100 songs that changed history

Time Out Magazine has just launched a new feature called 100 Songs That Have Changed the World – and Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier" has been included in the list!

Inspired (kind of) by Pete Seeger's assertion that, 'The right song at the right time can change history', Time Out assembled a panel of musicians, historians and enthusiasts to debate and collate the 100 songs that have had the most significant impact on real-world events – culturally, socially and politically.

Some of these are songs that have inspired collective action, some were anthems of unity at historic moments and others were played with purpose at critical points in time.

1-‘Fight the Power’ – Public Enemy (1989)

2-‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ – Band Aid (1984)

3-‘Irhal’ – Ramy Essam (2011)

4-‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ – Sam Cooke (1964)

5-‘Imagine’ – John Lennon (1971)

6-‘God Save the Queen’ – Sex Pistols (1977)

7-‘Happy Birthday’ – Stevie Wonder (1981)

8-‘Acid Trax’ – Phuture (1987)

9-‘Pow! (Forward)’ – Lethal Bizzle (2004)

10-‘Looking for Freedom’ – David Hasselhoff (1989)

11-‘War’ as performed on Saturday Night Live by Sinéad O'Connor (1992)

12-‘Crush On Obama’ – Obama Girl (2007)

13-‘The Message’ – Grandmaster Flash (1982)

14-‘That’s All Right’ – Elvis Presley (1954)

15-‘Helter Skelter’ – The Beatles (1968)

16-‘A Mighty Fortress Is Our God’ – Martin Luther (1527-1531)

17-‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ – Traditional (nineteenth century)

18-‘Rock Around the Clock’ – Bill Haley and His Comets (1954)

19-‘Declare Independence’ – Björk (2008)

20-‘Finlandia Op. 26’ – Jean Sibelius (1899-1900)

21-‘The World Turned Upside Down’ – Traditional (1643)

22-‘Zombie’ – Fela Kuti (1977)

23-‘So Sick’ – Justin Bieber (2007)

24-‘The Theme From Barney & Friends’

25-‘Ohio’ – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970)

26-‘Darling Nikki’ – Prince (1984)

27-‘That's Life’ as performed by James Brown at the Boston Gardens (1968)

28-‘Stonewall Girls’ (to the tune of ‘Howdy Doody Theme’) – Stonewall

Protestors (1969)

29-‘The Sinking of The Reuben James’ – Woody Guthrie

30‘I’d Like To Buy the World a Coke’ – The New Seekers (1971)

31-‘Wannabe’ – The Spice Girls (1996)

32-‘Give Peace a Chance’ – John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band (1969)

33-‘Strange Fruit’ – Billie Holiday (1939)

34-‘I Am Woman’ – Helen Reddy (1972)

35-‘Don’t Be Cruel’ – Elvis Presley (1957)

36-‘Cop Killer’ – Body Count (1992)

37-‘Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika’ – Enoch Sontonga (1897)

38-‘Free Nelson Mandela’ – The Special AKA (1984)

39-‘Relax’ – Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1984)

40-‘Nabucco’ – Giuseppe Verdi (1842)

41-‘Panama’ – Van Halen (1984)

42-‘Rapper’s Delight’ - Sugarhill Gang (1979)

43-‘Jerusalem’ - Sir Hubert Parry/William Blake (1916/1804)

44-‘Universal Soldier’ – Buffy Sainte-Marie (1964)

To read more about this exciting honour, view the article here