Chart-Topping Songs About Construction that You'll Really Dig

Songwriters find inspiration everywhere, especially by watching the hard-working men and women who get their hands dirty in the name of progress. To honor those people, the following list contains popular, chart-topping songs about construction, mining and other efforts to make the world a better place:

"Working in a Coal Mine" (Music and Lyrics by Allen Toussaint): In the early 1980's, the new wave group Devo recorded a hi-tech, cover version of "Working in a Coal Mine." Written by Allen Toussaint and originally recorded by Lee Dorsey in 1967, Devo put a techno spin on this song about the men and women who spend most of their working lives below the surface.

As construction songs go, "Working in a Coal Mine" hits pretty close to home for families living in mining communities. As the lyrics point out, miners typically get up before dawn each day, and, when they finally have a day to relax, they simply are too tired from the week's labors to enjoy themselves.

"If I Were a Carpenter" (Written by Tim Hardin): Performed by musical legends such as Bobby Darin and Johnny Cash, this construction song pays homage to those that work with their hands. Testing the limits of their love, the singer of this construction song asks the one he adores if she would love him even if were just a carpenter.

"We Built This City" (Written by Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert and Peter Wolf): Five years ago, "Blender" magazine called this construction-themed tune "the worst record ever made." That sounds like unfair criticism for one of Starship's most popular recordings. Instead of buildings, however, the lyrics speak of the Los Angeles music scene and how the musical landscape was changing in the 1980's.

As "We Built This City" received nationwide airplay, radio stations across the country recorded versions of this construction song that contained references to their individual cities. Love it or hate it, this song has built up quite a following over the years.

"Big Bad John" (Music and Lyrics by Jimmy Dean): In this song about mining coal, Jimmy Dean sings about a miner that's known simply as"Big John." Quiet, shy but a hard worker, John went to work every day, while rumors about his mysterious past circulated amongst the other miners. John showed what he was made of, though, during a cave-in at the mine. While his friends gave up and were ready to die, John sacrificed himself to get everyone else to safety.

"John Henry the Steel-Driving Man": Arguably the most definitive construction song, "John Henry the Steel-Driving Man" was inspired by folk legends about a real construction worker. In the days of the Westward Expansion, men who could drive steel spikes into stone mountains were in high demand. John Henry was supposed to be the mightiest steel-driver of them all, but the industrial revolution and steam-powered equipment proved to be the end of his career--and his life.

"If I Had a Hammer" (Written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hayes): Construction means change and growth, and this song by Seeger and Hayes asks for social change and attitude adjustments. Made popular in the 1960's by Peter, Paul and Mary, this tune, also known as "The Hammer Song," reflected the attitudes of the American Civil Rights movement.

"Blue-Collar Man" (Performed by Styx): An anthem for the American worker, this song from Styx talks about the men and women who really get their hands dirty on the job. "Blue-Collar Man" also makes several references to the construction industry, hinting at the seasonal nature of construction work and the times that workers stand in the unemployment line.

"16 Tons" (Written by Merle Travis): One of the more controversial (and best) construction songs to come along, "16 Tons" talks about the frustrations of coal miners. Made popular by singer Tennessee Ernie Ford, "16 Tons" speaks of the futility of loading coal each day and then coming back again the next day, a little older and more in debt than before. For the singer, death offers no release because, in his words, he "owes his soul to the company store," the place where miners bought basic necessities for their families.

Resources:

http://www.metrolyrics.com/big-bad-john-lyrics-jimmy-dean.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/john_henry/lyrics1.html

USA Today, "'We Built This City' ranks as the worst record ever," Edna Gundersen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Were_a_Carpenter

http://www.ernieford.com/SixteenTons.htm