[RSCT] The song I played on Inauguration Day (use this corrected version please)

[KEVIN LAMASTRA]

Thank you to everyone who gave me a suggestion when I asked what song I should play on the PA the day
of the inauguration. Although I thought many of the suggestions would have been excellent choices, I felt
that I really needed to choose something that the students would be able to immediately relate to. So, I
had to avoid some great songs that might have held relevant significations to adults but would be less
meaningful to them.

In my school’s mock election, President Obama won the middle school vote with a whopping 97% of
the vote. There was an intense feeling of joy in our hallways that day.

When deciding what to play, I had three criteria in mind:

(1) I wanted the song to be serious and dignified. I love humor, but not for this day. So, songs that
emphasized the departure of GWB were set to the side.

(2) I wanted to connect the past to the present. . .make a link with the Civil Rights Movement

(3) I also wanted the song to be celebratory rather than one that might reflect my own cautious optimism.
I wanted to choose a song that would not make the kids scratch their heads or grown, as many good
songs will do without time for a proper introduction or contextual explanation.

I decided it should be something youth oriented since we are looking at the present and future rather than
seeing history through a rear view mirror.

So here is how I used my 2 minutes of airtime:

I made a montage, mixing elements of three songs together using GarageBand software:

Following Marty Luc’s suggestion, I played a brief clip of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from the Top of the
Mountain Speech. . .

“We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the
mountaintop. . . Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not
concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain.
And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to
know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

In the background I mixed voices of the civil rights movement singing:
“We Shall Overcome”

This segued into (Mark from RSCT’s suggestion) the joyous pop song:

“It’s a New Day” by Will.i.am

I went asleep last night
Tired from the fight
I've been fighting for tomorrow
All my life
Yea I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
'Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming
Have finally came true

It's a new day
It's a new day
It's a new day
It's a new day
It's a new day

It's been a long time coming
Up the mountain kept runnin'
Souls of freedom kept hummin'
Channeling Harriet Tubman

Kennedy, Lincoln, and King
We gotta invest in that dream
It feels like we're swimming upstream
It feels like we're stuck inbetween
A rock and a hard place,
We've been through the heartaches
And lived through the darkest days

If you and I made it this far,
Well then hey, we can make it all the way
And they said no we can't
And we said yes we can
Remember it's you and me together

And that was it!

Below you will find a complete list of all of the songs that were suggested.

Thanks again,

Kevin

SONG SUGESTIONS

The Times They are A Changin’: Bob Dylan
Power to the People (Demo Version): Curtis Mayfield
Talkin’ About a Revolution: Tracey Chapman
Ode to Joy
Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
Pride by U2
Born in the USA by Springsteen
Only in America by the Drifters
I Can See Clearly Now: Johnny Nash
Funky President: James Brown
Everybody Dace Now: C&C Music Factory
Chocolate City: Parliament
A Change is Gonna Come: Sam Cooke
Here Comes the Sun: The Beatles
Hello, Good Bye: The Beatles
It's a New Day by will.i.am
Yes We Can by The Power of O
"This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Gutherie
Long Time Gone by: Crosby, Stills Nash and Young
Democracy Is coming to the USA by Leonard Cohen
Ella's song by Sweet Honey and Rock
Washington We're Watching You: Staple Singers
Everybody is somebody: Taj Mahal
Changes by David Bowie
Brand New Day from The Wiz
We Shall Overcome
The Boys Are Back in Town
Mr. Blue Sky: ELO
King of the Forest: The Wizard of OZ
Oh Happy Day: The Edwin Hawkins Singers
The Internationale: various artists

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