One of the clearest examples of music’s involvement in challenging power is Sam

Cooke’s R and B song, “A Change is Gonna Come.” This song serves as a public transcript, as
Cooke’s lyrics openly oppose power and continuously calls for change. Though this song is a
very clear opposition to the discrimination faced by black Americans in the twentieth century,
the song serves as a form of political resistance and an anthem to unite those fighting for civil
rights. Music often can serve as a voice for the voiceless and express the views of overlooked
groups. As the reading notes, “A song can incorporate many layers of meaning, partly because
music can convey what cannot be spoken or what might not be heard in everyday speech,” which
is very true in this context the fight for civil rights and open opposition to discrimination was
controversial and dangerous for outspoken supporters (Shelemay 352). Cooke wrote this song as
a protest song for the American civil rights movement, and that’s exactly what it became. The
song was released at the peak of the civil rights movement in 1964, a few days after the shooting
that ended Sam Cooke’s life. The lyrics of this song present a clear message that the suffering
and inequities that black people face in America must come to an end, and not only must a
change come, but as Cooke sings he knows a change is gonna come. The message of the song
combined with its release just after Cooke’s funeral took the country by storm and “has come to
symbolize the ways in which American popular music intersected with and helped sustain the
civil-rights movement” (Cantwell). The origins of Cooke’s song is interesting as he was inspired
by another famous song of the decade-- “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. Cooke knew he
could write a song just as powerful that could top the charts, so he got to writing his own protest
song. Not only do the lyrics of this song convey the hope that Cooke performs with and intends
to instill in his audience, the music that accompanies Cooke adds to the message that the singer
intends to convey. The music is bright, grandiose, and almost celebratory-- like Cooke is already
celebrating the change he is so confident is coming. The accompaniment helps Cooke convey the
hopeful attitude as well as the urgency with which he sings. The genre of music is also symbolic
as he combines the tradition of black spirituals with the gritty topics addressed in R and B
(Helligar). Black spirituals are the music that came out of the combined the experiences of
slavery and African heritage, so the use of this style of music is a significant as it reminds the
audience that the blacks in America were once slaves and that’s why this change that they’re
fighting for is so crucial. While Sam Cooke wrote this song about the pressing issues of
dicrimination in the Jim Crow Era of American history, the political message of this song is still
applicable today. The call for change and an end to the oppressive institutions that keep black
people down disappointingly still necessary today.