Glory by Common featuring John Legend (2014)

From blackwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Glory Cover

Glory is a song released on December 11, 2014 by Columbia Records and performed by American rapper Common featuring John Legend. The hip hop song was a theme song from film Selma (2014), which portrays the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. Based on the US Billboard Hot 100, Glory reached at number 49 and won the award at the 87th Academy Awards (2015) and the 72nd Golden Globe Awards (2015) as the Best Original Song, as well as the award won at the the 58th Annual Grammy Awards (2016) as the Best Song Written for Visual Media. [1]

Common featuring John Legend

Key Lyrics

Hands to the Heavens, no man, no weapon

Formed against, yes glory is destined

Every day women and men become legends

Sins that go against our skin become blessings

The movement is a rhythm to us

Freedom is like religion to us

Justice is juxtaposition in us

Justice for all just ain't specific enough

One son died, his spirit is revisitin' us

Truant livin' livin' in us, resistance is us

That's why Rosa sat on the bus

That's why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up

When it go down we woman and man up

They say, "Stay down" and we stand up

Shots, we on the ground, the camera panned up

King pointed to the mountain top and we ran up

One day, when the glory comes

It will be ours, it will be ours

Oh, one day, when the war is one

We will be sure, we will be here sure [2]

Black Empowerment

Glory was inspired by the events that happened 50 years ago and the topic is still relevant today by inserting the current hot incidents and the Civil Rights Movement in general. The song was a soundtrack of film Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, both Common and Legend explained how the song can relate the recent protest in Ferguson, MO. [3] :

“I looked at Ferguson and saw what was going on, and knew that it wasn’t far from what was happening during the civil rights movement – people standing up for what they believe in, marching for what they believe in, protesting for what they believe in. We wanted this song to be inspirational. We wanted it to have that pain, but also hope.” Explained Common

Legend expressed a similar comment, “I wanted something that tied the spirit of Selma with what was happening in the streets at the time we were writing, which was people protesting in Missouri and eventually New York about injustice and police brutality.” [4]

In an interview with Billboard, Common told that the song not only for paying honor for those who lived in the 60s until these times, but also can relate to today’s event, "You can look at what's going on in Ferguson, and it's not a far comparison to what happened to Jimmy Lee Jackson during the time of the civil rights movement that is shown in the film. So I really was thinking about encouraging people that we've come a long way, but we've still got some fighting to do, and we are capable. We've got to carry this torch and take it to the next level."

He also pointed that Glory is just not a rap song, rather a beautiful song that is full of messages, so people could really hear and retain what was being said. Common hoped through this song this can bring intimacy to those who hear the song. [5]

References