ALINA SELYUKH, HOST:
Simon Sebag Montefiore’s e-book “The World” investigates the historical past of humanity by households – the Caesars and Borgias, the Kims and Tudors, Roosevelts and the Home of Saud. The e-book spans a thousand pages of plagues, pandemics and crimes in opposition to humanity, together with staggering tales of survival and achievement. And you’ll learn all of it whereas listening to a playlist compiled by the writer.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL”)
THE ROLLING STONES: (Singing) Please permit me to introduce myself. I am a person of wealth and style.
SELYUKH: Greater than 400 songs from the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, The Commodores and plenty of extra. Earlier this 12 months, NPR’s Scott Simon spoke with writer and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore about his e-book and his playlist.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
SCOTT SIMON: I collect you imagine “Sympathy For The Satan” is the very best track about historical past.
SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE: I put it as my No. 1 – the good means it is written, the trope of an unknown narrator that we – whom we uncover, whose id is revealed and who performs a job in most of the most horrible atrocities of the twentieth century. I feel it is one of many best-written rock songs of all time.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL”)
THE ROLLING STONES: (Singing) I rode a tank, held a basic’s rank when the Blitzkrieg raged and the our bodies stank.
SIMON: What does this playlist present for our perspective on historical past?
MONTEFIORE: Effectively, a part of the enjoyable factor about writing a household historical past is to get a really feel of the way in which individuals lived, which isn’t simply empires rising and falling, battles and pandemics, but in addition how they ate, how they dressed and, after all, what sort of music they hearken to. And so I assumed, God, it would be actually enjoyable to have a playlist of all the nice historical past songs, which I outline as – historical past track is both a couple of historic character or characters, or it is a track that turns into the theme of a historic occasion.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “STRANGE FRUIT”)
NINA SIMONE: (Singing) Southern timber…
SIMON: Extra music – Nina Simone’s model of “Unusual Fruit.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “STRANGE FRUIT”)
SIMONE: (Singing) …Bearing unusual fruit – blood on the leaves and blood on the roots. Black our bodies swinging within the Southern breeze.
SIMON: What can we hear on this track?
MONTEFIORE: I imply, this can be a track – this can be a terrifying, horrible, atrocious narrative of a lynching within the South. It tells a part of the story of America, of the Jim Crow years of America. And slavery is an enormous a part of this world historical past, Atlantic slavery but in addition different slave trades in East Africa, trans-Saharan and the Mediterranean-Black Sea slave commerce as effectively. You recognize, the beauty of writing a household historical past of the world is that you could cowl this stuff in particular methods. So a number of the households, as you talked about, are royal households, political households, households of energy, however some are enslaved households, too.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “STRANGE FRUIT”)
SIMONE: (Singing) Then the sudden odor of burning flesh.
SIMON: I really feel the necessity to cite the writer of the track, Abel Meeropol. Are you aware that story?
MONTEFIORE: Yeah. I imply, he is a – he was Jewish.
SIMON: Abel Meeropol adopted Michael and Robby (ph) Meeropol, who had been born to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
MONTEFIORE: Superb. Superb.
(SOUNDBITE OF HERMAN’S HERMITS SONG, “I’M HENRY VIII, I AM”)
SIMON: In one other path totally…
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I’M HENRY VIII, I AM”)
HERMAN’S HERMITS: (Singing) I am Henry VIII, I’m. Henry VIII I’m, I’m. I acquired married to the widow subsequent door. She’s been married seven occasions earlier than.
SIMON: …What scholarly contribution does or do Herman’s Hermits make?
MONTEFIORE: A few of these songs are extraordinarily darkish and virtually insufferable, you realize, like “Unusual Fruit,” and a few are simply outrageous enjoyable. I imply, you have to be prepared for all types of modifications of tone.
(SOUNDBITE OF HERMAN’S HERMITS SONG, “I’M HENRY VIII, I AM”)
MONTEFIORE: You recognize, one of many issues that is enjoyable about this isn’t simply to have songs that point out historic characters. I imply, certainly one of my favorites is The Stranglers’ “No Extra Heroes.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “NO MORE HEROES”)
THE STRANGLERS: (Singing) No matter occurred to Leon Trotsky? He acquired an ice decide that made his ears burn.
MONTEFIORE: That is one other fantastic one, too. And there is songs about critical issues, you realize, “Baraye,” the attractive track, Iranian track, from at this time.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BARAYE”)
SHERVIN HAJIPOUR: (Singing in non-English language).
MONTEFIORE: There are songs from Ukraine, for instance.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “STEFANIA”)
KALUSH AND KALUSH ORCHESTRA: (Singing in non-English language).
