Singing Revolution.•*¨*•.¸¸♬

Estonia is small country in North Europe. It is a state in the Baltic region and borders the Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia. Estonia was occupied by many great powers in its history, such as vikings, Danish, Swedish and of course both the Russian Empire and the German Empire. Estonia was an independent country after its War of Independence, but when World War II started, the Soviet Union and Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact secretly, which brought another nightmare to Estonians. As well as Latvia, Lithuania, Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and the Hertza region, Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union.

During Soviet occupation, Estonian government officials were executed or deported to remote areas, and ordinary people were also deported to Siberia and were forced to work there. In 1941, Germany occupied Estonia, but there was no difference between German troops and Soviet troops. Estonians were still suffering. The worst thing was that in 1944, the Soviet Union reconquered Estonia. This time, more people were sent to Soviet labor camps, and thousands people were killed. Citizens of the Soviet Union moved in, which was a great challenge to Estonian culture.

But what the Soviet Union did to Estonia during the occupation did not kill their culture. One reason was that Estonians never stopped singing their songs. Being a small country, the amount of folk songs in Estonia is the largest in the world. Estonians love singing. They does not only have songs, they have a unique song festival (Laulupidu). Usually in the festival, 30 thousand singers on the stage, and over 80 thousand audience. When more than 30 thousand people sing the same song together, whatever they sing would be powerful.

In the documentary the Singing Revolution, many Estonians said that while singing together, they realized that the spirit of Estonia was still there, the culture of Estonia was not killed, and they were still a nation. Their lives changed so much after the occupation: they were forced to speak Russian, their national flags were banned, their home and land were taken, their families were torn apart, and people were killed all the time. The only thing that they could do was singing.

Luckily, they still have the Laulupidu during the occupation. Although they were asked to sing soviet songs, composer Gustav Ernesaks introduced a Estonian song at the Laulupidu in 1947 -- "Land of my father, land that I love". The lyric of this song was taken from a traditional Estonian poem, but miraculously, this song was not banned by the Soviet. Over 30 thousands people sang this song together at the Laulupidu in 1947. This song provided an opportunity for the Estonians to sing their love for their own countries.

English version (non-literal):

My Fatherland is My Love,

to whom I´ve given My Heart.

To You I sing, my greatest happiness,

My flowering Estonia!

Your pain boils in My Heart,

Your Pride and Joy makes me happy,

My Fatherland, My Fatherland!

My Fatherland is My Love,

I shall never leave Him,

even if I must die hundred deaths

because of Him!

Does the foreign envy slander,

You still live in my Heart,

My Fatherland, My Fatherland!

My Fatherland is My Love,

and I want to rest,

to lay down into Your Arms,

My sacred Estonia!

Your Birds will sing Sleep to Me,

flowers will bloom from My Ashes,

My Fatherland, My Fatherland!

(From WIKIPEDIA)

In 1985, Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union, and his new policies called perestroika (political and economic restruction)and glasnost (free speech) provided opportunities for the Estonians to assert their independence. The Estonians started to test the new policies. At first they tried to protest mining and succeeded. Then they started to talk about the Soviet Union and their history facts publicly. At the summer festival, people even brought the national flag of Estonia, which was impossible before. More and more social and political organization were established and it was at the Lalupidu one year that different groups stood together to talk about their opinions. The two policies also led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which also helped build the Estonians a road to the real independence. The Estonians also started to think about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. It was signed secretly, so the Estonians declared that the pact was illegal, which means that the Soviet occupation was also illegal, thus it is natural for Estonia to be a independent nation.

Finally, Estonians earned their freedom. It was just like a miracle, because the revolution was no involved with violence and military. It was all about singing, and the deepest love that the Estonians have in those years of horror, and I believe that this is a revolution that could only happen in Estonia.

Music in Civil Rights Movement.•*¨*•.¸¸♬

Civil Rights Movement was a powerful movement in American history. The ancestors of African Americans were brought to North America as slaves hundreds of years ago, and they weren't treated as human beings at that time. Although their legal rights were extended after the civil war, and the 14th Amendment states that all persons born in the US were extended equal protection under the laws of the Constitution. The "separate but equal" doctrine and segregation still prevented them from having rights that white people have. Segregation simply divide people into "colored" and "white", and "colored" people had to attend separate schools, drink from separate water fountains, sit at different areas in restaurants and buses. They even had to swear on separate Bibles. However, African Americans did not stop fighting. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Little Rock Nine, from the Greensboro sit-ins to the Freedom Rides, and from the March on Washington to the Freedom Summer, and finally in Selma, they were fighting against segregation and racial discrimination together. Many of them were put in prison, some were killed, and some lost their family members and friends, but finally the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were signed in 1964 and 1965, which brought real civil rights and voting rights to African Americans.

In Civil Rights Movement, music played an important role. African Americans did not use violence in the movement, they used music instead. They took music from black church, as everyone knew the melodies. No matter how old a person was, no matter where he or she came from, everyone can sing. They were singing during the sit-ins, they were singing while marching, they were singing on buses to Washington, they were even singing while arrested. Singing was a unique way of fighting in the movement. Harry Belafonte said that “you can cage the singer but not the song”. Those songs brought them courage when they were beaten and arrested, because they knew that they weren't alone through the songs. 

For example, the key anthem of the movement was a song called “We Shall Overcome”. It was originally a gospel, but lately used as a labor song. Guy Carawan introduced this song to the Civil Right Movement in 1959, and in 1960, over 300 thousand people sang this song at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. Even President Johnson used “we shall overcome” in his speech after “bloody Sunday”. This song was spread to the world later, and brought strength to other people who were fighting for their freedom.

Another song is Go Tell It on the Mountain. It is also an African American spiritual. It was rewritten in 1963 as “Tell It on the Mountain” by the musical team Peter, Paul And Mary. "Let my people go" in the lyrics referred to the Civil Rights Movement, and this song uses Biblical analogies and the story of Moses freeing the Jews from Egypt as an analogy for Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement. The original lyrics was:

Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light

Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angels chorus
That hailed the savior's birth

Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And god sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn'

Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

During the movement, some musicians used the phrase “Set my people free” instead “Jesus Christ Is Born.”

More Civil Rights songs：http://newsone.com/1460645/top-10-civil-rights-protest-songs-of-all-time/

The Civil Rights Movements ended in 1968 and African Americans earned their rights in the end. But musicians do not stop writing and singing because there were still injustice in society and there are still people fighting for opportunities, freedom and justice. Sweet Honey In the Rock is one of the musicians. They use their songs to fight against immigration injustices, congressional greed, racial issues and women's issues. For example, their song “Are We A Nation?” shows their concern to Arizona's controversial immigration law.