57. Joan Baez, Battle Hymn of the Republic
There’s something wonderfully American, in the best sense of the word, about the incongruity of a folk singer known for protest music performing this patriotic song from the Civil War. Almost exactly 100 years after Julia Ward Howe wrote the lyrics for the Union’s anthem, Joan Baez made this recording live, the audience singing along. It was a year before the Civil Rights Act, the Vietnam War was ramping up, and an epidemic of monkey-see-monkey-do assassinations were about to tear the country apart. Again. Baez ended her 1963 concert with this, an invitation to the better angels of our natures.
“Battle Hymn of the Republic,” performed by Joan Baez, 1963; music by William Steffe, 1856; lyrics by Julia Ward Howe, 1861.
This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day through early June, 2025. Inspired by my MFAH 100 project.
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I cannot hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic without getting weepy. God save our country.
What to say? I remember...and Joan Baez and her music helped me discover the better angels in me and in others during a chaotic and confusing time. Maybe that's why I've been playing her RECORDS lately...!