The true beauty of music is that if done correctly, it can transcend eras to become timeless.
Just in time to close out Black History Month, comes the compilation album; Black History Always; Music for the Movement Vol.2. The track that immediately stands out is Freddie Gibbs’ cover of Gil Scott-Heron’s timeless classic ‘Winter in America’. The original song was recorded in 1973, released in 1974, and eerily enough, the lyrics and message still hold true in 2021.
The remake of ‘Winter in America’ serves as a three-and-a-half-minute condensed version of Heron’s original 8-minute song. I wonder if the song was shortened to fit into the compilation album structure or to accommodate our diminishing attention spans. Whatever the reason, the integrity of the song isn’t lost, and that is greatly appreciated. I also question how long ago the updated version was recorded because it is missing a specific line; unless I overlooked it. “Watching last-ditch racists marching across the floor” appears in verse 5 of the original song and serves as foreshadowing for recent events. This line documents what Gil Scott-Heron witnessed during his lifetime and mistakenly chronicles what happened at the U. S. Capitol on January 6th,2021.
Again, it’s beautiful that music can transcend eras and become timeless. On the other hand, a truly terrifying aspect of music being timeless is that it can be a constant reminder that we aren’t growing as a people.
It’s Winter in America.
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