Her car wash is a laid back, very “seventies” place with a cool boss: “Let me tell you it's always cool/and the boss don't mind sometimes if you act a fool.” You could probably smoke a joint on your break there, and the boss would just wink at you. The peculiar economic and social structure of America in its post-war years was designed for the working man to live like a king — or so the history goes. But, of course, she comes back every day. It makes you think about the sacrifices made by the men who built this country. The story's a simple one of a guy who works hard to buy his woman things, but when he gets home to her she makes him feel like everything's worth it: "And when I get home to you/you know the things that you do/will make me feel alright." Wobblies) songbook. You can hear it in Ronald Isley's voice as he settles into the band's irresistible groove. The song begins with several repetitions of "hoo, ahh," as "that's the sound of the men working on the chain gang." } Championing the same message as its predecessor, "Solidarity Forever," "There Is Power In a Union" cements the notion that we are stronger together than we are alone. The musical arrangement isn't particularly memorable, but the harmonica adds some nice color. It’d be difficult to find an expression of futility as desperate as this: "You load sixteen tons/what do you get?/another day older/and deeper in debt.". 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton, and no matter how much you hate Billy Joel-- Allentown. Folk music has a long relationship with labor struggles, and labor unions in particular. I know it’s a travesty to neglect “Which Side Are You On?” and Johnny Paycheck’s classic “Take This Job and Shove It.” It also seems impossible that I’ve excluded Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, Nina Simone, and John Mellencamp, and given such short shrift to the rich history of punk rock odes to the insanity of wage slavery. The following songs about working contain the gamut of emotions on the topic. 9 to 5 is a good one. The flat-out defiance rivals Woody Guthrie's song which closes out this list, and was no doubt taken as such when a plugged-in Bob Dylan shocked the Newport Folk Festival crowd in 1965. “Amarillo By Morning,” written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser; performed by George Strait (1982): This is a song about a journeyman working on the rodeo circuit at state fairs. There's none of the usual complaining about the job here. This recent hit has become so iconic, it "worked" perfectly for the intro of this article. There's one thing about this song that few people know—it's just a fantasy that the narrator's dreaming about, which you wouldn't know unless you listen to it carefully. Much like the legend of the steel worker John Henry (who, famously, "died with a hammer in his hand"), the story of work-til-you-die martyr Casey Jones has lived throughout labor history, and has even inspired a version of the song by the Grateful Dead.
Our list of the top 10 Labor Day songs celebrates all of the working class in America. Sign up for our free daily newsletter, along with occasional offers for programs that support our journalism. The following songs about working contain the gamut of emotions on the topic. Joan Crawford at New York's Town Hall (April 8, 1973). While John Henry was, legend has it, killed by his work ethic, the song stands as a message to workers and their employers alike. this traditional song has been recorded by Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips, Anne Feeney, Ella Jenkins, and countless others. It contains a universal sentiment: "Take this job and shove it/I ain't workin here no more.". Hopefully, these songs will get people thinking about their own favorite musical celebrations of the working condition. Cooke, with this song, was able to humanize a group of people society tends to write off as beyond redemption. function load_article_ads(){ You can hear why Haggard kept him as his lead guitarist for over 20 years. In this song, the workers are basically saying, "feed us, yes, but give us a quality life as well." if( isMobile.any() ){ "Working In a Coal Mine," written by Allen Toussaint; performed by Lee Dorsey (1966): Dorsey had an international hit with this song about working one of the worst jobs on earth, but he doesn't give it the somber treatment. Cooke's reminding listeners that forced celibacy is part of an inmate's sentence. During this period, when labor unions were just beginning to spread, workers literally risked their lives when they went on strike.
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