Prominent figures like musicians John Lennon and James Brown, or computer specialist Ted Nelson, have made the political slogan “Power to the People” their credo.
After an initial overview of five civil rights movements that chose “Power to the People” as their motto, the second part of the series follows. It's about selected figures who have integrated the political slogan into their songs and books, and have thus identified with it personally: musicians who were also activists and a computer pioneer who called for computers to be understandable to all.
1. John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band – Power to the People
The song “Power to the People” by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band was released in the UK on March 12, 1971. It was not the first political song by Lennon and Ono, but it was one that was to usher in a new phase in Lennon’s career and political stance. By the end of the 1960s, John Lennon and his second wife Yoko Ono were already organizing happenings together in order to campaign for world peace. Their “sit-ins” in Amsterdam and Toronto became particularly famous, as did their “War Is Over (If You Want It)” campaign in 1969. In Lennon’s music too, peace had long been a major theme, for example in “Give Peace a Chance” or “Instant Karma”.
In 1971, Lennon gave an interview to activists Tariq Ali and Robin Blackburn of the Marxist magazine “Red Mole”, as a result of which his views on possible forms of protest changed. Prior to that, Ali and Blackburn had criticized Lennon for his non-violent form of protest. The time had come to find bolder words, and the first result of this shift in his thinking was the song “Power to the People”, which Lennon wrote shortly after the interview.
![](/fileadmin/SCHIRN/Magazin/Abbildungen_2018/Kontext/Power_to_the_People/PttP_Slogan_Teil_2/WarIsOver_BillboardSlogan_1969.jpg)
![](https://ksassets.timeincuk.net/wp/uploads/sites/55/2015/12/2015JohnLennon_GettyImages-107715151_081215-1-920x627.jpg)
John Lennon with the Red Mole Magazine, Image via nme.com
It’s the first time that he speaks explicitly of revolution, and yet the text remains non-specific. Instead, it describes a mood, evokes a very particular atmosphere. The refrain is perfect for singing along to – it’s like a hymn that can provide a soundtrack, to each and every revolutionary movement. On the cover of the single we see John Lennon wearing a Japanese police helmet.
The thrust is clear: The “Love is all you Need” mentality of the 1960s is now over. And in the albums that followed during the 1970s, Lennon becomes even more specific and critical. 1971 his album “Imagine” with its super-hit of the same name was released, followed in 1972 by “Some Time in New York City”, which is considered his most political, with the song “Woman is the Nigger of the World” among others, including songs about Angela Davis, John Sinclair or New York City, which feature allusions to the scene in Downtown Manhattan.
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_screenshot_john_lennon_song_4dd055e142.jpg)
![](https://img.discogs.com/bw31mL5VwzIJC-4FDOI_VYnKb_Y=/fit-in/600x610/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-513450-1282595689.jpeg.jpg)
Power to the People, Cover, Image via discogs.com
2. James Brown – Say it Loud, I’m Black and Proud / Soul Power
During the late 1960s James Brown was a role model for the American civil rights movement. This wasn’t something that came naturally. Admittedly, he was a confident, African-American artist who openly expressed his sexuality, but in early 1968 he annoyed all the black intellectuals among his fans by singing “America is my Home”. Legend would have it that the Black Panthers paid him a visit afterwards with the aim of talking him round. Even if this is merely legend, it was obvious to anyone that something had changed in James Brown’s political attitude: The grease in his hair gave way to an afro, and at the end of the same year he proclaimed his political leanings with the song “Say it Loud, I’m Black and Proud”. Parts of this became catchphrases for the Black Power movement – he had won over the black population once again while his white fans by contrast started to distance themselves from him.
![](https://img.discogs.com/xwUcjooG8dbS-ZiSwPLQeBXti-A=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-1484125-1305204244.jpeg.jpg)
Cover by James Brown – Say It Loud I'm Black And I'm Proud, Image via: discogs.com
As is typical of Brown’s music, the song consists primarily of rhythm instruments: drums, bass, horns and guitar. Brown screams out the text, he’s talking more than singing. “Now we demand a chance to do things for ourself / We’re tired of beatin’ our head against the wall / And workin’ for someone else.”
