“Sam Cooke said this when told he had a beautiful voice: He said, ‘Well that’s very kind of you, but voices ought not to be measured by how pretty they are. Instead, they matter only if they convince you that they are telling the truth.’ Think about that next time you are listening to a singer.” – Bob Dylan
The desire to change the world is a common aspiration for many of us. As problems continue to arise, our individual desire to create a positive impact on the world increases. In its extreme form, change is sacrificial. It is a compilation of selfless acts that reflect characteristics of altruism, the belief or practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others. Nevertheless, inducing change is not exhaustive to selfless acts.
It is only one of the many beautiful qualities of humankind.
However the portrayal of change in popular media – especially in the superhero genre – sets an unrealistic standard for those seeking to create an impact in the world. The release of 2008’s Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, marked the biggest turning point in the superhero movie industry: the beginning of the famous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Ever since the notion of change has been portrayed as grandiose acts that are often reserved for God-like superheroes.
When the average human is not supernatural, a shapeshifter or a speedster, the pursuit of change becomes a far more daunting task.
This unrealistic expectation of achieving overnight world peace or political and economic stability through a single individual is nothing more than the illusion of the primal hero instinct targeted by the MCU.
However, I am a firm believer that change can be manifested in many ways. At times, an event or an action can have a continuing and spreading result. This creates a ripple effect and can therefore result in a significant impact overall. Other times, the change is minor but it can provide inspiration to others.
When I first discovered “Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke in ‘Classic Oldies’ on Spotify, it felt as though I had heard it before. Yet, I was certain that it was my first time listening to it. A déjà vu.
That was when I realized that change is not a noble venture, it is expressing your truth with the knowledge and talents given to you at the time you discover it. Sam Cooke spoke his truth and that of many other African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968).
When art fulfills its purpose, it becomes timeless. It transcends the realm of space and time and creates real change.
For me, the purpose of music is to unlock the divine essence from within one’s self and offer it as a token of gratitude to the people and the world around us. I find it to be true for most self-expressions on the spectrum of art.
Sam Cooke’s ‘Change Is Gonna Come’ satisfied, to the core, my desire to find art that embodies the divine essence residing within the artist and manifesting itself in the world around us.
Cooke’s 1964 soul tune became the unofficial anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. Cooke did not live to see that.
It not only carried a profound message of hope and endurance during hard times within the African American community but it also brought to light the appearance of Black-on-Black violence and internalized racism, a newer form of oppression.
Cooke’s inspiration behind the writing of the song according to a CNN report was based on a first-hand experience of racism. In 1963, when Sam Cooke, his wife and a band arrived at a motel in Shreveport, a city in the U.S. State of Louisiana, he was turned away because he was Black. His refusal to leave led him and a few others to their arrest.
It was shortly after this incident that Cooke wrote: “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
🎵[1:22-1:38] – “I go to the movie – And I go downtown – And somebody keeps telling me – ‘Don’t hang around”
Through his lived experience, Sam Cooke describes the racial discrimination that Black people faced in the United States at the time. With lyrics demonstrating that simple activities were grounds for discrimination. Sam Cooke took a heavy topic and turned it into a soothing and somewhat comforting song of solidarity that conveys a message of endurance and hope.
The tone in which Cooke sang “Change is Gonna Come” manifests feelings of pain and sorrow in a peaceful way, one that has not lost hope. This perhaps reflects the peaceful aspect of the protests and demonstrations for freedom and civil rights at the time.
This unspoken message of fighting with hope for the desired change, without physically fighting, is what I believe has made Cooke’s song carry a generational impact decades after its release. Although the issues that we are facing today manifest themselves in different forms, the same message of perseverance and hope push communities to fight for change without losing hope.
🎵[1:58-2:26] – ”Then, I go to my brother – And I say, “Brother, help me, please” – But he winds up knockin’ me – Back down on my knees, oh”
Internalized racism is a topic that is often not discussed to the extent that it needs to be. It is even possible that most of the time its existence is not acknowledged nor understood.
Internalized racial oppression, as conceptualized by in a review published in the Journal of Social Issues, suggests the following definition: “The individual inculcation of the racist stereotypes, values, images, and ideologies perpetuated by the White dominant society about one’s racial group, leading to feelings of self-doubt, disgust, and disrespect for one’s race and/or oneself” – Pyke, K.D (2010) p.551-572.
Within the context of this definition, Sam Cooke’s lyrics are a witness of internalized racial oppression. One can interpret these lyrics as a call to action within the African American community to stand up in union against external oppression instead of contributing to it by tearing one another down.
In more recent years, Nicole Cooke-Johnson, Sam Cooke’s granddaughter, launched a new initiative called the Sam Cooke “Changemakers” to keep her grandfather’s legacy alive. The initiative is meant to highlight those who are creating change in all facets of life.
In an interview with NBC LX, Cooke-Johnson said, “I think that [change] can bare a mighty burden sometimes, and it’s not that big, because change […] starts with the small things that we all do every day.”
Another one of humanity’s notable qualities.