La Marseillaise.
None of these other pop songs come close. Let's be clear. You asked for the song that
CHANGED the
WORLD.
Imagine by John Lennon, is a inspirational but it did not change the world.
Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday, highlights injustice but it did not change the world.
The Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, is a gem of a motivational track but it did not change the world.
We Are the World' by USA for Africa ripped off Band Aid and raised money for a good cause but it did not change the world.
You all need to look further, deeper, harder. I offer you
La Marseillaise.
Originally composed in 1792 during the French Revolution, La Marseillaise was a powerful rallying cry for French revolutionaries. It went on to inspire revolutionary movements across Europe. It is the classic example of how music can unite people under a common cause. It's equally artistic expression and political mobilisation. It contributed to the French Revolution which was a turning point that fundamentally reshaped politics and human rights.
Without the Le Marseillaise underpinning the French Revolution, the principles of
"Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" might never have spread with such force. They inspired the Latin American Wars on Independence, the European Revolutions of 1848, the growth of nationalism, republicanism, socialism and communism. It contributed to the demise of monarchism and the rise of democracy. Governance could be placed in the hands of the people.
Keep your top ten hits, kids. The French National Anthem is the song that changed the world.
/thread
