Not long ago, National Geographic conducted an international survey asking for the single most important value in people’s lives. Not surprisingly, freedom was the number one answer. But the second answer was a surprise: music. A good song encompasses a world of meaning. Songs pass history down to new generations with more meaning than mere words can convey. Songs define entire generations. It’s been said that nothing brings out a nation's diversity more than food and music. Yet both can act to stereotype rather than illuminate. America has nurtured an incredible array of artistic traditions that are manifested in song, but this tapestry of music is hardly reflected in what popular culture offers back to America on commercial radio or by other means of distribution.

In our radio series What’s in a Song we explore this tapestry one song and one story at a time. Each installment exposes the meaning of a particular song through passion and story. Songwriters, singers, and those whose lives have been changed by song are our guides, and their words are woven seamlessly with the music to illuminate the diversity of musical traditions in America. This monthly series airs on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.