Oh wow.  I know I am going to disappoint many people out there with my top five list this week - I am going to compile my list of favorite “socially conscious” songs and nearly all of them are recent releases.  I consider a song to be “socially conscious” if it motivates me to want to make the world a better place or if it encourages me to rethink the status quo.  I know, I know, the sixties were full of folk songs decrying the evils of, well, just about everything.  There are tons of songs I am not including in this list that I am sure most of you will consider the quintessential call to arms, but perhaps I’ll introduce you to some songs you haven’t taken seriously that may, in the end, motivate you to work for the common good the way they motivate me.

5. Waiting for the World to Change - John Mayer.  I know, this is bubble gum pop, but it sticks with me because it feels so much like school to me.  I am constantly surrounded by bright-eyed, idealistic 24 year olds who really are just waiting for the world to change - some are even working for that change already.  Its so doe-eyed and precious, I can’t help but think that something good is going to come from my classmates that isn’t as sappy but just as inspiring as this song.

4. Brother Down - Sam Roberts Band.  This may be a pretty obscure reference for many of you, but I have seen Sam Roberts live a couple times now and he freaking rocks.  This song is a true anthem for the call of humanity surrounding us all , and I can remember the exact time I heard Sam cry it out onstage.  It always reminds me of what I want to do in life - just leave the world better off than I found it.  If you aren’t familiar with Sam Roberts, look them up.

3. He Got Game - Public Enemy.  This one reaches back further than any of the others only because Public Enemy has been sticking it to the man for decades.  This song came out in 1998 and I was introduced to it by my brother-in-law when he was just a ghetto superstar that listened to nothing but rap and R&B, but it spoke to me right away.  Its lyrics are really poignant and I started listening to it when I was still young enough to be the bright-eyed idealist myself.

2. Changes - Tupac. In some of my most paranoid moods I am convinced that Tupac was murdered to keep him from changing the world himself.  He was popular enough to start a movement, and was increasingly vocal about the inequality and strife of inner-city America.  This song speaks truth to power, and could have been a great example of popular music affecting social change if it had gained more of an audience beyond the ghettos.  It reminds me of the potential to be found at the heart of every person to change the world if given the chance.

1. Better Way - Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals.  I truly believe there is a better way out there.  I know I am older and more cynical than most of my liberal classmates, but I do believe there is so much good in people that it is fact possible to make this world a better place.  If I didn’t believe this I would have just gone to Business School to make myself some money.  I hope that everyone can listen to this song and dream of a better way for all of us to live, to give, to be.  I know its sad, but the flame of idealism just cannot be extinguished in this dreamer’s heart.

So that’s it.  Find these songs and try to listen to them with an ear for revolution - see if you don’t come around to believing that you, too, can make this world a better place.  Try it risk-free for seven days and return it for a full refund if you’re not completely satisfied.  Have fun.

A caveat: there are two songs from before my time that still resonate with me, and though I didn’t include them in the official list, I can’t leave them off this post.  John Lennon’s Imagine has always moved me, and might have subconsciously affected me to be the person I am today.  I have loved this song and its simple message as long as I can remember.  Also, Buffalo Springfield’s For What Its Worth has always run in the soundtrack of my mind, particularly on the hot summer days of unrest.  Consequently it is the sample from which He Got Game is derived.