Joan Baez: Birmingham Sunday

Fifty years ago today an African-American Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama was dynamited by members of a Klan group.   Four girls died, ages 14 and 11, with many others injured.

Joan Baez sings this song written by Richard Fariña (her brother-in-law) to commemorate the attack.

Read more in this Wikipedia article:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing

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She may have been singing this back to Bob

Bob Dylan is 71 years old today.  May his music live forever. 

I used to think that only he and Joan Baez were capable of singing his songs, but there have been so many good covers of his work in recent years, from artists who have broken away from his style, that I’ve revised that thought. 

But Joan Baez is still the best at it. 

Here is Joan in 1965 singing “It Ain’t Me, Babe”, which Dylan had released the previous year on Another Side of Bob Dylan.  She may have been thinking about their broken romance as she was singing this.

 

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Joan Baez e i Beatles e i Rolling Stones

We’re trying to learn a little Italian around here.  Also, on Saturday mornings (while Jeri makes pancakes) we normally listen to folk music on WERU’s “Saturday Morning Coffeehouse”. 

So, what could be better than hearing folk and Italian, and hearing it all from Joan Baez? 

Rhetorical question.  Nothing could be better.  Don’t try to answer that.

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C’era un ragazzo

C’era un ragazzo
che come me
amava i Beatles
e i Rolling Stones

girava il mondo, 
veniva da
gli Stati Uniti d’America.

Non era bello
ma accanto a sé
aveva mille donne se
cantava «Help» e «Ticket to ride»
o «Lady Jane» o «Yesterday».

Cantava «Viva la libertà» 
ma ricevette una lettera,
la sua chitarra mi regalò
fu richiamato in America.

Stop! coi Rolling Stones!
Stop! coi Beatles. Stop!
Gli han detto vai nel Vietnam
e spara ai Vietcong…

Ta ta ta ta ta…

C’era un ragazzo
che come me 
amava i Beatles
e i Rolling Stones

girava il mondo, 
ma poi finì
a far la guerra nel Vietnam.

Capelli lunghi non porta più,
non suona la chitarra ma
uno strumento che sempre dà
la stessa nota ratatata.

Non ha più amici, non ha più fans,
vede la gente cadere giù:
nel suo paese non tornerà
adesso è morto nel Vietnam.

Stop! coi Rolling Stones!
Stop! coi Beatles. Stop!
Nel petto un cuore più non ha
ma due medaglie o tre…

Ta ta ta ta ta…

 

Musica e parole: Migliacci – Lusini
(1966)

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Someday

I missed Joan Baez’ birthday by one week, but this song fits in well with the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

This is Joan’s performance of “We Shall Overcome” at Woodstock in 1969, one year after Reverend King’s death.

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