Read an essay by the composer of the theme music for NPR's coverage of the war in Iraq.
Listen to a discussion on the relationship between music and war from NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.
Read the LA Times interview with Bob Boilen on the art of picking music for sensitive war coverage.
Listen to music featured during NPR's coverage of the September 11th terrorists attacks.
Inspired Music
There was a time when news of the day was passed along by storytellers and musicians who traveled from town to town. And then came the Internet.
Whenever anything happens in the world, we at All Songs Considered can count on you to share your reaction to it in a CD, an MP3 file or even the odd bit of poetry.
In this special edition of All Songs Considered, we hope to continue the tradition of musical community by presenting a sampling of some of the music we've received. Some of the work is by well-known artists, some by people you've never heard of. If you're inspired to create something and send it along, please see our submission guidelines.
"I wrote the Bell in response to the current push for war in Iraq, but had
all war in mind, in which a few wealthy individuals lead whole nations of
honest people into violence for gains that remain only in the hands of those
few. This war, primarily over oil in the mid-east, is a war of
the kind of globalization my generation is standing up against. I hope this
song helps stop the war, and all war of its kind, while inspiring the growing
international movement for equality and human rights. I also hope the manner
in which it spreads is an inspiration for those who believe art does have the
power to create social change."
"I wrote this song nearly a year ago and I regularly introduce it by saying 'I don't usually write songs from the perspective of God, but...' As I look around today, it seems to me that never has a song like this been more needed than at this very moment in time. It feels as though we stand at a crossroads. My deepest hope is that this song does some small part to sow seeds of peace, to give wings to love, to bring light into the darkest places, to make other ways of being in this world seem possible."
-- Leela Grace
Visit the official Leela and Ellie Grace Web site.
"I actually wrote 'Sweet, Peaceful World' a couple of months after 9/11. It was my way of dealing with many of the hopeless feelings I was having at the time about the human race and its future. It was clear to me after I finished 'Sweet, Peaceful World' that I had just written one of my best songs. Now, it has an eerie timeliness to it; my country is just beginning what could be an endless series of questionable wars and I worry about the consequences it will have for all of humanity. What I really love about 'Sweet, Peaceful World' is that it doesn't necessarily take sides and it is really a love song -- a love song that can be sung for one person, or for the whole, entire world."
"This new version of 'The Cruel War' ...is a prayer and a reminder of what war is, and how it tears apart not just lovers, but whole lives, cities, and countries. It is a song for our time, because now is the time to speak and sing out."
-- Bethany Yarrow (daughter of Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary)
"Noticing a variety of sonic responses to our current situation in the world, I offer my simple song which is a form of meditation on complex issues; of a leader of the free world elected or not by a small fraction of one country. I call it 'simple.'"
Sunscreen are: Bonnie and Jobie Eldridge, Greg and Rick Schallert.
"The title, 'The Patriot,' can be considered ironic from different points of
view, or as an unintentional fallacy. For starters there's the patriot
missile with plenty of irony all on it's own. Then there's the controversy
that expressing opposition to the war, is in some way unpatriotic. My view
is contrary. I believe that free expression is the core of our democracy and
we (citizens) have a responsibility to express that view. ...So what's this
war all about anyway? I want people to think about that."
"I lived in New York for 4 years, and I saw the second tower going down. No question, that was the saddest day in my live. But this war will create more hate, even among pro-American countries, and there are several leaders who will for sure gear up their war equipment, just because of the threat from the USA.
About the song, I cannot believe how the media report the war like a baseball game. In the song, you hear applause after grenades and shootings. But at the end is a huge nuclear explosion, and that was it with this planet."
"This is a band made of three guys who have played together for 10 years. Luis Accorsi is from Venezuela so the song has a slightly 'outside' view. Mike Lasek sings along with Luis about the ambiguities that surround both the effect of war and the icons of the war and its historical connotations. An example is how a leader's name is (emphasized): 'BUSH' or 'SADDAM' in the song. But it's sort of a redeeming song in that we should all know that by now in the evolution of mankind peace is always the best solution. But where is
the problem? In our nature, and that we can't change."
"It's hard for musicians to know where they stand. We haven't dealt with the threat of war for a long time. Everybody was preoccupied with young girls in stretch dresses. There has to be more to music than that."
