Tuesday Top Ten: Civil Rights Songs

With yesterday being MLK Day -- and what would have been Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 91st birthday -- I had Civil Rights Era songs on my mind, in particular Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" and The Impressions' "People Get Ready."  So then I thought I should do a Tuesday Top Ten featuring civil rights songs.  Admittedly, I thought it would be tough, but thankfully Peter Rothberg of The Nation -- for which King served as the civil rights correspondent from 1961 to 1966 -- beat me to the punch, posting his list of "Top 10 Civil Rights Songs" yesterday in hone of Dr. King.  I was glad to see that the two songs I mentioned above were on the list, though I don't know how any list of civil rights songs could leave those out.  My only possible substitution would perhaps be another Bob Dylan song instead of "The Times They Are A-Changin'."  I certainly think that's a great song, but I would probably put one of his songs that's a little more politically charged on the list, like "Only a Pawn in Their Game," "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," "Oxford Town," or even "Blowin' in the Wind."  But anyway, click on the link above and listen to the songs.  They're all great.  Any, most importantly, be nice to everyone no matter what they look like or where they're from.