Artists and Their Influence on the World

         In class this week we talked about Nina Simone and her song Mississippi God-dam and the impact it had on the world at the time. Simone wrote the song after a bombing killed four little African-American girls in a church one Sunday afternoon. Simone used her frustration and anger to create the song and spread the word it spoke. But what does this say about artists and the role they play in society? Well it says a lot; it shows the influence that singers and sing writers have over their audiences and how they can use their work to spread word or fight for what they believe in. We see celebrities influence people throughout all of history and in the modern world. In 1985 USA for Africa brought together singers like Michael Jackson and Billy Joel to sing to raise money and awareness for struggles in Africa. The September 11th tribute we watched in class last week is another example of artist using their power as artist. But the pieces I've described above are special for a very specific reason. These examples are all artists using their influence sway for a specific cause in society that is note worthy in history. This music represents the moments that they stand for and we see results from these artists and their efforts. Artists and their work has the power to change the world around us and the course of history itself.