🎼 What Songs Symbolize "Work" in America?

AC/DC Highway to Hell.

Tennessee Earnie Ford’s rendition of “16 Tons”

In honor of Labor Day, think about work. Nice Causes, that’s fantastic

Working for Nothing - Dire Straits Get a Job - The Silhouettes

Hallelujah,I’m a bum. My mom sang this song two days before she died. I had never heard it before but looked it up after she died. Apparently, she learned this song as a young child in the 1920s and 30s.

My pick would be Arethra Franklin’s song R-E-S-P-E-C-T. The lyrics don’t exactly fit a work place or a work site, but the concept of the song is paramount to a healthy, fulfilling work life; where the company treats employees as valued, respected stakeholders and employees see employers as being fair and equitable.

Old Hippie

These are just a few, a couple well known, more perhaps not. Roy Orbison: "Workin' for the Man." Sadly forgotten and under-rated. Barry Mann: "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." The author's version, originally a demo and a very intense musical experience, leaves The Animals' version in the dust. Never released when new, it can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI5UR8M_h7I Lee Dorsey: "Workin' in a Coal Mine." (Of course!) Oscar Brown, Jr.: "Work Song." Jazz great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpewUVqowHE Sam Cooke: "Chain Gang." Lyle Lovett: "Ain't No More Cane on the Brazos." A real chain-gang song, one of the saddest songs in the world. There are many versions on line, but this one will do fine for getting the message across: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrDmgTXMFDA The Walkers: "There's No More Corn on the Brazos." This is a 1971 "folkapolitan" version of the Lovett by a German group, well-known at the time, who mixes up "corn" and "cane" and mispronounces Brazos. Still, the haunting quality comes through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnbcTCBB_M4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnbcTCBB_M4

“She Works Hard for the Money” (so you better treat her right…) -Donna Summers “Workers Song” -Dropkick Murphys “Good Job” -Alicia Keys

"Joe Hill," by Woody Guthrie, still a classic and unfortunately still pertinent. "The Man Who Never Returned," really more a political song about the cost of life to working people, but I think pertinent and there's a song about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, "Hold My Hand, Angelina," by Sine Anahita, terribly sad but beautiful.

I second the song "Workin' on the Chain Gang." As Sung by Sam Cooke https://youtu.be/RmZdvVnMXCc The song was inspired after a chance meeting with an actual chain gang of prisoners on a highway, seen while Cooke was on tour. The song became one of Cooke's most successful singles. - Wikipedia Checkout the cover from the movie "Cadence:" https://youtu.be/whUt-Oj-_wA Lyrics I hear something saying (Hoh! Ah!) Hoh! Ah!) (Hoh! Ah!) (Well don't you know) That's the sound of the men Working on the chain, gang That's the sound of the men Working on the chain, gang All day long they're singing (Hoh! Ah!) (Hoh! Ah!) (Hoh! Ah!) (Well don't you know) That's the sound of the men Working on the chain, gang That's the sound of the men Working on the chain, gang All day long they work so hard till the sun is going down Working on the highways and byways and wearing, wearing a frown You hear they moaning their lives away Then you hear somebody say That's the sound of the men Working on the chain, gang That's the sound of the men Working on the chain, gang Can't you hear them singing, mmm (Hoh! Ah!) I'm going home one of these days I'm going home, see my woman Whom I love so dear But meanwhile I gotta work right here That's the sound of the men Working on the chain, gang That's the sound of the men Working on the chain, gang All day long they're singing, mmm (Hoh! Ah!) My, my, my, my, my work is so hard Give me water I'm thirsty, my work is so hard Woah oooh My, my, my, my work is so hard Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Sam Cooke

