Since the early 20th century, musicians have come together in the name of human rights to fight war, hunger, corruption, oppression, AIDS, apartheid and third-world debt. From single songs passed word-of-mouth to star-studded, multi-million dollar benefits, activists from Joe Hill to Bob Geldof have spoken up by singing out, drawing together disparate groups of people on the strength of unforgettable verse and universal harmony. "I've gone past the point where it's enough to dream, to imagine - that old John Lennon idea 'Imagine,'" says U2's Bono in GET UP, STAND UP: THE STORY OF POP AND PROTEST, airing on PBS Wednesday, September 28, 2005, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET. "No, I want to get out and do." Check local listings Coming on the heels of this summer's worldwide Live 8 concert event, GET UP, STAND UP serves as a timely reminder of the potent role music has played in a century's worth of political protest. The film traces the birth of protest songs to the American union movement and explores the impact of pop culture in politicizing the baby boomer generation during the Vietnam era. As rock critic Charles Shaar Murray says in the program: "Suddenly, politics became something which, as a thinking pop fan, you were supposed to know about." The documentary delves into the history of politics and protest in black music, from the civil rights movement and pacifism to black separatism, gangsta rap and the L.A. riots. "Overnight, when we heard 'Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud' by James Brown, we turned from colored to black, and black was beautiful," says host and narrator Chuck D in the program. The music in GET UP, STAND UP is omnipresent, moving seamlessly from "The Times They Are A-Changin'" to "Power to the People." By weaving historical footage and commentary from today's musicians and music critics, the program puts the power of pop into perspective. From the 1970s on, American musicians began taking on larger and larger issues in countries as diverse and far-flung as Bangladesh and Tibet. Benefit concerts and individual hit songs, including Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" and USA for Africa's "We Are the World," raised millions while capturing the attention of billions worldwide. Ultimately, GET UP, STAND UP is an investigation and a celebration, a reminder that pop can be so much more than simply "popular" music. Using songs as punctuation, the film chronicles the way music has been used throughout this century to convey social dissatisfaction, from labor unrest to terrorist attacks. "A pamphlet, no matter how good, is never read more than once," wrote Joe Hill, forerunner of socially conscious folk singers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. "But a song is learned by heart and repeated over and over." GET UP, STAND UP features James Brown, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and U2, with Joan Baez, the Beastie Boys, Harry Belafonte, Jackson Browne, Johnny Cash, the Clash, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Steve Earle, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof, Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie, Mick Jagger, Curtis Mayfield, the MC5, Country Joe McDonald, Roger McGuinn, Willie Nelson, Nirvana, Odetta, Tom Paxton, Peter Paul and Mary, Rage Against the Machine, the Ramones, REM, Pete Seeger, Martin Sheen, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder and more.
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