Protest songs

Protest songs are political; they mirror current events and oft times the brutal and ugly occurences around

Massive walkouts at the State university.

Wild rumors of a convicted mayor’s early release.

Illegal mining destroying rural villages.

In this day and age of racial tension fueled by empowered bigots and the narrow-minded, outdated ideologies and inland invasions, today has never been a more volatile period and no better time to write a good old-fashioned protest song. It’s a moral outcry set to music that demands social change and mirrors what man sees around him.

Google says a ‘protest song’ is situational and linked to social movements; human rights, civil rights, anti-war, feminist, sexual revolution, animal rights, vegetarianism, gun control, climate change, you name it.

In the 60s at the height of the Vietnam war, “Fortunate Son” was an anti-draft song written by Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty protesting America’s military drafting young boys to fight in an unpopular war many believed the US should not have involved itself. Bob Dylan was key in the 60s protest movement of ‘hippies’ counterculture and the civil rights movement.

“Masters of War” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” sung of dissent and tension felt strongly by many. It was a period of awakening and awareness, of the things happening around us, and how these affected us. Heightened further in the 70s, pop songs were both catchy and caught your attention with its clever lyrics and messages, such as Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” lamenting rapid environment change and how “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” nature being overrun by concrete jungles. Progress ploughing down our environment, chopping down sacred trees for yet another mall. It’s a travesty.

They’re tearing down the street where I grew up

Notable anti-war rock songs like Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” lamenting how “politicians hide themselves away, they only started the war..,” Edwin Starr’s “War” querying “what is it good for…absolutely nothing…” and rock iconoclast The Who hailing they “Won’t Get Fooled Again” stand in the glaring truth of meeting “the new boss, same as the old boss…” in an establishment where leaders change hands but never exact real change.

The late John Lennon was all about protest, with many of his world views on the woes of the common man (“Working Class Hero”), the common woman (“Woman Is The Nigger Of The World”) and waking the masses (“Power To The People”).

Meanwhile, social dissent, joblessness and the lack of opportunities in mid-70s England not only brought about anti-establishment sentiments but created a genre unto itself. Punk rock was thus born. The feeling of hopelessness amongst the youth was fueled further by bands that screamed, not sang, about the conditions. The Sex Pistols which sang about having no future (“Anarchy In the UK”) and nothing better to do (“Pretty Vacant”) and the Clash ranting about racial violence (“White Man In Hammersmith Palais”) and the impending end of the world (“London Calling”) were the two most visual and relevant proponents of Punk, and though the Pistols was a product conceived by impressario Malcolm McLaren to shock the music world at the time into buying into the band, the Clash was more of the real deal.

PROTESTERS at Hong Kong fighting against the extradition bill.

Photographer Bob Gruen noted in the Punk biopic Punk Attitude that The Sex Pistols merely screamed about what was wrong with the world, whereas the Clash screamed about what was wrong, but questioned you about what you were going to do about it. This is the very essence of a protest song; first making you aware, then telling you to take action.

Protest songs are political; they mirror current events and oft times the brutal and ugly occurences around. The strife, the racial tension, inner city violence, rampant crime and of late, the abuse aimed at fighting crime victimizing the innocent. Music conveys emotions, our sentiments in the now and reflective of the times. Add biting words and it makes for a volatile mix of your innermost voice set to music.

The 80s brought about a growing spectre of nuclear war between the US and USSR, evident in many songs like Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “Two Tribes” with an accompanying music video that featured a fistfight between (then US President) Ronald Reagan against Russia’s (then) PM Mikhail Gorbachev, with the entire world spectating.

Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The USA” was less of a rah-rah chest-beating pride anthem but more of a spit-in-your-face diatribe of how the bad took a turn for the worse. Even rap’s Public Enemy urged you to “Fight The Power” in the face of urban strife, while in Ireland, U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” mourned civil rights protesters gunned down by British soldiers in Derry in the 70s. The Clash’s “Rock The Casbah” was a catchy tune about the late 70s Islamic ban of western music, set to a hooky piano figure but never lost its message.

Songs of protest were aimed not only at the big issues, but (seemingly) smaller ones and equally concerning. Arrested Development sang about the ill treatment of the homeless in “Mr. Wendal” with the rampant rise of homelessness in America.

By this time, politically charged protest songs were more brazen and straight to the point, best heard in Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name,” an anti-racist cop song that boasted the lines ‘some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses’ alluding to the KKK. Ireland’s The Cranberries’ “Zombie” sang the woes of the 1993 death of two children at a bombing in England.

Today is no different from yesterday. Artists like Kendrick Lamar championing Black People Matter issues in song. Others like Downtown Boys lament Trump’s wall “A Wall” while rapper CNG’s music video for “Not My President” walking down a street with his crew with a Mexican flag.

As it was when The Who first sang ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss’ in 1971’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” it still as it is in 21st century 2019. Artists have the inside line on change. A lot of people want change, but don’t look in the mirror. People need to exact the change they want by being it. The singer, the songwriter, the artist sees it and asks you what’re you gonna do about it.