And power to the people? The slogan is tucked away in James Brown’s work. In 1971 he published his song “Soul Power”, which he modified particularly in concert. In a call-and-response style, the exchange of “What we want?”, “Soul power!” regularly became “What we want?”, “Power to the people!” James Brown and the Black Power movement may have merely flirted with each another, but for many his texts became a credo, and his songs became hymns.
Now we demand a chance to do things for ourself. We’re tired of beatin’ our head against the wall and workin’ for someone else.
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_soul_power_screenshot_fd2f8142df.jpg)
3. Ted Nelson – Computer Power to the People
In 1974, American Ted Nelson published his book “Computer Lib / Dream Machines” with the subheading “You can and must understand computers NOW”. In this – or more precisely in the two books he wrote – Nelson combines a manual for using computers with political freedom and presents his cause under the motto “Computer power to the people! Down with the cybercrud”. Cybercrud is a term he coined, which is best explained as the incomprehensibility of the computer world. This was and remains Nelson’s cause: Computers – or rather a user interface – should be understandable to all within as short a time as possible.
Ted Nelson is a philosopher, but most importantly a pioneer of information technology, and since the very beginnings of micro- and personal computers has campaigned for the comprehensibility of these devices. In 1974, both the micro-computer (i.e. not a mainframe computer, but rather those that could be operated by individual persons) and the PC were on the way towards conquering the world. The Altair 8800, the first commercially successful micro-computer, was launched on the market shortly after Computer Lib.
![](http://thedigitalage.pbworks.com/f/1258959079/computerLibFront.jpg)
Ted Nelson, Computer Lib / Dream Machines, Image via: thedigitalage.pbworks.com
It’s no surprise, then, that Nelson could not find a publisher for his book and had to have it printed at his own expense. The book was a manifesto for PC fans, hackers and computer hobbyists and is therefore considered the first ever book about personal computers. Like the Altair 8800 or the Apple II, engineering marvels that turned the existing computer order on its head, “Computer Lib” also contributed to furthering the concept of the computer as a personal and easily usable device.
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Altair_8800__Smithsonian_Museum_063940325c.jpg)
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Vorschau_Schirn_Presse_Selma_Selman_2023_e6f08a67a8.jpg)
FIVE GOOD REASONS TO VIEW SELMA SELMAN IN THE SCHIRN
Poetic, confrontational, surprising: from June 20 to September 15, the SCHIRN presents two new works by the artist SELMA SELMAN in a large solo...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_SCHIRN-C-V-BONIN_NMB0176_d2dd99f56f.jpg)
Doing nothing is (not) at the core of the work
Jovana Reisinger reflects on idleness in Cosima von Bonin’s work – is it a sign of luxury, slovenliness, or ultimately a much more meaningful and...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau2_SCHIRN-C-V-BONIN_NMB0883_448e952d2b.jpg)
Toxic cuteness
Cuteness overload! Bambi is a recurring reference in COSIMA VON BONIN'S visual world. But such a saccharine appearance can be deceptive. What are the...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_Schirn_Presse_Cosima_von_Bonin_Church_of_Duffy_2023_8720325f7a.jpg)
Daffy Duck. Here’s to imperfection!
Daffy Duck is an integral part of COSIMA VON BONIN’s artistic oeuvre, but what’s the story behind this polarizing cartoon character?
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_24.04.27_SCHIRN_BlockParty_EK-1039_f8ddd56852.jpg)
Where are the hip hop Hotspots in Germany?
Hip hop culture has long since become an integral part of life in German cities. From Frankfurt and Heidelberg through to Bietigheim-Bissingen near...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_NOI_240227_untitled_0351_278A2027_a61d58c532.jpg)
How Hip Hop sings about its dead
Death plays a large part in Hip Hop. The tragic early passing of legends such as Biggie Smalls and Tupac, not to mention rising superstars like...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_Schirn_Presse_Cosima_von_Bonin_Opening_Thonk_Piece_credit_Mary_Messhausen_and_proddy_produzentin_9d3d179a2a.jpg)
5 questions for Mary Messhausen and proddy produzentin
With the performance "Thonk piece: Hungry for Stains", drag queens Mary Messhausen and proddy produzentin will open the exhibition COSIMA VON BONIN....
