impact on the entire world, and specifically on American citizens: the psyche of citizens in the United States during the Cold War was unstable, there was an overwhelming sense of Fear, Powerlessness, and Future-less-ness. I believe these emotions of the US citizens have a major role in a new music genera developed in those days – stay with us to find out more!

Historic Background
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

On the Friday, November 22, 1963, the 35th president of the US, John F. Kennedy was assassinated while he was on a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.
Many music historian consider this moment to be the point where the 60’s really began. Many cultural, musical and demographical changes root back to this specific event.
This historical event has strait a connection to one of the heroes of this E-book – Bob Dylan.
The day after the assassination, Bob Dylan performed for the first time a song that was about to become the unofficial anthem of the sixties – “The Times They Are a-Changin'”.

The Times They Are a-Changin’ – Bob Dylan

The Cold War – OverSimplified (Part 2)

Historic Background
US Economy

After WWII, the US based itself as the most important economic force in the world; the value of international currencies was fixed to the US dollar and the US was the biggest manufacturer on earth (approximately 50% of the world export was from the US). The US was the cradle for a lot of modern inventions and technologies that the entire world uses today.
The amount of money and wealth, and the fact that the US became a global superpower, had lead to the reconstruction of Europe and to an advanced standard of living and cultural changes within the US.

Historic Background
The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Right Movement the is the multi years campaign against the racial segregation and racial discrimination against the African-American population of the US. Though the roots of this movement are dated back to the 19th century, it had it’s biggest impact during 60’s, which lead to securing new protection laws for the human rights for all American.
During the 60’s, the Civil Rights Movement was lead by Martin Luther King Jr, who was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s “non-cooperation” policies, and lead nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience campaigns throughout the country.

Historic Background
The Civil Rights Movement – Key Events

1. 1955 — Montgomery Bus Boycott
   This boycott was born after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, to a white male passenger. The next day a citywide boycott against racial segregation on the public transportation system was proposed, and for 381 days African-American were not using public transportation. The Bus Boycott was very effective and lead to some major changes.
2. 1963 – The assassination of Medgar Evers
   More on that later on the E-Book.
3. 1963 — March on Washington
   This was one of the largest political rally for human rights ever in the United States. hundreds of thousands gathered at the Mall in Washington DC to hear King’s famous speech – “I have a dream”. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The March on Washington is credited with helping pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
4. 1965 — Bloody Sunday
   Bloody Sunday is the name for the violent beatings state troopers inflicted on protesters as they attempted to march peacefully from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery. Footage of the brutality broadcast across the nation sparked public outrage and boosted support for the civil rights movement.
5. 1968 — The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr

Civil Rights and the 1950s: Crash Course US History #39

The Rise Of American Urban Folk

Beginning in the 1940 and peaking at the 60’s, American Urban Folk music had a major influence on culture, music and even politics of those days. Many believe that American Urban Folk had a major contribution to the development of blues, jazz, rock n’ roll and to one of my favorites, western and country.
Many music historians believe that what’s called the revival of American folk music had begun in Greenwich village, NYC, as an underground music movement.
The revival was an underground movement probably because mainstream music had very positive, “sweet” and naive narratives, as part of the US being a global superpower.
In contrast to the naivety of the mainstream music, artists like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seager, started to perform with protest songs that dealt with politics, social problems and injustice.

Greenwich village, New York, New York.

Woody Guthrie – This Land Is Your Land.
A great example to many of American Folk Music characteristics: Not necessarily original melody, pretty “simple” melody, criticizing pop music, poking into important subjects that are avoided by the mainstream.

The Ghost Of Tom Joad – Bruce Springsteen.

A great example of the influence of American Folk Music on other genres:
Bruce Springsteen, a true rocker by many standards, wrote this song under the influence of Woody Guthrie’s song “The Ballad Of Tom Joad” that by itself was influenced by the masterpiece book “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, describing the struggle during the Great Depression.

Bob Dylan – A Quick Review

Bob Dylan, original name Robert Allen Zimmerman, (born May 24, 1941, Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.), American folksinger who moved from folk to rock music in the 1960s, infusing the lyrics of rock and roll, theretofore concerned mostly with boy-girl romantic innuendo, with the intellectualism of classic literature and poetry. Hailed as the Shakespeare of his generation, Dylan sold tens of millions of albums, wrote more than 500 songs recorded by more than 2,000 artists, performed all over the world, and set the standard for lyric writing. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.

