The Ballad Of Sacco And Vanzetti Part 2

Album: Sacco and Vanzetti (1971)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • With lyrics by Joan Baez and music by Ennio Morricone, "The Ballad Of Sacco And Vanzetti Part 2" was written for the 1971 film Sacco & Vanzetti, which dramatizes the case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who, amid great controversy, were convicted in the case of a 1920 armed robbery in Massachusetts in which two people were murdered.

    The film, and the song, make the case that Sacco and Vanzetti were persecuted because they were poor, immigrants, and anarchists. Their case had long been in the history books, but by 1971 it was evoked as part of the American civil rights movement, which Baez supported whole-heartedly. Whether or not they committed the crime remains a topic of debate.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.