January is Shape Up US Month! Here are a few songs to help you get moving.

1. (I’m A) Road Runner Jr. Walker & The All Stars; Anthology (Motown)
2. Bowling Song Asleep At The Wheel; Country Goes Raffi-C (Rounder)
3. Calling All Movers Imagination Movers; Juice Box Heroes (Walt Disney)
4. I Like To Run I Like To Jump David Mead; For The Kids Too-C (Nettwerk)
5. Jump Van Halen; 1984 (Warner Bros.)
6. New Workout Plan Kanye West; The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)

For more songs about exercise and activity, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories such as Sports (various) and Running.

For 11/11/11, we suggest these great songs about the experience of veterans finding their place at home upon return. Remember to support as well as honor those who protected us!

1. Brothers Under The Bridge Bruce Springsteen; 18 Tracks (Columbia)
2. Hope Stephen Cochran; Single-Hope (Department Of Veterans Affairs)
3. I Just Came Back From A War Darryl Worley; Hear And Now (903)
4. My Dream Of The Big Parade Peerless Quartet with Henry Burr and Billy Murray; Single-My Dream Of The Big Parade (YouTube.com)
5. Sarge Rick Lance; Home Free-A Tribute To American Veterans-C (CD Baby)

You’ll find many more songs on this topic in GreenBookofSongs.com categories Holidays: Memorial & Veterans Day.

As Occupy Wall Street protests continue, we look back at the songs that grew from and sustained earlier social movements. You’ll find many more in our category Protest. Here’s a small sample:

1. Bread And Roses Judy Collins; So Early In The Spring, The First 15 Years (Elektra)
2. Eyes On The Prize Mavis Staples; We’ll Never Turn Back (Anti/Epitaph)
3. Get Up, Stand Up Bob Marley & The Wailers; Songs Of Freedom (Tuff Gong)
4. If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) Peter, Paul & Mary; In Concert (Warner Bros.)
5. Ohio Crosby, Stills & Nash; CSN (Atlantic)
6. This Land Is Your Land Woody Guthrie; Woody Guthrie (Vanguard)
7. War Edwin Starr; War & Peace (Motown)
8. What’s Going On Marvin Gaye; What’s Going On (Motown)

Before 9/11, the Green Book Of Songs By Subject listed songs about danger and disaster in one general category. Afterwards, we were compelled to create a category devoted solely to this tragedy. Here is a selection from the 72 songs in Danger & Disaster: 9/11/2001.

1. America Will Survive Hank Williams, Jr.; Patriotic Country-C (BMG)
2. Believe Yellowcard; Ocean Avenue (Capitol)
3. Bravest, The Tom Paxton; Looking For The Moon (Appleseed)
4. Let’s Roll Neil Young; Are You Passionate? (Rhino/Warner Bros.)
5. On A Clear Day Jack Hardy; Vigil-N.Y. Songs Since 9/11-C (Conscious)
6. On That Day Leonard Cohen; Dear Heather (Columbia)
7. Tuesday Morning (9/11) John Yarrow; Loss Of Self (John Yarrow)
8. You’re Missing Bruce Springsteen; The Rising (Columbia)

C = Compilation

We developed this list of songs as we watched reports of the river flooding its way down the middle of the country. We are thinking of those in the river’s path.

After The Flood Lone Justice; Lone Justice (Geffen)

Bridge Washed Out Warner Mack; Country’s Greatest Hits-#3-C (MCA)

Flood Of ’57 Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys; Classic Bluegrass (Rebel)

Homeless Blues Odetta; Blues Everywhere I Go (M.C.)

Ol’ Man River Paul Robeson; Ol’ Man River (Mbop Global)

River, Stay ’Way From My Door Ethel Waters; Stars Salute Sinatra-C (Horgi)

Story Of The Mighty Mississippi Ernest Stoneman; People Take Warning! Murder Ballads And Disaster Songs-1913-1938-C (Tompkins Square)

When The Levee Breaks Memphis Minnie; Queen Of The Blues (Columbia/Legacy)

C = Compilation

For more, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Floods, Rivers and Danger & Disaster.

Records? Record stores? Here are some songs to remind us why they deserve their own day. (Record Store Day is April 16 this year.) Listen to these, then find a record store and buy more.

1. 33, 45, 78 (Record Time) Kathy Mattea; Lonesome Standard Time (Mercury)
2. Juke Box Saturday Night Glenn Miller; This is Glenn Miller (RCA)
3. Old Records Never Die Ian Hunter; Short Back ’n’ Sides (Caroline)
4. Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox (If I Die) Joe Diffie; Honky Tonk Attitude (Epic)
5. Put Your Records On Corinne Bailey Rae; Corinne Bailey Rae (Capitol)
6. Roll Over Beethoven Chuck Berry; Golden Hits (Mercury)
7. Vinyl Records Todd Snider; New Connection (Oh Boy)

For more songs on this topic, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Music and Jukebox.

