1. Research Project: Three Songs Spanning the Scope of Over Thirty Years in African American Music
Megan Adams

2. Song One: Blacker the Berry

3. Song Two: Keep Ya Head Up

4. Song Three: O-o-h Child
Video of Stairsteps

5. Some Important Connections:
KEEP YA HEAD UP
“Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice / I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots / / Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye used to sing to me / He had me feelin’ like black was the thing to be / And suddenly the ghetto didn’t seem so tough / And though we had it rough, we always had enough / Keep ya head up, oooo child things are gonna get easier / oooo child things are gonna get brighter”
O-O-H CHILD
“O-o-h child, things are gonna get easier / O-o-h child things will be brighter (2x) / Someday yeah, we’ll put it together and we’ll get it undone / Someday when your head is much lighter / Someday yeah, we’ll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun / Someday when the world is much brighter”
BLACKER THE BERRY
“Say when ashy I lotion down in Armor All / Made me feel like a loser really lame / Because of my complexion nobody would include me in games / / The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice / / I ain’t have Marvin Gaye to sing to me / And make me feel like black was the thing to be”

6. NOW WHAT?
Where do we go from here? What song could we use as an extension? HINT: After seeing my analysis, what genre should we be thinking of? Should it be uplifting/inspirational/melancholy? Who should the audience be? OR, what song would you substitute for any of my choices? (You guys need a slide like this as well, just anything you like to prompt this discussion.)