#if I had a hammer

[jimmyboltonart]

Applejack likes to play songs that hammer out danger!

[folk-enjoyer]

Song of The Day

"If I Had a Hammer" Aretha Franklin, 1965

"If I Had a Hammer" was first written in 1949 by Lee Hays and Pete Seeger, and featured on the 1950 cover of Sing Out! magazine vol 1 iss. 1. It was written in support of the progressive party. It was first recorded by the Weavers in 1949 and was performed that same year in New York at a dinner for the communist party.

Daily Worker 1949-06-01: Vol 26 Iss 108

This performance of the song and this Newspaper would be used against Pete Seeger in his HUAC Testimony. He was sentenced to a year in prison for 'Contempt of Congress'. Here is an excerpt of the interrogation.

Mr. TAVENNER: My question was whether or not you sang at these functions of the Communist Party. You have answered it inferentially, and if I understand your answer, you are saying you did. Mr. SEEGER: Except for that answer, I decline to answer further. . . . Mr. SCHERER: Do you understand it is the feeling of the Committee that you are in contempt as a result of the position you take? Mr. SEEGER: I can’t say. Mr. SCHERER: I am telling you that that is the position of the Committee. . . . Mr. SEEGER: I decline to discuss, under compulsion, where I have sung, and who has sung my songs, and who else has sung with me, and the people I have known. I love my country very dearly, and I greatly resent this implication that some of the places that I have sung and some of the people that I have known, and some of my opinions, whether they are religious or philosophical, or I might be a vegetarian, make me any less of an American. I will tell you about my songs, but I am not interested in telling you who wrote them, and I will tell you about my songs, and I am not interested in who listened to them. . . .

Unfortunately, Pete Seeger and the rest of the weavers were blacklisted during the Red Scare, meaning that they were not able to publicly perform "If I Had A Hammer", and they were forced to disband in the early 50s.

In the Biography How Can I Keep From Singing, Pete Seeger remarks on this.

"Why was it controversial? In 1949 only ‘Commies' used words like ‘peace' and ‘freedom.'… The message was that we have got tools and we are going to succeed. This is what a lot of spirituals say. We will overcome. I have a hammer. The last verse didn't say ‘But there ain't no hammer, there ain't no bell, there ain't no song, but honey, I got you.' We could have said that! The last verse says ‘I have a hammer, I have a bell, I have a song.' Here it is. ‘It's the hammer of justice, it's the bell of freedom, the song of love."

With few exceptions, the song was dead for 12 years...

Until Peter Paul & Mary covered it in 1962

This song became a top 10 hit song in America! Since then it has been covered over 200 times. It was one of the top 100 songs of 1962 and is still a popular song today. It transcended genre and many many popular artists including Jimmie Rodgers, johnny cash, and the 'Queen of Soul', Aretha Franklin in 1965.

and, as a happy ending, the weavers performed it again in their reunion concert in 1963.

Also, a thing I like about this song is that it seems to be inspired by the John Henry song "This Old Hammer" based on the lyrics and rhythm. The hammer may have killed John Henry, but it can Hammer the way to freedom as well.

[fredandrieu]

Smog à gogo André Lange et Jean Mahaux Spirou n° 1381 1er octobre 1964

[ancientstarrydynamo]

I finally bought some pants with a carpenter’s loop. Life-changing, 10/10, would recommend.

[fabiansteinhauer]

Was ist Normativität, normativ oder eine Norm?

Kulturtechniken händeln und bestreiten Wissen, sie operationalisieren Differenz, tilgen, löschen oder vernichten Differenz aber nicht und stellen sie auch nicht ab. Das heißt, dass sie in Anbetracht von Differenz etwas wiederholt, wiederholend oder auf wiederholbare Weise machen, um mit Differenz umgehen zu können. Weil Kulturtechniken Differenz operationalisieren, sind sie per definitionem normativ. Verbindlich sind sie, weil sie Differenz operationalisieren, nicht weil sie etwas verbinden. Man sagt, dass sie differenzieren, sie erzeugen aber nicht mehr und weniger nicht Differenz. Differenz geht vor, Differenz rückt nach. Zieht man eine Furche im Acker hat man einen Unterschied markiert, am Raum aber im übrigen nicht geändert.

 Die Kulturtechniken werden selten als dogmatisch beschrieben, oft (nämlich wenn sie nur dem Recht eigen sein sollen) als juristisch, manchmal (wenn sie nicht nur dem Recht eigen sein sollen und dem Recht auch fremd sein können) als juridisch.

Normativ nennen wir den Effekt operationalisierter Differenz. Norm nennen wir die Stelle oder Passage, das Objekt, Medium oder Instrument, sogar ein Wesen wie ein Tier oder einen Menschen, mit dem und durch das Differenz operationalisiert werden soll. Das kann der berühmte Zaun sein, das kann ein gezüchtetes Schaf sein, das kann ein Gesicht oder ein Körper sein, die zum Vorbild, Ideal oder Muster gemacht werden, das können Begriffe und Bilder sein oder aber jener Hammer, mit dem man, wenn man ihn hätte, morgens und abends hämmern würde, über und durch das ganze Land, drängelnd und dängelnd und zum Umgang mit Gefahr, warnend, wartend oder wachend. Das ist just a gong, about the law beetween my brothers and my sisters. Auch ein Popsong kann eine Norm sein.

[steveedzpainter]

I don't want brewed karma, I want the instant.

[artofmyart]

Sketchaday #hammer

“If I Had A Hammer” as performed by Peter, Paul, & Mary in 1962

#100facechallenge

[qupritsuvwix]

Elvis Costello’s father

[hinamie]

oversaturate

[jtem]

Story of my life, right there

Sign, sign Everywhere a sign Blockin' out the scenery Breakin' my mind Do this, don't do that Can't you read the sign?

[egophiliac]

(looks at upcoming card releases)

I'm in danger :)

[eurowhat]

Cover photo by Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0

Scopitone was a video jukebox from the 1960s that featured short clips that could be considered proto-music videos. Ben discusses the history, production, and cultural impact of the medium while Mike delights in the off-model nature of the content.

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[pidgydraws]

⚙️ for a moment we had it all... ⚙️

[somecleverartname05]

He’s such a silly lil guy 🤭

[positivebeatdigest]

If I Had a Hammer