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Holocaust Remembrance Day: songs not to forget the horrors of the Holocaust
January 27 is Holocaust Remembrance Day, an international anniversary established to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.
It was decided to celebrate Holocaust Remembrance Day every January 27 because on that day in 1945 Red Army troops liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Here are some of the songs inspired by the tragedy and horrors of the Holocaust, written by the most important songwriters not to forget all the people who died in those dramatic years.
Holocaust Remembrance Day: songs not to forget the Holocaust
January 27 is Holocaust Remembrance Day, an international anniversary established to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. It was decided to celebrate the Day of Remembrance every January 27, because on that day in 1945 the troops of the Red Army liberated the concentration camp ofAuschwitz. Here are some of the songs that talk about the tragedy and horrors of the Holocaust, written by the most important songwriters not to forget all the people who died in those dramatic years.
Story of Isaac - Leonard Cohen
In Story of Isaac, Leonard Cohen compares the extermination of the Jews with Isaac's biblical sacrifice, highlighting a major difference between Abraham and the Nazis. While Abraham acted guided by a divine vision, the Nazis instead followed only a pattern, or rather a crazy ideology.
With God on Our Side - Bob Dylan
This is one of the most famous anthems against all forms of war: in fact, various conflicts and some massacres are mentioned, including the Holocaust. In the lyrics of the song,Dylan ironically on the ability of the human being to forget everything too quickly, underlining instead how, on the contrary, it is important to remember: this is precisely the meaning of the Day of Remembrance.
Good Evening Mr. Waldheim - Lou Reed
Lou Reed was born into a family of Jewish origin and his relationship with his roots has always been very special. In this song, the founder of the Velvet Underground is the author of a harsh criticism of Kurt Waldheim appointed UN secretary, despite the Nazi past suspicions. In general, the passage represents a condemnation of all forms of anti-Semitism.
Waiting for the Worms - Pink Floyd
In this song, included in the famous album The Wall, the protagonist Pink, in the grip of a hallucination, speaks with the megaphone to the crowd making explicit references to Nazi thought, such as wearing a black shirt, opening the showers and turning on the ovens. At the end of the song you can hear in the background the refrain of Another Brick in The Wall part 2.
Dance Me to The End of Love - Leonard Cohen
Written in 1984 by Leonard Cohen, Dance Me to The End of Love is inspired by the sad story of the string quartet forced to perform at crematoria while the horrors of the Holocaust were being perpetrated. Despite everything, the members of the quartet manage to defend the love for music to the last.
No Lost Love - Joy Division
No Lost Love is inspired by the novel House of Dolls by Yehiel De-Nur, in which the writer recounts his dramatic experience in Auschwitz. Among other things, when this song was composed the band was still called Warsaw: in fact, even the name Joy Division comes from the book of Yehiel De-Nur. The term Joy Division in fact designated the sections of the Nazi concentration camps where soldiers entertained women prisoners.
This Train Revised - The Indigo Girls
This Train Revised was written to remember the Jews exterminated in concentration camps, but also all the other victims of the Holocaust, present on trains leading to concentration camps: in the text, in fact, homosexuals and nomadic populations are mentioned.
Rankings
25/04/2024
The well-known US magazine Rolling Stone in 2021 has updated the list of the 500 most beautiful songs of all time.
The ranking was first published on December 11, 2003 and was compiled by a jury chosen by the editorial staff, composed of 172 musicians, music critics and experts in the recording industry. Subsequently, the ranking was changed twice: the first in 2010, the second in 2021, when 254 songs that were previously not present were added.
Obviously, there is nothing more subjective than music: these songs are considered the best according to the criteria defined by Rolling Stonemagazine, but each of us has his own personal ranking of the best songs ever. Here, however, is the Top 20 of Rolling Stone.
Rankings
23/04/2024
In 2008, 'Rolling Stone' compiled a list of the 100 best singers of all time.
This ranking was compiled 15 years ago by 180 people, including several musicians (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, George Michael, Keith Richards), journalists and music experts.
On 1 January 2023, however, 'Rolling Stone' published an update of the ranking that revolutionised the list, especially with regard to the Top Ten. As the well-known US magazine was keen to point out, this ranking does not only take into account technical and vocal abilities (it is not a list of the best voices of all time), but also the originality of the vocal timbre, the record catalogue, the writing ability and the musical legacy of the singers in question. Here are the top 20 positions.