To find a specific song, choose one of the drop down items. Songs are listed in the following terms:
Political Music - This section highlights songs that have a specific agenda. Categories vary from such topics as war protest songs and imperialism to abortion and homelessness.
Canadian History - This section deals with songs from Native history to Confederation to contemporary Canadian history.
Canadiana - This section includes songs about Canadian identity, industries, and regionalism songs.
Teach With Music - Watch Them Come Alive!
As a reference point, a list of engaging songs and the issues the deal with are listed below. For more in-depth information, go to the "songs" section. My favourite songs to teach with are written in maroon text.
POLITICAL MUSIC - POLITICAL MUSIC - POLITICAL MUSIC
This is an unlinked list. Go to the "songs" section for more detail.
Anti War / Violence
John Brown - Bob Dylan
God on Our Side - Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan
Masters of War – Bob Dylan
Cortez the Killer - Neil Young
Gulf War - Moxy Fruvous
Revolution - The Beatles
Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire
Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2
It'll Be a Long Time - Offspring
For What it's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
Vietnam – Country Joe and the Fish (language warning)
Abraham, Martin, and John - Dion
Where's the Love - Black-eyed Peas (& J. T.)
Cookie Jar – Jack Johnson
Civil War – Guns and Roses
Rich Man’s War – Steve Earle
Too Many Puppies – Primus
Where Have All the Flowers Gone – Pete Seger
Universal Soldier – Donavon / Buffy Sainte-Marie
One Tin Soldier - Coven
Brother’s in Arms – Dire Straits
BYOB – System of a Down
BOOM! – System of a Down
Revolution – Tracy Chapman
Peace Train – Cat Stevens
The System has Failed – Megadeath
Bombs Over Bagdad - Outkast
Christmas in the Trenches - John McCutcheon
Franco-Unamerican - NOFX
Rationalizing War / Violence - Support the Troops
Fighting Side of Me – Merle Haggard
Ballad of the Green Beret – Barry Sadler
Good Old USA - Toby Keith
Taliban - Toby Keith (great for discussing stereotyping)
American Soldier – Toby Keith
Believe - Yellowcard
Soldier - Shawn Hlookoff
Poverty / Homeless
Keep on Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
Stranger than Fiction - Bad Religion
Punk Rock Song - Bad Religion (language)
Burned Out Car - Junk House
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Runaway Train – Soul Asylum
Environmental Action
Kyoto Now! - Bad Religion
Yer Not the Ocean - The Tragically Hip (written as a response to Harper’s “Clean Air Act”)
I Need To Wake Up - Melissa Etheridge
If a Tree Falls - Bruce Cockburn
Last Frontier - The Eagles
Dreamer - Ozzy Osbourne
Excuse Me Mr. - Ben Harper
Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
The Truth Comes Out – Corb Lund
How Are We Going to Save Tomorrow (The PCB Song)– Pete Seger
What’ca Gonna Do About Me - Quicksilver
Increase Awareness of Global Issues
1- Tears are not Enough - Northern Lights (get students to compare these three songs)
2- We are the World - Band-Aid
3- Do they Know it's Christmas - Band-Aid
Farmer’s Song – Neil Young
What’s a Simple Man to Do? – Steve Earle (maquiladoras)
Rocket Launcher - Bruce Cockburn (language)
Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil
It Could Be A Wonderful World – Pete Seger
Immigrant Workforce – Bedoiun Soundclash
Abortion
What It's Like – Everlast
Brick – Ben’s Fold Five
Pennyroyal Tea - Nirvana (cryptic but interesting.. see write up in the "songs" section for more info)
Heart-shaped Box - Nirvana
Industrialization
The Horizon has Been Defeated – Jack Johnson
What's a Simple Man to Do? - Steve Earle
Alleytown – Billy Joel
Trickle Down – Ani Defranco
Industrial Dance – Dire Straits
Telegraph Road – Dire Straits
Communism / Unions
The World isn’t Fair – Randy Newman
The People Have the Power – Patty Smith
Lisa’s Protest Song from the Simpsons
When the People Lead – Ben Harper
Which Side Are You On? – Pete Seger
Imagine – John Lennon
Capitalism
Amerika V 6.0 - Steve Earle
Capital Punishment
Ellis Unit One - Steve Earle
Dead Man Walking - Bruce Springsteen
Mercy Seat - Nick Cave
Human Rights / Legal System
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee – Buffy Sainte-Marie
Hurricane – Bob Dylan
Wheat Kings - The Tragically Hip (about David Milgaard)
Canadian Shield - Sam Roberts (about Vietnam Draft Dogers)
Democracy’s Coming to the USA – Leonard Cohen
Imperialism
Great Nations of Europe – Randy Newman
Political Science – Randy Newman
Cortez the Killer - Neil Young
What’s a Simple Man to Do? – Steve Earle (Mexican Drug Smuggling)
Buffalo Soldier – Bob Marley
Don’t Drink the Water – Dave Matthews
Bullet in the Blue Sky – U2
Immigration
Pier 21 – John Wort Hannam
Immigrant Workforce – Bedoiun Soundclash
History (World)
Rasputin – Boney M
Protest (Reign of Terror/Bush) – Anti-Flag
Done With Bonaparte – Mark Knopfler
Passchendaele (WWI) – Iron Maiden
Green Fields of France (WWI) – Eric Bogle
No Man’s Land (WWI) – Eric Bogle
Waltzing Matilda (WWI -Gallipoli) – Eric Bogle
Sink the Bismarck (WWII) – Johnny Horton
The War - Angels and Airwaves (D-Day)
Kenji – Fort Minor (Japanese Internment)
Kiera’s Piano (Japanese Intern.) – James Keelehen
99 Red Balloons (Cold War) – Nena
Leningrad (Cold War) – Billy Joel
Russians (Cold War) - Sting
Manhattan Project (Nuclear War) – Rush
We Didn’t Start the Fire (various issues)– Billy Joel
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – G. Lightfoot
Take it From Dr. King – Pete Seger
History was Made by Stupid People – Arrogant Worms
Good People (Winnipeg General Strike) – Maria Dunn
Horse Rider! Horse Rider! - Corb Lund (retrospective on the role of cavalry)
Canadian Shield - Sam Roberts (about Vietnam Draft Dogers)
Drugs - Rights / Issues
Cochise - Audioslave
Needle and the Damage Done - Neil Young
Burn One Down - Ben Harper
We Be Burning – Sean Paul
What’s a Simple Man to Do? – Steve Earle (Mexican Drug Smuggling)
Master of Puppets – Metallica
Angel – Sarah McLaughlin (about a drug overdose!)
