Song Background
Lyrics and Themes
Years Released
100

This event served as a catalyst for Nina Simone's song "Mississippi Goddam"

What is the Baptist Church Bombing

100

What issues does "Mississippi Goddam" address in its lyrics?

What is segregation and racial violence.

100

Mississippi Goddam

1964

200

This inspired Abel Meeropol to write the poem that later became "Strange Fruit"?

What is he saw a photograph of a lynching in a 1936 magazine.

200

What are the themes and imagery in the lyrics of "Strange Fruit"?

What is racial violence and the image of "strange fruit."

200

Strange Fruit

1939

300

This personal experience from Sam Cooke's life served as the inspiration for "A Change Is Gonna Come"

What is he and his friends were denied the opportunity to stay in a motel and later on were arrested for disturbing peace.

300

How does "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke mirror the experiences of people living under Jim Crow laws?

What is this song reflects their optimism and the challenges they faced during the era of racial segregation.

300

A change is gonna come

1964