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Billie Holiday strange fruit
When Billie Holiday first began performing the song at Café Society, in 1939, she was afraid of retaliation. But “Strange Fruit” became a show-stopper – quite literally. A rule was enforced that she’d only be able to perform it as the last song in her set, once the bar staff had called time and the room was darkened. -
Aretha Franklin Respect
"Respect" is a song originally released by American singer-songwriter Otis Redding in 1965. The song became a 1967 hit and signature song for singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few changes in the lyrics, the stories told by the songs have a different flavor -
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slavery
Afther the founding of the United States in 1776, some of the new nation's first protest songs were by and about slaves. These songs were rooted in religious hymns and spirituals with biblical themes. Titles included "Steal Away," "Go Down Moses (Let My People Go)," "We Shall Be Free" and "Run To Jesus," the song Frederick Douglass said inspired him to escape slavery in 1838.