Cite:

Kooper, Al. “Bob Dylan”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 May. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dylan-American-musician. Accessed 21 May 2021.

The Story of Medgar Evers

Medgar Evers was an American activist who contributed enormously to the Civil Right Movement during the 60’s.
His direct contribution to the African-American community includes over-turning segregation at the university of Mississippi, end the segregation of public facilities and expand the rights if African-American such as voting rights.

On June 12, 1963, A bullet went strait through the Heart of the second hero of this E-book, as he was leaving his own driveway. The murderer was a member of the Citizen’s Council (later the KKK), and his trial was by itself a poor presentation of the American justice systems regarding to African-Americans. Evers’ death has shocked the Civil Right Movement activists, for the lost of one of it’s most prominent and prolific leaders.
Evers’ important and direct contributions, as well as his tragic death, have lead to increasing the power of the Civil Right Movement in Washington DC which eventually lead to the civil right act in 1964.
Ever’s story and assassination had inspired Bob Dylan to write a song showing support of the Civil Right Movement – “Only a Pawn in Their Game”.

Short Video on Medgar Evers Biography

“Only a Pawn in Their Game”

“Only a Pawn in their Game” is a song by Bob Dylan, released on “The Times They are a-Changin” album in 1964, written about the assassination of Medgar Evans.

Only a Pawn in Thier Game – Bob Dylan

Lyrics

Lyrics and Music Analysis

• Use of the game of chess serves two artistic purposes:
  • The fight between the two sides is govern by bigger forces, who play the game
  • White pawns vs black pawns -> White people vs black people
• Relatively simple and repetitive melody plays a role as a characteristic of folk music but also emphasizes the lyrics themselves over the music.
• Though there is no chorus, there is a line that repeat itself: “He is only a pawn on their game”. This repetition delivers very simply and very clearly the political message of the song
• Who is the pawn in the game? Is it Evers himself, that his life has little value in the eyes of his opponents, or is it the murderer that serves a racial cause prompted up by strong forces?

Lyrics and Music Analysis

• The name of the murderer isn’t mentioned throughout the song. Maybe it is because Dylan is choosing not to accuse the white, ignorant and poor single man, but the forces who uses his ignorance and poor condition to execute racial violence, such as corrupt white elites.
• Rhyming throughout the songs help to deliver to political message
• Dylan is emphasizing the role of the murderer as just a pawn that is being used, racial education and racial violence.
• Each verse is longer that its predecessor, maybe telling about the rapid escalation of racial education to racial violence
• The song is more recitative than melodic
• There is 1:1 ratio between words and notes.
• There is no melisma (no “decorations” to the singing)

Influence Of The Song

The song was performed by Dylan at a number of important events for African-American culture and for the rise of folk music, ranging from a voters registration rally in a remote Mississippi town, through the famous Newport festival, to the March On Washington where Martin Luther King delivered his famous speech. The song is still used to this day in protests by the African-American community.
On Dylan’s second performance at Newport festival at 1965, he caused what will be named the “Electric Dylan controversy”. This controversy marks an important landmark in folk and music history, as Dylan went up stage with an electric guitar, which was associated with Pop music. By doing it, Dylan brought folk music from the fringe to be the next big thing. Giving a Pop-touch to folk music, he launched both his own career and folk music as a more appreciated musical genre across the US The world.

The performance on the March On Washington

The performance on Greenwood, Mississippi, at a voters registration rally

Summery

The song “Only a Pawn In Their Game”, written and performed by Bob Dylan, Tells a great deal about occurring events during early 1960:
Cultural awakening vs the fear of the ultimate war, Economic boom vs social polarization, racial violence vs peaceful movement, and even hate vs love.
In the videos showing Dylan performs his song, we can see a black audience listening to a white artist who wrote a song about the struggles of the African-American community.
In my point of view, I think it’s lovely to see that people from completely different backgrounds can unite and fight for a righteous cause. Is that the message Medgar Evers and Bob Dylan were trying to teach us? Is that the message of the 60’s?