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.

E-mail this page to a friend

Stephan Smith

Song: "The Bell"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"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."

-- Stephan Smith

Visit the official Stephan Smith Web site

Marie Beer

Song: "War"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

Marie Beer has an album out called The Garden, which you can find at her Web site, www.mariebeer.com

Leela and Ellie Grace

Song: "In My Name (You Shall Love)"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"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.

Tom Slater

Song: "Sweet Peaceful World"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"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."

-- Tom Slater

Visit the official Tom Slater Web site.

Bethany Yarrow

Song: "The Cruel War"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"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)

Visit Bethany Yarrow's Web site.

David Dondero has an album out called Shooting at the Sun With A Water Gun.

David Dondero

Song: "Pre-Invasion Jitters"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"Personally, I oppose George Bush and his policies. This is my political opinion, and God love the country where we can have our political opinions."

-- David Dondero

Visit the David Dondero's Web site on Future Farmer Records.

P.S. & Non-U

Song: "Somewhere"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

P.S. & Non-U are Florida brothers Mack and Mark Mentor.

Visit the official Web site for P.S. & Non-U from Titan Entertainment.

Bruce Odland

Song: "Simple"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"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.'"

-- Bruce Odland

Sunscreen

Song: "The Patriot"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

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."

-- Rick Shallert

David Prill

Song: "Ask Your Money"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

Peter Busboom

Song: "One Night in Baghdad"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"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."

-- Peter Busboom

Man's Laughter

Song: "Peace Between the East"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"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."

-- Luis Accorsi

John Mellencamp

Song: "To Washington"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"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."

--John Mellencamp (Rollingstone)

Beastie Boys

Song: "In A World Gone Mad"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media

"This song is not an anti-American or pro-Saddam Hussein statement. This is a statement against an unjustified war."

-- Adam Horovitz (Beastie Boys)

Visit the Beastie Boys Web site.

Darryl Worley

Song: "Have You Forgotten"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media



Visit the Darryl Worley Web site.

Clint Black

Song: "I Raq and Roll"

Listen to the audio-only version:
Real Audio | Windows Media



Visit the Clint Black Web site.

      Copyright 2003, NPR