A broadside ballad is a narrative song, sung to a popular theme that addresses a specific social or political issue of that time period. The broadside ballad is intended for the masses, and to show this it was played in taverns, bars, on the streets, etc. They would be just a sheet of paper with lyrics on it that would be posted everywhere like flyers we see today. To make up an example, of what a broadside ballad could be today it could be addressing the Arizona shooting over the immigration issue, but it would be sung to the melody of America The Beautiful (a hymn everyone can recognize). Broadside ballads give us a glimpse into truth about our struggles now, and about those in our past. A broadside ballad cannot be censored, it is raw and listening to one can be just as exciting as sitting around with a bunch of Grandkids and listening to Grandpa tell a captivating story about when he was a young boy. Listening to broadside ballads allow us to recapture moments lost in time and with a simple melody, bring them back to life once more.
One such struggle was the Southern Tenant Farmers Union strike in the 1930’s. Because of President Franklin D. Roosevelt the Agricultural Adjustment Agency (AAA) was founded to increase the price of food and help rebound the economy. In order to do this they paid farmers not to farm but the money would go to the landowners not to the farmers. Even though the landowners were expected to share the money, most did not. So the Southern Tenant Farmers Union was formed. The Almanac Singers saw this social justice was occurring and wrote a ballad called “Roll the Union On”. It was sung to a melody almost everyone knew and is actually quite catchy! Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4YeDI4R9MA
Being able to listen to a broadside ballad such as “Roll the Union On” is like being able to experience the emotion that the people were feeling during that time. It gives you an experience you cannot recreate from a history book. When people come together in song, whether a church hymn, a school alma mater, or a broadside ballad they become united and a powerful force that cannot be silenced.
“The songs of the working people have always been their sharpest statement and the one statement which cannot be destroyed.”
--John Steinbeck
--John Steinbeck
I've never heard of a broadside ballad before. After having listened to your suggested song, I can see how these songs served as testaments to the struggles of the era. From what I've heard, slaves in antebellum America would compose similar songs that captured the strife and struggles of the slave culture. These songs offer an exciting inside window into sociopolitical movements!
ReplyDeleteAnd it is through these broadside ballads that the injustices are brought to the attention of the rest of the people. I am really enjoying following along as you are exposed to more and more different genres of music!
ReplyDeleteThat video is so good! My favorite part is when you see the goons and then the Almanac Singers pop up over them when the "Roll over them" part comes. Classic!
ReplyDeleteHey Andrew,
ReplyDeleteBefore I took this class I had never heard of a broadside ballad either! But it is so captivating that once you listen to one, you want to find more! It feels to me as though broadside ballads are the illustrations you find in the middle of what otherwise would be a text-only book. It brings everything to life, and gives a picture of what that time was really like. I'm glad you liked it!
Sue, isn't it just amazing how a simple melody and a few lyrics can bring about such power? This shows that to make a song powerful all you really need is to sing about things that matter and to be passionate about progress.
Jimmy, the video really does show the a great illustration of the lyrics of the song and what the STFU was wanting to prove to their landowners and bosses. Get out of our way because we are going to keep fighting, and we will roll over you!
In Thailand, we have the similar ballad songs. Most of the Ballad songs in Thailand tend to communicate with what happen nowadays. I would love to share some with you, but unfortunately, you don't understand Thai. Anyways thanks for sharing this. I love the VDO as well.
ReplyDeleteSaifon
Some rap music could be in that style. Current issues, familiar rhythm but not usually a melody. The background loops are usually taken from another song. It's a stretch, but parts of it are similar.
ReplyDeleteThe library of congress music site has a lot of "collected" music that was recorded from people in different time periods. A lot of it is broadside ballads. They have a website that might let you listen to some. The person who came to mind when I read this is Woody Guthrie. Check out his page at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wwghtml/wwghome.html
Thanks for the blog, I'll keep checking back.