About the Song
Can Music Change the World (J. Webb) – Written as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, this is a "classic rock song" that is complete with references to the attempts of musicians in the 1960’s to change the world with popular music. The song is quite autobiographical, starting with growing up in the Vietnam War era and watching friends and family go and sometimes not come back from that war. In addition, the world was locked in the Cold war. The only solace from the onslaught of the Cold war and the possibility of global nuclear war was the music. The timeless music of the Beatles, Cream, and the Moody Blues allowed us to escape, if only for a few minutes, the horror and uncertainly of living under the threat of totally global devastation. During that time, we also landed on the Moon, a spectacular event that gave hope of a future in the nuclear age. Woodstock came around, that huge concert that proved the youth of the time could make a difference, at least for a while. As the cold war evolved, politicians started to realize the obvious: that in global nuclear war there are no winners. During the mid and late 1970’s we did some great things, like send the Voyager spacecraft on a mission to explore the outer Solar System. Our ingenuity and technology became apparent during this incredible mission that extended our knowledge about our home immeasurably. Then there was Carl Sagan, probably the most important scientist of the time, not necessarily because of his discoveries, but because he was able to connect to the general public like no other scientist. His famous Cosmos series still stands above all other productions to display not just the results, or the importance of science, but also the scientific process. The “how we know” was just as important as “what we know”. This is the philosophy I carry into each class I teach. The final verse brings us up to date: 40 years after Woodstock. We sadly find ourselves in a war very similar to the Vietnam war: the Iraq war. Now I see family members, students and friends, fighting in a distant land and coming back disturbed by what they have witnessed. Will we ever learn? Singers and songwriters of the 1960’s and 1970’s thought they changed the world, but did they really? Can music really change the world?
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Lyrics
It was the late ‘60s and I was in high school, Vietnam was calling like a sirens song so cruel
The cold war was hot, nuclear bombs were the rage, the way the world was going this was the last page
chorus
Then the music came along to escape from the bad dream
The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Moody Blues and Cream
The guitars wept, the wind cried, and the voices screamed
We landed on the Moon
Woodstock Changed the World
It was the early 70’s I survived high school, Vietnam still called me and death was the rule
The cold war was warm, the nuclear world was a stage, the way the world was going like we are trapped in a cage
chorus
Then the music came along to escape from the bad dream
The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Moody Blues and Cream
The guitars wept, the wind cried, and the voices screamed
Voyager took us to other Worlds
Carl Sagan tried to change the World
Its 40 years later, I’m teaching is a school, Iraq is calling my students like a sirens song so cruel
The cold war is gone, now terror is the rage, the world is a very small complicated stage
chorus
The music is still here to escape form the bad dream,
The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Moody Blues and Cream
The guitars still weep, the wind still cried, and the voices they screamed
Can music really change the World?
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