Homelessness in popular culture
Despite its prevalence,[1] homelessness is frequently described as an invisible problem.[2] Writers and other artists play a role in bringing the issue to the publics attention, with many works created where homelessness is the central theme. In other works homelessness is a secondary subject, added to advance the story or contribute to dramatic effect.
Depictions of homelessness
Examples
Below is a partial list introducing examples of such work, mostly where homelessness is the central subject.
Popular songs
- 1800s. "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum" - traditional folk song
- 1908. "If It's Good Enough for Washington It's Good Enough For Me", music by Percy Wenrich, words by Ren Shields - sleeping on bench in public square with statue of George Washington.
- 1962. "Man on the Street", by Bob Dylan, officially released on 1991's Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series.
- 1963. "Only a Hobo", by Bob Dylan, officially released on 1991's Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series.
- 1968. "I Am a Lonesome Hobo", by Bob Dylan, from his 8th studio recording John Wesley Harding. A humble warning from a homeless man to those who are better off.
- 1969. "Highway Chile", by Jimi Hendrix Experience. The song is about a homeless man that Jimi met when he was on tour.
- 1972. "Aqualung", by Jethro Tull
- 1977. "We'd Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover" in the musical Annie
- 1978. "Bag Lady", by Todd Rundgren, from the album Hermit of Mink Hollow
- 1983. "Brothers Under the Bridges" by Bruce Springsteen, later released on Tracks compilation album
- 1989. "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins, which was included on his album ...But Seriously became the last number 1 of the 1980s.
- 1991. Something in the Way, music by Nirvana, written by Kurt Cobain when he was young, homeless and sleeping under a bridge at the age of fifteen[3][4]
- 1991. "Even Flow", music by Pearl Jam, lyrics written by Eddie Vedder telling a story about a homeless man.
- 1991. "Homeless (Like the Christ Child Was)" on the album "The Forgotten Carols" by Michael McLean.
- 1993 "Shelter" by Duran Duran.
- 1993. "Somebody's Baby" by Pat Benatar.
- 1996. "Low Man's Lyric" by Metallica.
- 1998. "What it's like" by Everlast.
- 2004. "Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne.
- 2007. "There Is No Good Reason" by Natalie Merchant on the compilation album, Give US Your Poor.[5][6] The song was written by a 15 year old homeless girl, Nichole, telling about her ordeals and struggles.
Music albums
Popular films
Theater
Books
Documentary films
- 1978. The Agony of Jimmy Quinlan is a National Film Board documentary about homeless alcoholics in Montreal (video online in full).
- 1984. Streetwise -- follows homeless Seattle youth.
- 1993. It Was a Wonderful Life at the Internet Movie Database -- chronicles the lives of six articulate, educated, "hidden homeless" women as they struggle from day to day. Narrated by Jodie Foster.
- 1997. The Street: A Film with the Homeless about the Canadian homeless in Montreal. New York Times Review,
- 2000. Dark Days -- A film following the lives of homeless adults living in the Amtrak tunnels in New York.
- 2001. Children Underground -- Following the lives of homeless children in Bucharest, Romania.
- 2003. À Margem da Imagem at the Internet Movie Database -- about the homeless in São Paulo, Brazil. Its English title is "On the Fringes of São Paulo: Homeless".
- 2004. Homeless in America at the Internet Movie Database
- 2005. The Children of Leningradsky -- About homeless children in Moscow.
- 2005. Reversal of Fortune -- A homeless person is given $100,000 and is free to do whatever he wishes with the money.
- 2006. Homeless -- About Homeless people and homelessness in England.
- 2007. Easy Street -- about the homeless in St. Petersburg, Florida.
- 2008. The Oasis -- an observational documentary about homeless youths in Sydney, Australia, filmed over two years.
- 2008. Carts of Darkness is a documentary by Murray Siple about extreme shopping cart racing by homeless men. (Video online in full.)
- 2008. The Ballad of Robert and Harvey: We Are Not Faraway at the Internet Movie Database - "Centered on the troubled friendship between Robert and Harvey, the film exposes the unique hardships and common humanity of people who live among us but are virtually unknown."[9]
TV and radio documentaries
TV entertainment and comedy shows
Visual arts
See also
References
- ^ HUMAN RIGHTS: More Than 100 Million Homeless Worldwide
- ^ http://www.ifallsdailyjournal.com/news/county-news/invisible-problem-faye-whitbeck-staff-writer-11715 The invisible problem
- ^ "A Walking Tour of... Kurt Cobain's Aberdeen". The Aberdeen Museum of History. http://www.aberdeen-museum.org/kurt.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-08. "Whether Cobain ever slept under this bridge as he claimed is not certain, however, he did spend time beneath the south approach, as did many of the neighborhood kids."
- ^ Bienias, Michelle (2005-01). "Kurt Cobain’s ‘Bridge’ in Aberdeen, Washington". VR MAG. http://www.vrmag.org/issue18/KURT_COBAIN_S_BRIDGE_IN_ABERDEEN_WASHINGTON.html. "Kurt lived under this bridge for a time when he was 15 and frequented it as a ‘hang out’ of sorts as well. His experiences living under this bridge were the basis for the Nirvana song ‘Something's In the Way’."
- ^ Give US Your Poor organisation: The Campaign to End Homelessness - University of Massachusetts, Boston.
- ^ Give US Your Poor - multi-artist album at Appleseed Records.
- ^ Mills, Fred, "Give Them Your Money: Give US Your Poor Benefit Disc Features Springsteen, Seeger, Raitt, Bon Jovi, Others", HARP magazine, July 22, 2007
- ^ Miller, Adam, Music Review: 'Give US Your Poor' : All-star cast of artists contribute to fight against homelessness, The Epoch Times, Kansas Staff, September 24, 2007
- ^ Vennila Films Post-Production page on "We are not Faraway