MONTEFIORE: There are songs from the Soviet Union in World Conflict II.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “KATIOUCHA”)
ALEXANDROV ENSEMBLE: (Singing in non-English language).
MONTEFIORE: So I hope that one finds as a lot selection right here as one does within the e-book as one does in world historical past.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ODE TO BILLIE JOE”)
BOBBIE GENTRY: (Singing) It was the three of June, one other sleepy, dusty Delta day.
SIMON: From following your e-book tour, I perceive you have been on the Tallahatchie Bridge.
MONTEFIORE: I used to be on the Tallahatchie Bridge. Bobbie Gentry is within the checklist, after all. After all, I finished the automotive and simply had a second.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ODE TO BILLIE JOE”)
GENTRY: (Singing) And Mama hollered on the again door, y’all keep in mind to wipe your toes. After which she mentioned, I acquired some information this morning from Choctaw Ridge. At present, Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.
MONTEFIORE: And I used to be simply in Graceland, too. And I feel Elvis is a kind of characters. For about 50 years, the nice pop stars have been like – and I am barely exaggerating right here however not fully, I feel – have been just like the grand dukes, the cardinals, possibly the nice artists of bygone eras. A few of them are important for a world historical past. So we have Frank Sinatra. We have got Bowie. We have got Elvis, after all. And the Stones and the Beatles are all actually a part of the event of commerce, of capitalism, of a single American tradition, of American domination of world tradition. Frank Sinatra is a basic instance. He sung on the 1946 summit assembly of the Mafia, who’re within the e-book – Fortunate Luciano and Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky. He was buddies with Jack Kennedy. He launched Kennedy to Marilyn Monroe and Judith Exner.
SIMON: And Marilyn Monroe’s model of “Joyful Birthday, Mr. President” can also be on the playlist.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARILYN MONROE: (Singing) Joyful birthday to you.
HAJIPOUR: Completely. I imply, she’s within the e-book. Her singing that track is the type of climax of Camelot in some ways. And the Kennedys are an enormous a part of this story. And in case one thinks dynasties are over, in a lot of the remainder of the world, for all types of causes, individuals are returning to dynasties, to clans, to households of various types.
SIMON: There is a Marcos again in energy within the Philippines.
MONTEFIORE: There is a Marcos again in energy. There was a Kenyatta again in energy. After which there are correct monarchies, that are using excessive. Have a look at the Saudi monarchy, for instance. After which there are republic monarchies, just like the Kims of North Korea, the Assads and plenty of, many others who’re making an attempt to create precise hereditary dynasties like monarchies. Folks typically ask me, who’s probably the most highly effective household on the planet? And, after all, the reply must be the Kim household of North Korea as a result of they’ve the last word heirloom, a nuclear arsenal.
SIMON: You write in “The World,” historical past reveals that people have a limitless skill to destroy and an ingenious skill to recuperate. So the final track I need to ask you about is, after all, by a Chicagoan, Sam Cooke. (Singing) Do not know a lot about historical past.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WONDERFUL WORLD”)
SAM COOKE: (Singing) Do not know a lot about historical past. Do not know a lot biology.
SIMON: What knowledge from historical past or about historical past is on this track?
MONTEFIORE: The rationale why I’ve it within the playlist is not only that it mentions historical past. And it’s the most stunning track. It is also optimistic about human nature.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WONDERFUL WORLD”)
COOKE: (Singing) And I do know that for those who love me, too, what a beautiful world this may be.
MONTEFIORE: And there is one thing else. I do not know a lot about historical past. You could discover this shocking for somebody who’s simply written…
SIMON: A thousand pages. Sure, proper.
MONTEFIORE: We frequently revere historical past as propulsive, as virtually sacred in its authority. And, in actual fact, historical past does not matter that a lot. What actually issues is how individuals need to reside now. And that is the distinction between Ukraine, for instance, and President Putin. President Putin resides within the age of Catherine the Nice and Prince Potemkin and Nicholas I. And the Ukrainians need to reside now in freedom. And that is the theme of that stunning track by Sam Cooke.
MONTEFIORE: Simon Sebag Montefiore – his new e-book, “The World: A Household Historical past Of Humanity,” accompanied by a playlist on Spotify. Thanks a lot for being with us.
SIMON: All the time beautiful to speak to you.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WONDERFUL WORLD”)
COOKE: (Singing) Do not know a lot about algebra. Do not know what a slide rule is for. However I do know one and one is 2. And if this one could possibly be with you, what a beautiful world this may be. Now, I do not declare…
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