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3 American Folk Songs From the 1940s That Helped Invent the 1960s Sound
Three songs recorded or popularised in the 1940s helped shape the folk sound that became prominent in the 1960s. Their political, union and spiritual themes influenced later performers, including Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger.
The article highlights Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”, The Almanac Singers’ 1941 version of Florence Reece’s 1931 union song “Which Side Are You On?”, and “The Wayfaring Stranger”, a much older religious song that Burl Ives made his signature in the mid-1940s. Each was later covered by folk musicians, linking the earlier revival to the 1960s scene.
In short
- Guthrie’s song inspired folk artists including Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger.
- A 1941 recording helped carry a union song into the 1960s.
- Burl Ives popularised an older spiritual song in the mid-1940s.
Explained simply
The 1960s folk revival brought traditional songs and newly written acoustic music to a wider audience. Performers such as Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger drew on earlier folk music, which often used simple melodies and lyrics about everyday life, work, politics or faith.
Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” and the Almanac Singers’ version of Florence Reece’s “Which Side Are You On?” connected folk music with ideas about the country and workers’ rights. “The Wayfaring Stranger”, a religious song with older roots, showed another strand of the tradition; singer Burl Ives helped bring it to audiences in the 1940s.
Later musicians performed and recorded these songs, carrying them into new settings and linking earlier folk traditions with the 1960s scene. That history helps explain how a small group of familiar songs could shape the sound and themes of a wider musical revival.
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