To get to a basic meaning of good using music, plenty of choices were available beyond the “folk,” “ska” and “world” categories. Bach, Handel, Mozart and Beethoven among many other classical composers had more than enough to say musically that helps us get a grip on good.  The point was more about Pete Seeger’s character, and his choice to not back down and his ability to not become embittered by the injustice; the choice The Specials made to sing to protest a hero’s unjust imprisonment, or Raghu Dixit’s choice to celebrate virtue through a young girl.

For a cinematic rendering of good, Wim Wenders film Until the End of the World comes to mind, which brings the topic back to good music.  Lou Reed does not normally evoke good the way Pete Seeger does, but his contribution to the soundtrack of this film, What’s Good, is worth a listen.  It approaches the subject by pondering inexplicable loss.  Another contributor to that soundtrack is even harder to associate with the word good, but if you listen to him in conversation, he sure sounds like he knows something about good.

Are there equations predicting good behavior other than George Price’s?  If so, please share.  Meanwhile, you might find Laurie Anderson’s Let X = X, a fine diversion.