Skip to content
Election Overtime Project
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories
Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs on stage

Luke Combs, politics and healing our nation's divide

Department of Veterans Affairs building

Project 2025: The Department of Veterans Affairs

Ducks

The 12 worst House districts: Experts label gerrymandering's dirty dozen

White House with "stop" barrier in front

If Trump wins, should Democrats turn over the keys to the White House?

Mark Esper sitting next to Donald Trump

What would really happen if Trump wins?

Change through music: ‘When the Levee Breaks’

Change through music: ‘When the Levee Breaks’
When The Levee Breaks feat. John Paul Jones | Playing For Change | Song Around The World
www.youtube.com
Our Staff
By Our StaffFeb 23, 2022
Our Staff
The Fulcrum staff.
See More Writings by author

Music has often been a force for engaging people in the issues that are most important to them.

Recently, Playing For Change shared their new song featuring John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin.

Playing for Change said this about the song:

We're excited to share our new song around the world, “When The Levee Breaks,” featuring legendary multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin!

This song is a powerful, thought-provoking and emotionally-charged classic by Led Zeppelin and a rework of the 1929 original release by Kansas Joe Mccoy and Memphis Minnie about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927; the most destructive river flooding in U.S. history.

Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and over 20 musicians and dancers from seven different countries join John Paul Jones for this global rendition featured in Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment.

Feel the impact of these compelling lyrics and let the music move your spirit!

The Fulcrum believes that music and democracy are deeply connected. If you have favorites that you would like us to share with our readers please contact us at pop-culture@fulcrum.us

.

Latest news

Read More

Megan Thee Stallion in front of an audience waving "Kamala" signs

Singer Megan Thee Stallion performs at a Kamala Harris rally in Atlanta on July 30.

Julia Beverly/Getty Images

Do Charli XCX’s and Kid Rock’s endorsements make a difference? 19% of young people admit they might.

Longoria is an associate professor of political science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

British pop star Charli XCX sent many young people’s group text chats and social media feeds wild when she endorsed Kamala Harris by playing off a term she coined in a song, and posted on X, that “kamala IS brat.”

While this endorsement, which happened in July 2024, likely means very little to most adults who don’t follow the singer’s music, it is considered high praise among young people. Harris’ campaign astutely embraced Charli XCX’s support – temporarily changing the background of its X profile to the same shade of lime green that Charlie XCX favors.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande

Sarah Morris/WireImage/Getty Images

Ariana Grande for Harris. Kanye West for Trump. Does it matter?

Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

It didn’t take long after Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Kamala Harris became the odds-on favorite to be the Democratic Party's nominee for the celebrity endorsements to follow. Within a few days, Ariana Grande, Cardi B and John Legend all publicly announced their support for Harris.

Of course, not all celebrities are Democrats and Donald Trump has his share of celebrity support as well — people like Ye (Kanye West), Jason Aldean and Kid Rock, who endorsed Trump in the past and are likely to endorse him once again.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jay-Z on stage

Hip-hop legend Jay-Z performs at a 2012 rally for President Barack Obama, who changed how politicans connect with pop culture icons.

Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images

From Rock the Vote to TikTok: Pop culture’s political influence

Johnson is a United Methodist pastor, the author of "Holding Up Your Corner: Talking About Race in Your Community" and program director for the Bridge Alliance, which houses The Fulcrum.

In 1992, a young Bill Clinton tried to connect with Generation X by joking around and soulfully playing the sax on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” It was a game-changer that forever shifted how presidential candidates court younger voters.

Nowadays, it's not about late-night talk shows but about getting attention on social media platforms like TikTok. The relationship between pop culture and politics has evolved with each generation, keeping pace with the changing times and new technologies. It's crucial to understand this evolution and what it means for how future generations will engage with politics.

Keep ReadingShow less
Simone Biles
Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages

Simone Biles wins gold in life’s balancing act

Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice."

The closing ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will take place this Sunday, Aug. 11. Officially called the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, they have provided a thrilling spectacle, a glimpse of the world together and on its best behavior.

Team USA’s Simone Biles will leave the City of Lights with an additional four Olympic medals, three gold (the team event, all around and vault) plus a silver in floor exercise, bringing her Olympic treasure trove to 11. Added to her 30 world championship medals, Biles is the most decorated gymnast ever. With five awe-inspiring skills named for her, she dominates the sport — truly the Greatest of All Time.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2024