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_csm_Beat_Street_01_0fd8e71a70_c2767f1c32.png)
HIP HOP IS BLACK CULTURE – NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND
Hip hop’s 50th birthday is an occasion for us to listen to some old records and mixed tapes and to look back at the most important hip hop films of...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_Schirn_Presse_Cosima_von_Bonin_OPEN_YOUR_SHIRT_PLEASE_9_2019_97a52a2802.jpg)
Now at the SCHIRN:COSIMA VON BONIN
The SCHIRN is showing a unique presentation of new and well-known works by COSIMA VON BONIN until June 9.
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_Schirn_Presse_Melike_Kara_shallow_lakes_Installationsansicht_01_391b7bfed1.jpg)
SHALLOW LAKES – plumbing the depths
In the SCHIRN’s rotunda, MELIKE KARA is presenting a series of sculptures that are reminiscent of bodies of water or small lakes. So, what’s this...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_Schirn_Presse_The_Culture_Hassan_Hajjaj_Cardi_B_Unity_2017_b1b7e55984.jpg)
FIVE GOOD REASONS TO VIEW THE CULTURE IN THE SCHIRN
From feburary 29, the SCHIRN presents an interdisciplinary exhibition on the influence of hip hop on contemporary art and culture. It's worth a visit...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_Schirn_Presse_The_Culture_Monica_Ikegwu_Open_Closed_2021_02_a23527581e.jpg)
When subculture becomes mainstream – a balancing act
Regardless of whether it is hip hop, techno, or the queer scene: It is not unusual for the aesthetics of countercultures and subcultures to morph into...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_vorschau_Schirn_Presse_The_Culture_Zeh_Palito_It_was_all_a_dream_2022_10f2623484.jpg)
Now at the SCHIRN: THE CULTURE: HIP HOP AND CONTEMPORARY ART IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop, the SCHIRN dedicates a major interdisciplinary exhibition to hip hop’s profound...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Vorschau_Le_Temoin____le_gerant__...__bpt6k1206092r_11_c30e17e919.jpg)
Julia Feininger – Artist, Caricaturist, and Manager
Art historians can tell us a lot about LYONEL FEININGER, but who was Julia Feininger and what legacy did she bequeath to the world of art?
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Vorschau_The_Bathers_point_6e21f5164a.jpg)
Lyonel Feininger and the Harvard Art Museums. Part 2
The Harvard Art Museums host the largest Lyonel Feininger collection in the world. The directors Lynette Roth and Laura Muir chat about Feininger’s...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Vorschau_Schirn_Presse_Melike_Kara_adiyaman_2023_ee3b8bc143.jpg)
Five good reasons to view Melike Kara in the SCHIRN
From February 15, the SCHIRN presents a new site-specific installation by Melike Kara in its public rotunda. Here are five good reasons why it's worth...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Vorschau11_Lynette_r_Laura_l_a0bec1bf32.jpg)
Lyonel Feininger and the Harvard Art Museums. Part 1
The Harvard Art Museums host the largest Lyonel Feininger collection in the world. How did that happen and how was the relationship between the artist...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Vorschau_Schirn_Presse_The_Culture_El_Franco_Lee_II_DJ_Scre_in_Heaven_2008_6a6b715f17.jpg)
2024 AT THE SCHIRN
This is 2024 at the SCHIRN! From hip-hop and art in the 21st century, to Selma Selman, the self-proclaimed "most dangerous artist in the world", to...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Vorschau_Schirn_Presse_Akomfrah_The_Unfinished_Conversation_be14e8c3d8.jpg)
ROUTES, NOT ROOTS. JOHN AKOMFRAH, STUART HALL, AND THE BLACK AUDIO FILM COLLECTIVE
John Akomfrah’s video work “The Unfinished Conversation” is an homage to cultural theorist and sociologist Stuart Hall. Award-winning Frankfurt...
![](/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_Vorschau_POR_3WellershausElisabeth_honorarfrei__c_JulietteMoarbes_77a135fcab.jpg)
Empathy, but how? Julia Grosse talks to Elisabeth Wellershaus
What role do empathy and emotions play in the cultural world of today and tomorrow? In the first part of the interview series, curator Julia Grosse...