5 Songs For Martin Luther King Jr. Day

1. Pride (In The Name Of Love) - U2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHcP4MWABGY Irish rock band U2's pride (In The Name Of Love) rings out like an Martin Luther King, Jr. speech. the opening distorted guitar of The Edge is iconic, ringing out this echoey, ambient and electric snarl that sounds loud even at a low volume. It was Bono's attempt to look at the civil rights movement by examining both peaceful and non-peaceful methods of protest. Bono almost screams the lyrics which have a simple but incredibly powerful quality. it became U2's first Top 40 single in the US and was the first single from The Unforgettable Fire which also contains another song about King which is the beautiful, dreamlike MLK. U2's raw emotion channels the same feeling as King's speeches and writings. Whether people saw it or not King was calling for action, but he was calling for action with peace, love and politics. He saw the world for what it was and demanded change. U2's song channels King's aggression and spirit and the song is ethereal, powerful and a call to arms for everyone who has a heart. It's an uplifting song and it was famously played at Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration. "Early morning, April 4, a shot rings out in the Memphis sky, free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride." as many know the songs contains a factual error as King was shot in the evening but that doesn't matter when the final lyric of the third verse kicks in, and Bono's voice resonates and wails out "free at last". The lyrics express how King's pride and beliefs will never be taken away from him even in his death and the song and every other song written about King is a testament to the man's power, determination and soul. This is taken from a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech and was included in the vinyl of the 212 of The Unforgettable Fire album;
"I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermo-nuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
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Contributor

I mostly write about wrestling and sometimes music when I'm not serving people coffee. I also have a blog http://thesunsetflip.tumblr.com/ and am on twitter @kideternity2013