tion to reach new heights. As Hathaway says, We must begin to tell our young, Dont you know that there is a whole world waiting for you?, he is calling for the teaching of black pride to the youth, which was a wide spread trend in black communities of the 60s and 70s (Hathaway). James Browns Say It Loud, Im Black and Im Proud, became an anthem for the movement (Brown). The songs lyrics like, .Dont quit moving, until we get what we deservewed rather die on our feet, than keep living on our knees, were words of inspiration for those involved in the struggle for equality. Where as the predominant theme of rhythm and blues was love and other kind of human relationships, soul singers voiced concern about the social injustice, racial pride, black militancy, and forms of protest (Southern 517). Eileen Southerns statement on Soul music greatly describes the type of works produced by Hathaway and Brown at the time, yet was definitely not exclusive to these two artists. The period wherein Soul intertwined with the Civil Rights Movement, produced music greatly influenced by the environment in which its creators lived. Donny Hathaways, Ghetto, and Marvin Gayes Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler), speak of the harshness of life in the Inner City (Hathaway/Gaye). Societal ills and political unrest were a major theme of Soul music, and Marvin Gayes work, almost more than any other artist, was demonstrative of this fact. Gayes album Whats Goin On, was his commentary on the social problems of the period, and through its success tremendously impacted the increasing social awareness. Despair within the black community was given voice in Gayes Inner City Blues. Inflation, taxes, unemployment and police brutality were numbered among the themes addressed in the song. The sense of hopelesness of the piece can best be conveyed in the line saying, this life aint worth the living.makes me wanna holler, throw up both my hands!(Gaye). Save the Children goes o...
