The Message is in the Music

The lyrics of the song Mercy Mercy Me (Ecology) are about the environment and how mankind is sadly destroying it. The song’s profound lyrics mention, among other things, the blue skies vanishing, oil spilling on the oceans and destroying aquatic life, radiation killing animals and the over population of the Earth. It was written in 1973, when pollution was so bad, you couldn’t see city skylines through the black soot. There was little action being taken to balance nature and reduce pollution despite the EPA being put into place in December 1970, by President Nixon. The agency was created to reduce pollution and regulate industries that polluted the land, air and water. Someone needed to call attention to the degradation of Mother Earth and in this case, it was Marvin Gaye, whose lyrics and music brought the subject more attention.  Music and lyrics evoke emotions which drive people to act. Protest songs move to motivate people by changing the way they feel about the divisions between “us” and “them.” Do we want war or do we want peace?  Neil Richter, Malcolm Burman and I discuss the message in the music from the 60’s to today. From Dylan to Joni Mitchell, to Bob Marley to Green Day music remains an integral part of social movements, as it speaks to war, climate injustice, pandemic life and more. Check out The Richter Observatory on HudsonRiverRadio.com and watch great programs on MalcolmPresents.com. Subscribe to The Many Shades of Green Podcast on Spotify, Spreaker, iHeart, Apple, Amazon and more. Tweet us your thoughts @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness