Stories Behind Songs
Declaration of Independence - Lyrics include excerpts of the US Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776, traditional Western African music from Ghana and traditional African American gospel from Alabama titled “Job” popular in 1930’s. The chorus line is from the traditional African American gospel "Job" originating in the famous Jefferson County Alabama, the heartland of black American a cappella gospel quartet singing. This type of singing began in mining camps, steel mills, and other segregated black industrial settlements of the 1920's and 30's.
Metamorphosis - Lyrics include Ottoman Language Psalm 5: collection of psalms, known as Mezmurlar released in 1665. Translated and transposed from Latin to Ottoman by Ali Ufki. The main theme in "Metamorphosis" comes from Psalm 5 written by Ali Ufki, originally Wojciech Bobowski, protestant 17th century composer who later converted to Islam and who in his time represented a "musical bridge" between East and West. The voices of a Persian singer and a Turkish imam are representing a peaceful musical resolution to longstanding Shia-Sunni divisions in Islam.
Les Cités - Les Cités is the French term for the projects with Arabs and Muslims from former French North African colonies. Many young first and second generation French Muslims voiced their dissatisfaction with the inequality shown to them by the French society.
Hagia Sophia - Lyrics include Trisagion ('Thrice Holy'), considered one of the oldest prayers in Christianity and audio samples of Istanbul Imam’s chanting from the Mosque Located in Istanbul/Constantinople, a place Christians and Muslims worshiped and fought over the "Hagia Sophia" is one of the greatest temples in the world. The song "Hagia Sophia" is embellished by elements of both Byzantine chanting and Middle Eastern instruments.
Heavy Duty - This song juxtaposes two love songs from Serbian and Albanian traditions of Kosovo. Serbian song is “Magla Padnala” (The Fog Has Fallen) and Albanian is “Karafili Edhe Zamaki” (Carnation & Zamanit).
Hiroshima - The song "Hiroshima" is dedicated to the legacy of the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack that led to death of as many as 140,000 people. We have used samples of President Truman's voice from his public speech given after the atomic bomb release in August 1945 and an archived recording of the traditional Japanese Imperial Palace Music Department recorded sometime during the Second World War.
Refugees - The song "Refugees" is dedicated to the plight of millions of refugees across the world and their irrefutable human right to be able to return home.
Healing - The song "Healing" is based on a traditional Andalusian lullaby, which in some cultures was sung to heal wounded souls. This rare process of reconciliation can be a much needed path to conflict resolution.
Legacy - Lyrics include samples of USA presidential public addresses collection. "Legacy" juxtaposes samples of historic public speeches given by four former American presidents; Jimmy Carter, JFK, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, two Democrats and two Republicans.
Clash of Civilizations - "Why in the hearts of all the nations lives the clash of civilizations?" is the chorus line of our anthem song which is calling for change in ancient perceptions of each other.