10 must-hear songs
Going up Country by Canned Heat
Listen to this old ditty and be swept away to a musical scenery where the green trees and wildflowers overflow. Canned Heat captured the spirit of a generation of ’60s youth that put the emphasis on earth consciousness as no other had before.
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
“I see trees of green…”
Although he sings with the most gravely of voices, Louis Armstrong was never smoother as he was singing What a Wonderful World. Listen to the lyrics and Earth Day has its second soundtrack song.
Where is the Love? by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake joined the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie for Where is the Love? The song put the Peas on the map and introduced mass audiences to a beautiful singer named Fergie. Fitting, since the beauty of Where is the Love? lies in BEP’s ability to urge listeners to look to replace the hurting in the planet with love.
My City Was Gone by The Pretenders
Suburban sprawl, by many accounts, is one of the puzzle pieces that has led the world down the global warming path. Chrissie Hynde captures the hurt of the expanse in The Pretenders’ My City Was Gone. Describing coming home to her small Ohio town and where once stood farms now stand shopping malls and outlet centers.
Add in a population in cars driving to these shopping centers and Chrissie’s city being gone was simply the beginning of a global climate crisis.
Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil brought the plight of the Australian native peoples – the Aborigines – to the global stage with its anthem for making the wrongs of the past right. Whether talking about native peoples or the earth they wholeheartedly respect and live off of, Midnight Oil stressed in 1988 what we all know currently – “The time is now. A fact’s a fact.”
One World by Bob Marley
Let’s get together and it will be alright has never been more true than on Earth Day 2009. As the climate crisis heads to another Earth Day, Bob Marley singing about the world we share could not be more apt. By the way — any Bob Marley would work fantastically on Earth Day!
One World (Not Three) by The Police
The Police take a stab at the global consensus of dividing the world into three parts. The first world (Western countries), second world (at the time: communist countries) and the third world (poor countries) would inherently, Sting argues, disproportionably consume the world’s resources. Guess what happened?
Imagine by John Lennon
“You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”
Could there be more of a no-brainer on Earth Day than John Lennon’s iconic ode to a world that can be if only… No, John, you are not and in 2009 Earth Day has never been so universally celebrated. We still have much to Imagine, but Earth Day is a start.
Beautiful Day by U2
Had to have U2 on the Earth Day song list, but which song? Although they are the most political acute bands of the last 100 years, U2 lands with Beautiful Day because of its inherent optimism on a day that calls for it. U2 knows that the good people of the earth will remember the song’s titular call each April and head outside to celebrate the Earth. It’s a beautiful day! Don’t let it get away.
Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
“Here comes the sun…and it’s alright.”
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison could have gone heavy-handed with their message of earthy joy. Instead, the Fab Four pulled back and produced one of the Beatles’ most powerful messages.
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