Search results
- The Byrds, “He Was a Friend of Mine” (1965) From: Turn! Turn! (No. 17 in March 1966) Key lines: “He was in Dallas town/ He was in Dallas town/ From a sixth-floor window, a gunner shot him down/ He died in Dallas town/ … Leader of a nation for such a precious time/ He was a friend of mine.”
- Dion, “Abraham, Martin and John” (1968) Hot 100 peak: No. 4 in December 1968. From: Dion (No. 128 in February 1969) Key lines: “Anybody here seen my old friend John?/
- The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968) From: Beggars Banquet (No. 5 in January 1969) Key lines: “I shouted out/ ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’/ When after all/ It was you and me.”
- John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, ‘God’ (1970) From: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (No. 6 in January 1971) Key lines: “I don’t believe in Kennedy…I don’t believe in Elvis/ I don’t believe in Zimmerman.
- The Byrds, “He Was a Friend of Mine” (1966): Bob Dylan cut a version of this traditional ballad for his first album (and didn’t end up including it). For their Turn!
- Phil Ochs, “Crucifixion” (1967): Coincidently, the first epic ballad about Kennedy came from Dylan’s friend and rival from the Greenwich Village folk days.
- Misfits, “Bullet” (1978): On one of their first recordings, Glenn Danzig and his early-punk bros didn’t mince words right from the start: “President’s bullet-ridden body in the street/Ride, Johnny ride/Kennedy’s shattered head hits concrete/Ride, Johnny ride.”
- Lou Reed, “The Day John Kennedy Died” (1982): Rarely did Reed let his guard down as much as he did on this thoughtful track from The Blue Mask. With his band playing and strumming respectfully behind him, Reed dreams of all the things he would do if he were the leader of the free world, which includes being able to forget that day in 1963.
Nov 20, 2013 · The assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 was a tragic moment that deeply touched and forever changed a generation. President Kennedy’s life, political achievements and untimely ...
- Allison Rapp
- The Beach Boys, "The Warmth of the Sun" From: Shut Down Volume 2 (1964) Technically, there is no direct reference to JFK in the Beach Boys' "The Warmth of the Sun," but the melancholy track is centered on him regardless.
- Billy Joel, "We Didn't Start the Fire" From: Storm Front (1989) Billy Joel references 120 political, cultural or otherwise socially significant elements in "We Didn't Start the Fire," covering ground from 1948 to the year of the song's release, 1989.
- Bob Dylan, "I Shall Be Free" From: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) The first time Bob Dylan wrote specifically about JFK, the president was still very much alive.
- Bob Dylan, "Blind Willie McTell" From: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 (1991) Two decades after Kennedy's death, Dylan hinted at the event in "Blind Willie McTell:" "I travel through east Texas / Where many martyrs fell."
Nov 25, 2023 · 4. ‘The Day John Kennedy Died’ – Lou Reed. Another prominent artist who was of age to understand what it represented when JFK died was Lou Reed. 21 years old at the time and studying at Syracuse University, like many of his generation, the future Velvet Underground leader was astonished at what occurred in Dallas.
Nov 21, 2013 · In November 1963, classical music was called on to help the nation deal with the emotional fallout in a more elemental way. It often is when tragedy leaves us without the words we need. And in JFK ...
People also ask
How did President Kennedy affect music?
Did singers sing about President Kennedy before he was assassinated?
Why did Pearl Jam write a song about John Kennedy's brain?
What song does Mick Jagger sing about JFK?
Nov 22, 2013 · 6. Alexisonfire: “The Kennedy Curse”. A track from their 2002 debut record. 7. Child Actor: “Dealey Plaza”. The EP was called Second Shooter. The whole thing is a JFK assissination album ...
