Soundtracks: Songs That Defined History

Billie Jean King’s win against Bobby Riggs in their famous tennis match was a galvanizing moment for the women’s movement and ushered in music that delivered messages of female empowerment.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s moonwalk inspired musicians from David Bowie and the Byrds to Parliament-Funkadelic and Sun Ra to imagine a cosmic future for mankind.

The episode charts the course of the Cold War in Berlin through music revealing how it helped to sow the seeds of rebellion.

Following Hurricane Katrina, international artists from U2 to Kanye West joined New Orleans musicians in benefit concerts to help ensure the city’s rich traditions survived.

Following the killings of four Kent State University students during anti-Vietnam War protests, politically driven songs from Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield and others became popular.

Explore songs associated with 9/11, including Billy Joel's “New York State of Mind,” which took on a new and heightened meaning. Also a look at how politically charged country music took center stage.

Explore the music that kept the spirit of the civil rights movement alive following King’s death–from James Brown’s black power anthem, “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)” to Kendrick Lamar’s searing protest song, “Alright,” inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.