Art both reflects time and shapes it. Song is the most democratic, simplest and most popular art form. It is often created almost spontaneously, instantly reacting to this or that event. In this book, the cultural, historical and political portrait of the century is shown through the history of a popular song, each of which is dedicated to a separate chapter. The main ones are not necessarily the best, although these concepts often coincide. Some songs reflect the most important political events of the century - wars, revolutions, turning points in history. Others anticipate them. Some often, in addition to, or even in opposition to the intentions of their authors, suddenly reflect the moods of huge masses of people with extraordinary accuracy and turn into the anthem of a generation. Some open to popular music, and through it to the mass consciousness previously forbidden, or even unknown layers of human existence. The songs are arranged in chronological order, and the book reflects all the decades of the twentieth century and all genres of popular music - from blues and spirituals to musical and jazz, from rock to disco, from ballads to hip-hop. The song portrait of the century created in the book will allow the reader to see the sometimes unobvious connection between popular music and social and socio-political processes in society in different countries during the twentieth century.