Category: Music

Friday Music: ‘This Land Is Your Land’

One of us is just done celebrating Chanukah and the other is about to head into Christmas festivities. In this week when we’ve felt a bit down about the state of the country and world, we’re offering you a familiar standby.

Here’s This Land is Your Land in a new rendition by Maxwell‘s AllStars, filmed by Boyd Matson, who captured both the recording session and a montage of newsreel films touching on civil rights, immigration, and the variety of people and places that constitute America. The direct YouTube link is here.

Here’s Matson’s description of the film and the list of participating artists.

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Friday Music: Pink’s ‘What About Us?’

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Image courtesy of Pink and the AMAs.

On a rainy day in the midst of exhausting sexual harrassment news, we needed a song with some ethical fire. The song What About Us?, by Pink, has been all over the radio, but we hadn’t listened carefully to the words ’til Pink was on NPR, having a frank conversation with Michel Martin about the state of US politics. What About Us? is all about the past year.

Friday Music: Song for a Peaceful Night

UfrosAleinu
Image by Laura Bolter

Today is the tenth anniversary of my father’s death, and next week is the start of the Jewish new year, or Rosh Hashanah. In honor of the occasions, here’s a Jewish prayer and song, Hashkiveinu, sung by Craig Taubman. Hashkiveinu means something like ‘Let us lie down’. For me, Fall has always felt like a time of renewal, perhaps because it’s when the school year starts. Emily and I wish you a weekend of peace and time spent with loved ones.   ~ Eva

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Friday Music: Rhiannon Giddens, ‘Wayfaring Stranger’

Wayfaring Stranger is an old North American folksong that’s been sung by artists as diverse as Burl Ives, Johnny Cash, and Ed Sheeran. We like this version by Rhiannon Giddens. Lyrics below.

A restful weekend to you, from us!

Wayfaring Stranger

I’m just a poor wayfaring stranger
Traveling through this world of woe
But there’s no sickness, toil nor danger
In that fair land to which I go
I’m going there to see my father
I’m going there no more to roam
I am just going over Jordan
I am just going over home

I know dark clouds will gather round me
I know my way is rough and steep
But beau-teous fields lie just before me
Where God’s redeemed their vigils keep
I’m going home to see my mother
She said she’d meet me when I come
I’m only going over Jordan
I’m only going over home
I’m just a going over home

Friday Music: Bragg & Henry, ‘The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore’

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Image courtesy of the Shine a Light website.

Happy Friday, everyone. Time for our end-of-week wind-down. We learned about the Shine A Light album this week: guitar and vocals from Billy Bragg and Joe Henry as they rode the train from Chicago to L.A. Here they are singing The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore. Be kind to yourself this weekend.

Friday Music: Kidjo’s ‘Malaika’

We love you, Angélique! Angélique Kidjo sings Malaika.

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Image: A. Kidjo’s Twitter profile.

We’re happy to Angélique Kidjo all day; it’s the resonance of her voice that blows us away.

Malaika is a Swahili-language love song probably best known in the U.S. via Miriam Makeba’s rendition. Kidjo’s version, below, is sung with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s representative of her efforts to combine different music heritages for the sake of both artistry and bringing people together.

We love you, Angélique!