Nominate another song, "Workin' for the Man" as sung by the late Roy Orbison. https://youtu.be/sk6xLX-C7_U Lyrics "Working For The Man" Songwriters: Roy Orbison / Joe Melson Hey now you better listen to me everyone of you We got a lotta lotta lotta lotta work to do Forget about your woman and that water can Today were working for the man well pick up your feet we've got a deadline to meet I'm gonna see you make it on time Don't relax I want elbows and backs I wanna see everybody from behind 'Cause your working for the man working for the man you gotta make him a hand when you're working for the man Oh well I'm pickin' 'em up and I'm laying 'em down I believe he's gonna work me into the ground I pull to the left I heave to the right I wanna kill him but it wouldn't be right 'Cause I,m working for the man working for the man gotta make him a hand when you're working for the man Well the boss man's daughter sneaks me water everytime her daddy's down the line she says meet me tonight love a me right and everything is gonna be fine So I slave all day without much pay 'cause I'm just abiding my time 'cause the company and the daughter you see Their both gonna be all mine Yah I'm gonna be the man gonna be the man Gotta make him a hand if I'm gonna be the man working for the man working for the man gonna be the man gonna be the man Gotta make him a hand working for the man Also @ Lyrics.com with link to Apple Music Roy Orbison - Working for the Man https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/341856/Roy+Orbison/Working+for+the+Man May this song be an inspiration to Amazon Workers!

Think those songs about work are too negative, well "workin' for the man" still sucks: "Bosses turn to ‘tattleware’ to keep tabs on employees working from home" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/05/covid-coronavirus-work-home-office-surveillance? Highlights "Every minute or so, the program would capture a live photo of David and his workmates via their company laptop webcams. The ever-changing headshots were splayed across the wall of a digital conference waiting room that everyone on the team could see. Clicking on a colleague’s face would unilaterally pull them into a video call. If you were lucky enough to catch someone goofing off or picking their nose, you could forward the offending image to a team chat via Sneek’s integration with the messaging platform Slack."

I second this song for the Causes Labor Day Playlist: "Take This Job and Shove It" https://youtu.be/eIjEauGiRLo "... A 1977 country music song written by David Allan Coe and popularized by Johnny Paycheck, about the bitterness of a man who has worked long and hard with no apparent reward. The song was first recorded by Paycheck on his album also titled Take This Job and Shove It. The recording hit number one on the country charts for two weeks, spending 18 weeks on the charts." Wikipedia With only a BA at the time, I was both overqualified or underqualified for decent work, so I took what turned out to be a very shitty job run by Moe, Larry, and Béache. My one coworker was a country music fan, and this song was playing several times a day on the radio for weeks. I eventually followed the song's advice. Lyrics: Take this job and shove it I ain't working here no more My woman done left and took all the reason I was working for You better not try to stand in my way As I'm a-walkin' out the door Take this job and shove it I ain't working here no more I've been workin' in this factory For now on fifteen years All this time I watched my woman Drownin' in a pool of tears And I've seen a lot of good folk die That had a lot of bills to pay I'd give the shirt right offa' my back If I had the guts to say Take this job and shove it I ain't working here no more My woman done left and took all the reason I was workin' for You better not try to stand in my way As I'm a-walkin' out the door Take this job and shove it I ain't workin' here no more Well that foreman, he's a regular dog The line boss, he's a fool Got a brand new flattop haircut Lord, he thinks he's cool One of these days I'm gonna' blow my top And that sucker, he's gonna' pay Lord, I can't wait to see their faces When I get the nerve to say Take this job and shove it I ain't working here no more My woman done left and took all the reason I was workin' for You better not try to stand in my way As I'm a-walkin' out the door Take this job and shove it I ain't workin' here no more Take this job and shove it Source: LyricFind Songwriters: David Allan Coe Take This Job and Shove It lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Songs are about working, but stress American greed, praising the blue collar work ethnic which is nothing but rich oppression of the poor and the ignorant.

“We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, “ by the Animals.

Another day older and deeper in debt…owe my soul to the company store 16 tons

Right on, Pat! 👏🏻👍🏻😊❤️

Good one, Melvin! 👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️😊

Chain Gang, Sam Cooke