Freedom Sings

“Musical innovation is full of danger to the whole State, and ought to be prohibited.” - Plato

The above quote greeted those in attendance for Freedom Sings, a multimedia presentation performed by members of the First Amendment Center, in the Dan Rodden Theatre Sept. 17 as part of the school’s Constitution Day celebration. Combining performances of controversial songs from the last three centuries of U.S. history with visuals and narration from FAC vice president and executive director Gene Policinski, Freedom Sings offered Lasallians an experience that was at times hilarious and intense, but always thought-provoking.

Angelo Ratini- Freedom Sings covers over three centuries of controversial music in America.

The night was great for two reasons. First off, cake was served. It was decorated like the American flag, and it was free.

“You can really taste the bald eagle,” said one student.

Second, Freedom Sings was legitimately interesting. The first half or so of the show was lighthearted. When Policinski introduced the band and its credentials, drummer Craig Krampf responded with a performance of “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky III, a track he drummed on back in 1981. Also included in the group were Bill Lloyd, Don Henry, Shonka Dukureh, Jonell Mosser, Jen Gunderman and Ashley Cleveland, among whom several Grammies have been distributed over the years.

The group’s thesis for the show was that the First Amendment needs to exist in order to guarantee censorship is not abused, allowing for the freedom of religious thought, speech, the press, peaceable assembly and the right to petition. Covers of The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie,” an illicit sex tune banned in Boston 1957, and The Kingsmen’s “Louie, Louie,” which the FBI investigated due to a fear that the unintelligible lyrics were actually lewd, revealed how ridiculous censhorship can be.

But music is not just meant to be offensive for offense’s sake. Dukureh’s lead on “Strange Fruit,” an anti-racism Abel Mirapore tune made famous by Billie Holiday, and later Cleveland’s lead on “Precious Lord, Lead Me Home,” one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite songs, gave music a social conscience. Of course, “Strange Fruit” was always political, while “Precious Lord” took on a whole new context because of King, but they’re still both testaments to the power of song.

Censorship was presented in all its ludicrous glory during the presentation’s rock ‘n’ roll segment. From images of Elvis Presley being shot from the waist up on The Ed Sullivan Show to The Beatles getting in trouble with former vice president Spiro Agnew for getting “high” with their friends, inane controversy followed. The highlight, however, would be the FBI investigation of “Louie, Louie” for inappropriate language, proving that controversy can follow mumbles just as well as real words. The performance was prefaced with, “Sing along with the lyrics you know.”

Another danger discussed was the power of one company, like Clear Channel, to circumvent the First Amendment, which applies only to the government, by denying people in its markets access to certain songs. Such was the case for a medley of tunes played which were banned after the 9/11 attacks because they might remind people of terrorism. This included “Learn to Fly” by Foo Fighters, the classic “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass, “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty, “Fly” by Sugar Ray, “Jumper” by Third Eye Blind and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M. Headscratchers all, it’s incredible how one company can decide what key words are and are not offensive.

The second half of the show took on a far more serious tone, as Policinski introduced “The Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall, a 1963 poem about the bombing of a Baptist church which killed four girls. Randall’s words and Dukureh’s vocals combined to create a haunting image of a mother losing her daughter where she should have been safest—Sunday school. The result left the audience stunned into silence.

Discussion also turned towards Vietnam-era songs, the Kent State shootings and the social commentary offered by late ’80s rap acts like Public Enemy and N.W.A. While Freedom Sings glossed over gangster rap, nu-metal and Columbine, it was still worthwhile to see video of Chuck D talking about music as a medium for expression of emotion and news coverage.

While the second portion of the night turned into an awkward, buzz-killing tangent, it contained an important point—that music and poetry can forge a message more intense than any found in books or television programs, the language of the anthem. Succinct but powerful, a proper anthem, coupled with a firm sense of right and wrong, can inform and motivate people to stand up and effect changes in their society. Yes, the First Amendment protects everything from silly pop songs to volatile, hate speech-riddled demonstrations, but it also preserves music’s journalistic mind and heart.

At the end of the night, Policinski left listeners with these highly recommend words about the First Amendment:

“We should respect it, reflect it, but most of all, we need to protect it.”