When faced with tragedy that leaves us at a loss for words, there is music. Our thoughts are with Japan.

1. Calling All Angels Jane Siberry with k.d. lang; When I Was A Boy (Reprise)
2. I Grieve Peter Gabriel; Up (Geffen/Interscope)
3. If I Rise Dido; ST/127 Hours (Interscope)
4. We Are Each Other’s Angels Chuck Brodsky; Fingerpainter’s Murals (Waterbug)
5. You Are Not Alone Mavis Staples; You Are Not Alone (Anti/Epitaph)

For more songs about coping with disaster, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Faith & Hope, Help, Losing & Loss and Trouble, among others.

If Wisconsin governor Scott Walker wants to defeat collective bargaining, he’d better hope teachers, police and firefighters aren’t listening to these inspiring tunes. They chronicle the challenges, and sometimes the deaths, of workers in the mines, factories and mills, birthplace of the unions Walker seeks to sideline. Those who remember what it cost to get unions may work that much harder to keep them. 

1. Come All You Coal Miners Sarah Ogan Gunning; Harlan County USA-Songs Of The Coal Miner’s Struggle (Rounder)
2. Death Of Harry Simms Pete Seeger; American Industrial Ballads (Smithsonian Folkways)
3. Death Of Mother Jones Gene Autry; Freedom: Songs From Heart Of America-C (Columbia/Legacy)
4. It Goes Like It Goes (Theme From “Norma Rae”) Jennifer Warnes; Best Of Jennifer Warnes (Arista)
5. Joe Hill Paul Robeson; Don’t Mourn-Organize! Songs Of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill (Smithsonian Folkways)
6. Join The C.I.O. New Lost City Ramblers; Songs From The Depression (Folkways)
7. Shuttin’ Detroit Down John Rich; Son Of a Preacher Man (Warner Bros. Nashville)
8. There Is Power In A Union Billy Bragg; Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (Yep Roc)
9. They’ll Never Keep Us Down Hazel Dickens; Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People (Rounder)
10. Union Burying Ground Woody Guthrie; My Dusty Road (Rounder)

For more songs on this topic, see GreenBookofSongs.com® category Work: Unions.

A recent tweet by The Gateway to 21^st Century Skills, an NEA-supported site that gathers educational resources online, asked a question that intrigued us: “Anyone have ways to incorporate events in Egypt and Middle East into different subject areas?”

Naturally, we thought about using songs! Freedom and protest songs have a rich history, and GreenBookofSongs.com® has catalogued hundreds of songs from Civil Rights, peace and other political movements that are relevant to Egypt’s fight for democracy. And of course, music is a great way to get students involved and bring subject matter to life.

We compiled the following list from a variety of Green Book categories, among them Freedom; Protest; Politics: Political Classics; and Politics: Social Injustice. Whether you’re using music as a background to discussion, connecting American history with the Middle East, or helping students learn to put their own thoughts into words, you’ll find something useful here.

1. Eyes On The Prize Mavis Staples; We’ll Never Turn Back (Anti/Epitaph)
2. (For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People Chi-Lites; Greatest Hits (Epic)
3. Get Up, Stand Up Bob Marley & The Wailers; Songs Of Freedom (Tuff Gong)
4. Power To The People John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band; Shaved Fish (Capitol)
5. Revolution Beatles; Hey Jude (Capitol)
6. Rhythm Nation Janet Jackson: Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 (A&M)
7. Something In The Air Thunderclap Newman; ST/The Strawberry Statement (MCA)
8. Stand! Sly & The Family Stone; Greatest Hits (Epic)
9. Takin’ It To The Streets Doobie Brothers; Takin’ It To The Streets (Warner Bros.)
10. We Didn’t Start The Fire Billy Joel; Storm Front (Columbia)

Last month, we featured songs about civil rights leaders. This month, we honor Black History Month with this brief selection of songs from the Civil Rights movement itself. Each one helped strengthen and motivate those in the fight.

1. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize Pete Seeger; We Shall Overcome-Complete Carnegie Hall Concert (Columbia)
2. Move On Up Curtis Mayfield; Curtis (Rhino)
3. Oh, Freedom Joan Baez; How Sweet The Sound (Razor & Tie)
4. Say It Loud-I’m Black And I’m Proud-Pt. 1 James Brown; 20 All-Time Greatest Hits! (Universal Motown)
5. We Shall Not Be Moved Mavis Staples; We’ll Never Turn Back (Anti/Epitaph)
6. Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed On Freedom Sweet Honey In The Rock and James Horner; Freedom Song (Sony Classical)

For more songs on this subject, see GreenBookofSongs.com® category Politics: Civil Rights.