Simone is a militant voice in Civil Rights. She writes this sardonically up-tempo piece in ‘63, in response to a Birmingham church bombing that kills four black girls.

A #1 hit for the Byrds, written by famed folk singer Pete Seeger. Based on a piece of Biblical text, with Seeger’s added promise, “I swear it's not too late” for peace.

Also sung by the Jefferson Airplane and We Five, but never a Top Ten success until The Youngbloods’ version is used in a public service ad—2 years after the song is released.

The 4 brothers from Mississippi start a soul group in ’54, and rise to fame in ’65 after the Newport Folk Festival. Their first big hit, this song still carries urgency today.

This “kinder, gentler” view of social struggle peaks at #3 on the charts. Ex-guitarist Graham Nash misses the success, having quit in ’68—to form Crosby, Stills & Nash.

By the end of the ‘60s, Brown’s music is full of strong, almost militant, social statements. But he also makes a televised plea for peace after Martin Luther King is slain.