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Introducing the Weavers
Before If I had a Hammer was penned, American songwriters Pete Seeger and Lee Hays joined Fred Hellerman and Ronnie Gilbert to form a progressive movement band in 1948, named The Weavers. Prior to this, Seeger and Hays had been members of a group called the Almanac Singers, who helped to promote peace during World War II.
Although The Weavers was formed to target mainstream audiences, it was still evident through the band's music that they had strong social and political interests.
The story behind the song
If I had a Hammer was written to reflect the strong political beliefs of Seeger and Hays, with the lyrics reinforcing their stance towards justice, peace and equality. As big supporters of the progressive labour movement, the song uses workplace symbols, such as a hammer and bell, to encourage people to have a voice for igniting freedom, equality and labour rights.
The lyrics about 'having a song' in verse three are said to reference the labour union and speaking out on behalf of all the people. The final verse emphasises to the listener that they already have a hammer, bell and a song, but it's how they use them that counts. Poignant phrases in the song to represent the civil rights movement include 'hammer of justice', 'bell of freedom' and 'love between my brothers and my sisters'.
Chart success
Few songs had been written in the same radical vein as If I had a Hammer, making it a ground-breaking tune of that time. This freedom song of the civil rights movement aspired to find a happy medium between expressing radical opinions and making popular music.
Seeger and Hays first performed the song in 1949 at a Communist Party dinner in New York. Although it was released as The Hammer Song in 1950 on Hootenanny Records, it failed to have any commercial success. However, later versions recorded by other artists fared much better.
When folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary recorded the song in 1962, the lyrics resonated with the social struggles of that time, and it peaked at number 10 in the US charts. The trio also won Grammy Awards for Best Folk Recording and Best Performance by a Vocal Group.
A year later, Trini Lopez's version enjoyed a spot at number three in the US charts and number four in the UK charts.
Other artists who have performed the song include Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash and Wanda Jackson. Even to this day, If I had a Hammer makes an impact. It was recorded for a protest song project in 2013 by Richard Barone and Al Jardine, and also featured on an album by Jess & Matt in 2018.
Although the use of the word hammer in this song has symbolic meaning, most people have a hammer of their own at home. For convenient storage of hammers and other tools, take a look at the high-quality range of toolboxes available from Solent Plastics. They make the ideal Christmas gift for any DIY enthusiast… or your messy other half!