Dancing in the Street

This song is definitely rooted in Detroit's Black community. It took on new meaning after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968 leading to riots in many urban Black neighborhoods across the country including Detroit. Many Blacks felt the time for peace had passed and that urban unrest was more likely to lead to further advances towards freedom.

Here is an article in the New Yorker discussing these issues: "Dancing in the Streets": Detroit's Radical Anthem