Foreign folk music. Classic folk masterpieces and recommended popular songs.
What kind of image comes to mind when you hear the term “folk song”? Some of you might think of singer-songwriters performing solo with an acoustic guitar, or perhaps consider it somewhat old-fashioned music.
Originally derived from traditional styles like folk and ethnic music, folk songs have evolved across eras and continue to be loved to this day.
This time, we’ve researched and selected a wide range of folk songs, from classic masterpieces to recent hits! We hope you’ll find a new favorite.
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Folk Songs in Western Music: Classic Folk Masterpieces and Recommended Popular Tracks (1–10)
Fast CarTracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an African American female folk musician.
She has many charms, but the strength of the messages embedded in her music is indispensable.
Each of her songs carries different messages, and many people have surely been saved by the power of her words.
Fast Car, released in 1988, is a song that satirizes the poverty issues of 1980s America from a woman’s perspective.
In the song, “fast car” refers to the wealthy class, and just knowing this can change how you interpret the translated lyrics.
Like folk songs of the 1960s once were, it is a heartfelt message song that sings of social ideas.
WoodstockJoni Mitchell
In the mid-1960s, with the Beatles’ break into the American market, electric instruments began to be used in folk music, which had previously been dominated by the upright bass, acoustic guitars, and banjos.
Music created with such instruments came to be called “folk rock.” The Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell is known as a musician who embraced folk rock.
Even so, her voice, accompanied by piano or acoustic guitar in intimate solo performances, is beautiful, delivering simple folk songs with elegant brilliance.
The song “Woodstock” is about the legendary music event, the Woodstock Festival, held in 1969.
The Sweetest GiftLinda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an indispensable musician in the history of American folk and country.
Active since 1969, she has produced countless classics, ranging from America’s traditional genres like country and folk to pop and rock.
Another is Linda Ronstadt, also a beloved American icon.
The two collaborated on the folk piece “The Sweetest Gift.” It’s a folk duet sung by two women—an exceptionally compelling work born from the collaboration of two artists with near-mythic status.
Western folk songs: Classic and recommended popular folk tracks (11–20)
HoloceneBon Iver
Bon Iver is an American folk-rock band.
They’ve been nominated for the Grammy Awards multiple times, and were formed in 2006—well after the heyday of folk music.
Amid the crowded landscape of rock, EDM, and many other genres, their folk songs resonate beautifully.
In an era where bold, powerful music is popular, their simple, evocative ensemble offers a touch of calm and comfort.
Savor this wonderful folk-rock that feels especially worth hearing in the modern day.
Where Have all the Flowers Gone?Pete Seeger
In the 1930s, folk songs were sung as labor songs.
Later, around the 1950s, a movement known as the Folk Revival arose.
During the Vietnam War era, folk songs carried anti-war and anti-establishment messages.
One of the leading figures of this movement was Pete Seeger.
While simple, unadorned folk songs spread worldwide and became a boom, even before that there was someone who sang and popularized the traditional folk music of the American South—nurturing folk on a global scale and making a major contribution to its history.
Ho HeyThe Lumineers
The Lumineers are an American folk rock band.
They’ve had global hits, and for many people they may have been the gateway to discovering folk music.
Their song “Ho Hey” uses traditional instruments and is rooted in a weathered folk sound, yet skillful mixing and arrangement create a one-of-a-kind ensemble.
Above all, the powerful backing chorus chanting “Ho Hey,” just like the title, is the song’s defining identity.
Their other tracks also carry an easy, natural folk flavor, making them a recommended band that both new and longtime folk fans can enjoy.
Meet On The LedgeFairport Convention
Fairport Convention is a folk rock band active from the 1960s to the ’70s.
They are famous as musicians in the “folk rock” genre, incorporating electric guitar into folk songs where instruments like the banjo and upright bass had previously been the norm.
From dreamy, beautiful ballads to tracks featuring cool electric guitar work, the deeper you dig, the more classics you’ll discover—a must for folk rock fans and a band highly recommended for beginners as well.