KEYS AND CHORDS
  • HOME
  • COMING EVENTS
  • ALL CONCERT REPORTS
  • CD REVIEWS 2023
  • HARDROCK & HEAVY CD REVIEWS
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • DVD REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS / ARTICLES
  • DISCLAIMER / COPYRIGHT POLICY
  • JAARLIJSTJES 2022
  • HOME (BACKUP)
Picture

EEN EERBETOON AAN MARTIN LUTHER KING

Picture
Picture
​History Month gevierd, beter bekend als Black History Month. In de UK echter wordt dit pas in de maand oktober gevierd. Het evenement staat in het teken van belangrijke personen en gebeurtenissen uit de geschiedenis van de Afrikaanse diaspora. 
De belangrijkste figuur uit die geschiedenis zal wel Martin Luther King, Jr. zijn. Hij werd geboren in Atlanta op 15/1/1929, en vermoord in Memphis op 4/4/1968. Met zijn geweldloos verzet tijdens de jaren ’50 en ’60 werd hij wereldberoemd. Zijn toespraak ‘I Have a Dream’ tijdens een betoging in 1963 is wereldgeschiedenis. Ieder jaar op de derde maandag van januari, rond de 15de, wordt in de USA die feestdag herdacht. Het idee werd gepromoot door syndicaten, en na King’s dood, introduceerden twee politici een voorstel in het Congres om er een nationale feestdag van te maken. Ook Stevie Wonder ijverde voor die feestdag, en bracht de single ‘Happy Birthday’ uit in 1980. Tevens richtte hij het jaar daarop de Rally for Peace Press Conference in. Zes miljoen handtekeningen werden verzameld, wat meteen omschreven wordt als de grootste petitie in de geschiedenis van de USA. In 1986 werd de feestdag voor het eerst ingevoerd. 

Uiteraard bekijk ik hier de muzikale kant van die feestdag, en dat is het eerbetoon ‘King Holiday’, uitgevoerd door King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew in 1986. Dat is een verzamelnaam voor een reeks artiesten. De song werd gecomponeerd door Phillip Jones, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Melle Mel en Bill Adler. En de artiesten die het uitvoerden waren o.a. El DeBarge, Fat Boys, Full Force, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Whitney Houston, Kurtis Blow, Stacy Lattisaw, Lisa Lisa, Teena Marie, Menudo (met Ricky Martin), Stephanie Mills, New Edition, Run-D.M.C., James "J.T." Taylor, en Whodini. 
Kurtis Blow zei er het volgende over: "Dexter Scott King calls me up one day and says, 'This is Martin's son.' Dexter Scott King looks just like his dad and talks just like his dad. He calls me and says, 'Hello, can I speak to Kurtis Blow...' He started telling me this story, and I'm like, Yeah, right. I didn't believe this guy to save my life. He had to call me back, I hung up on him a couple of times. We finally got together and put all these people together."
De song steeg tot nummer 30 in de Billboard Hot Black Singles chart en alle opbrengsten gingen naar het Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. 
King’s jongste zoon Dexter Scott King was de executive producer. Phillip Jones en Kurtis Blow waren de producers. 
De Afro-Amerikanen hebben ondertussen een lange weg afgelegd. Zo heeft Dr. King nu een monument op de National Mall in D.C. en is Barack Obama al jarenlang de eerste president. 

DE TEKST LEEST U HIERONDER

Once a year we celebrate
Washington and Lincoln on their birth dates
And now a third name is added to the list
A man of peace, (Drum Major for Justice)
Now, now, now every January on the third Monday
We pay homage to the man who paved the way
For freedom, justice and equality
To make the world a better place for you and me
It's a holiday, it's a gathering
For the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King
Dr. King tried to love somebody
(Do you wanna love somebody)
For his sake put your hate away, take a day
(Take a day to love somebody)
Don't play on the Holiday, work to find a better way
(Everybody love somebody now)
Oh, everybody sing
For Martin Luther King
Oh, let freedom ring (That's right)
For Martin Luther King, now sing
Holiday! Holiday!
King Holiday!
Not a day just for some
It's a day for everyone
He had a dream now it's up to you
He had a dream now it's up to you
To see it through, to make it come true
Now do it
Who do we thank for teaching us
That we all have the strength to love
Mmm, we thank the Prince of Non-Violence
For showing us the way
How do we show the children of today
How to live together as one
Oh...we'll sing of a King
And his words will light all of our tomorrows
Dr. King tried to love somebody
(Do you wanna love somebody)
For his sake put your hate away, take a day
(Take a day to love somebody)
Don't play on the Holiday, work to find a better way
(Everybody love somebody now)
Oh, everybody sing (Come on)
For Martin Luther King (Ah, yeah)
Oh, let freedom ring (That's right)
For Martin Luther King, now sing
Holiday! Holiday!
King Holiday!
Not a day just for some
It's a day for everyone
He had a dream now it's up to you
Because you gotta see it through, and make it come true
Holiday! Holiday! (Mmm)
King Holiday!
Not a day just for some
It's a day for everyone
He had a dream now it's up to you
He had a dream now it's up to you
To see it through, to make it come true
Now do it
​Listen children of today
​Don't think love has gone away
It's in your hearts and minds
(How long) Not long
New day will shine
If we just take the chance
[His love will glow]
Open up the windows
Let the hero shine
Every day in your life
Yours and mine
Everybody shine, whoa...
Let it shine, let it shine, woo...whoa...oh...
For the future generation, Dr. King's medication
For successful operation is peace for every nation
Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
For a King Celebrate!
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
For a King Celebrate!
Everybody in the place
Sing! Sing! Celebrate! (Celebrate, Celebrate for a King)
Sing! Sing! Celebrate! {What are you waitin' for}
For a King Celebrate! (Celebrate every single day, whoa...)
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
For a King Celebrate!
Everybody in the place
Sing! Sing! Celebrate! (Celebrate!) [Celebrate!]
For a King (For a King) Celebrate! (Celebrate!)
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Celebrate!
For a King Celebrate!
Everybody in the place, come on
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
[Celebrate!] (Come on, come on, let's all Celebrate!)
For a King Celebrate! (Everybody come on, let's Celebrate!)
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Celebrate!
For a King Celebrate!
Everybody in the place
Sing! Sing! Celebrate! (Celebrate!) [Celebrate!] (Celebrate!)
Sing! Sing! Celebrate! {What are you waitin' for}
For a King Celebrate! {Let it shine, whoa, whoa}
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
For a King Celebrate!
Everybody in the place
Sing! Sing!
(Celebrate!) Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
(Celebrate!)
Ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...
(Celebrate!) Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
(Celebrate!)
Ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...
(Celebrate!) Sing! Sing! Celebrate!

Patrick Van de Wiele
  • HOME
  • COMING EVENTS
  • ALL CONCERT REPORTS
  • CD REVIEWS 2023
  • HARDROCK & HEAVY CD REVIEWS
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • DVD REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS / ARTICLES
  • DISCLAIMER / COPYRIGHT POLICY
  • JAARLIJSTJES 2022
  • HOME (BACKUP)