Joan Baez

About Joan Baez

Joan Baez, ranked #609 in historical importance by MIT's Pantheon project, is a seminal American singer-songwriter and a critical figure in the 20th-century folk revival and protest movements. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, she became known for her powerful voice and commitment to non-violence, lending her platform to civil rights activism alongside figures like Martin Luther King Jr. Her influence spans music, social justice, and cultural commentary over more than six decades.

In the context of modern internet attention, Baez demonstrates a significant overrepresentation relative to her historical ranking. Her 3.6 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025 far outstrip comparably ranked historical figures; for instance, the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, ranked a much higher #91, garners only 732K views. This translates to an attention gap of +10x, indicating that her current cultural resonance online is substantially greater than her measured long-term global historical impact, suggesting sustained contemporary relevance.

Interestingly, while her overall attention is high, her trajectory shows recent cooling: her 2025 momentum, comparing Q1 to Q3 traffic, dropped by -74%, despite an enormous year-over-year increase of +150.6%.