Equality & Empowerment
(Race/ Religion/ Gender/ Sexual Identity/ Stereotyping)
Get Up Stand Up – Bob Marley
Redemption Song – Bob Marley
Losing My Religion – REM
People Have the Power – Patti Smith
I Could Have Been You – Melissa Etheridge
Right Now – Van Halen
I Am Women – Helen Reddy
Power of Equality – Red Hot Chili Peppers (language)
Imagine – John Lennon
Misunderstood – Pink
Signs - Five Man Electrical Band
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott Heron
Beds Are Burning - Midnight Oil
Times Are A Changin' - Bob Dylan
We Shall Be Free - Garth Brooks
Southern Man – Neil Young (in retaliation for this song, Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote Sweet Home Alabama)
It’s Like That – Run DMC
Mr. Cab Driver – Lenny Kravitz (language)
With My Own Two Hands (responsible citizenship) – Ben Harper
Sister Rosa Parks – The Neville Brothers
Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday
CANADIAN HISTORY - CANADIAN HISTORY - CANADIAN HISTORY
This is an unlinked list. Go to the "songs" section for more detail.
Native History
Thanadelthur - Mike Ford
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - Buffy Sainte Marie
Explorers
Northwest Passage – Stan Rogers
Voyaguers
Les Voyageurs - Mike Ford
Northwest Company - John Spearn
Acadians
Acadian Driftwood – The Band
The United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists – The Evaporators
The War of 1812
The Battle of New Orleans’s – Johnny Horton
The War of 1812 – Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie
Laura Secord Secord’s Warning – Tanglefoot
Rebecca’s Lament – James Keelaghan
Tecumseh When Tenskwatawa Sings – Michael Longcor
Tecumseh - Canadabis
The Rebellions of 1837-1838
Turn Them Ooot! - Mike Ford
La Patroite - Mike Ford
Confederation
Sir John A. - Mike Ford
The Railroad
Canadian Railroad Trilogy – Gordon Lightfoot
Ribbon of Broken Dreams – John Spearn
The Flyin’ CPR – Stompin’ Tom
The Canadian Frontier / Immigration
No Roads Here – Corb Lund
Annabelle – John Wort Hannam
Five Dollar Bill – Corb Lund
Canada Needs You - Mike Ford
Pier 21 – John Wort Hannam
Louis Riel
Red River Rising – James Keelaghan
Riel (The Batoche Campaign) – John Spearn
Louis and Gabriel - Mike Ford
World War I
Christmas in the Trenches - John McCutcheon
Tom Brown & Wop May
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron – The Royal Guardsmen
Tom Brown & Wop May – John Spearn
Vimy Ridge
Vimy– Tanglefoot
Creeping Barrage - Mike Ford
Ten Thousand Guns - John Spearn
World War II
Dieppe Raid
Nautical Disaster – The Tragically Hip
Dieppe – John Spearn
CANADIANA - CANADIANA - CANADIANA - CANADIANA
This is an unlinked list. Go to the "songs" section for more detail.
Canadian Identity / Regionalism
I Am Canadian - Joe Canada (Jeff Daniels)
Canadian Idiot - Weird Al
Je Suis Quebecor
I Am A Newfoundlander
The Newfie Stomp
I am an Albertan
Let's Go To Canada - Five Iron Frenzy
Canadian Geography
I've Been Everywhere - Stompin' Tom Connors
I’ve Been Everywhere – Mike Ford
Oh Alberta - Elliot Brood
Industries of Canada
FISH
Fisherman's Son - John Wort Hannam
I’se the Byes that Builds the Boat
OIL
Roughest Neck Around - Corb Lund
Alberta's Crude - Tim Hus
COAL
Hillcrest Mine – James Keelaghan
Above Ground - John Wort Hannam
Eddy Fitzgerald - John Wort Hannam
FARMING
Dynamite and Dozers - John Wort Hannam
Sons of the Soil – John Wort Hannam
Bud the Spud – Stompin’ Tom
Bigger Than Anywhere Else – Connie Kaldor