All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music — Season 1, Episode 12: Go Down, Moses! (Folk 'War Songs')

Episode synopsis

After Nashville had raped American country music, it might seem that the folk traditions this music embodied had been lost. Not so, because these traditions had a purpose other than to entertain. We shall see how folk music used popular melodies to spell out unpopular themes, how during the American War of Independence filthy words were penned against the British Crown, but all to the tune of ‘God Save The King’. The same happened during the American Civil War – different words, depending on whether you were from the North or the South but to the same tune. Song has been used by such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, Peter Seeger and Leonard Cohen as a passionate weapon for peace. The effect these singers managed to achieve in the sixties was one of the stronger causes of the American defeat in Vietnam. featuring Arlo Guthrie Bing Crosby Country Joe McDonald James Simmons Joan Baez Leon Rosselson Leonard Cohen Pete Seeger Peter, Paul and Mary The Andrews Sisters Vera Lynn Woody Guthrie

About All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music

A 17-part television documentary series on the history of modern pop music covering some of the many different genres that have fallen under the label of "popular music" between the mid-19th century and 1976, including folk, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, vaudeville and music hall, musical theatre, country, swing, jazz, blues, R&B, rock 'n' roll and others.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Introductory Programme
• E2God's Children
• E3I Can Hypnotise 'Dis Nation (Ragtime)
• E4Jungle Music (Jazz)
• E5Who's That Comin'? (The Blues)
• E6Rude Songs (Vaudeville and Music Hall)
• E7Always Chasin' Rainbows (Tin Pan Alley)
• E8Diamonds As Big As the Ritz (The Musical)
• E9Swing That Music! (Swing)
• E10Good Times (Rhythm and Blues)
• E11Making Moonshine (Country Music)
• E13Hail! Hail! Rock n Roll (Rock n Roll)