Ironically, despite the blatant commercialism of today's pop scene, music sales continue to plunge in the U.S. The big record labels complain endlessly about this. They point the finger of blame at file-sharing services. The latter, no doubt, have some of the blame---but I believe the main culprit is that today's music just plain sucks.
The best pop/rock music has always been risk-taking, rebellious, bold and creative. That's the polar opposite of today's sad line-up of Britney, Paris Hilton, Justin Timberlake and their endless clones.
Meanwhile, here's a salute to some of the best protest music of yesteryear:
"Ohio," ---Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 1970.
"I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag," ---Country Joe & the Fish, 1967.
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," ---Gil Scott-Heron, 1970.
"Power To The People," ---John Lennon, 1971.
"The Call Up," ---by The Clash, 1980.
"For What It's Worth," ----Buffalo Springfield, 1967.
"Shipbuilding," ---Elvis Costello, 1982.
"Between the Wars," ---Billy Bragg, 1985.
"Talkin' World War III Blues," ---Bob Dylan, 1963.
"Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," ---Pete Seeger, 1967.
The creator of the progressive site, BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com, Marc McDonald is an award-winning journalist who worked for 15 years for several Texas newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, before he quit his day job and set up shop in cyberspace in 1995. McDonald's articles have appeared in a number of popular progressive Web sites, including OpEdNews.com, BuzzFlash.com, Crooks and Liars, Salon.com, Progressive Daily Beacon, The Neil Rogers Show and The Raw Story. McDonald's Web articles have also been featured and reviewed by various national and international media, including CNN Headline News, the BBC, the Washington Post, USA Today and many more.
"WAR" by Edwin Starr is a great protest song, and also "War Pigs" by Ozzie
Osborne.
You're right, there are no good protest songs today. Today's youth are more interested in quick,carnal pleasures. The slow erosion of spiritual valuses leaves us in the mess we are here today.
by
Bob Gormley (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 863 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 8:06:05 AM
For me, the "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire is one of the best – and still, one the most profound protest song that has ever been written. Even though this song was written in the Vietnam War era – look at the lyrics and note that they appear to be more germane today than when it was first written:
The eastern world, it is exploding
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’ But you tell meOver and over and over again, my friendAh, you don’t believeWe’re on the eveof destruction. Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to sayCan’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ awayThere’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave[Take a look around ya boy, it's bound to scare ya boy] And you tell meOver and over and over again, my friendAh, you don’t believeWe’re on the eveof destruction. Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’I’m sitting here just contemplatin’I can’t twistthe truth, it knows no regulation.Handful of senators don’t pass legislationAnd marches alone can’t bring integrationWhen human respect is disintegratin’This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’ And you tell meOver and over and over again, my friendAh, you don’t believeWe’re on the eveof destruction. Think of all the hate there is in Red ChinaThen take a look around to Selma, AlabamaYou may leave here for 4 days in spaceBut when you return, it’s the same old placeThe poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgraceYou can bury your dead, but don’t leave a traceHate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say graceAnd… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friendYou don’t believeWe’re on the eveOf destructionMm, no no, you don’t believeWe’re on the eve of destruction.
William Cormier
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William Cormier (110 articles, 5 quicklinks, 16 diaries, 269 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 8:43:50 AM
Blame it on the industry. There are lots of musicians writing and performing antiwar and other protest songs these days. Steve Earle is a major example. Protest isn't pop. Pop is the industry moneymaker. Protest is equated with the old folkies from the 60's. Lotta Rap and urban artists making their own style of protest also. It's changed, but the messages are out there.
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Ned Freeman (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 10:27:13 AM
There are protest songs, they just don't get played. Check out the soundtrack to Body of War....Eddie Vedder and more! Including a song by John Lennon, Gimme Some Truth...
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Judy Ramsey (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 72 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 12:37:49 PM
You will find the protest music flying under the radar of corporate media and self-censoring networks like NPR who might rather lobotomize themselves than risk offending contributors. You will find the artists web addresses on homemade bumperstickers. You will find them at house concerts and in churches. You will find their music live at protest rallies, in coffeehouses. Corporate media smashed album-oriented rock radio in the early 70's when program directors started hiring consultants, you will not find truly free radio on terrestrial radio. AND you won't find record labels scrambling to promote controversy. You might hear a little protest music used for bumps on liberal talk radio. But where you will find the protest music mostly is on the Internet from artists who find ways to use the Internet in creative ways. Like JusticethroughMusic.com and opcritical .com with More Dead Cause of Ohio, http://youtube.com/watch?v=VSdvsJKzmN0. Check out Eliza Jane Schnieder http://www.blip.tv/file/356087. The kids are using the YouTube. Myself, I have left a song on my website for people to download for free victoriaparks.com. And these are just songs about the stolen election. These songs are all over the Internet. The last frontier for artists-kicked -out-of-the-mainstream like me is the Internet. Net Neutrality is a lifeblood issue for artist like me who no longer bother with the corporate media and their wholly-owned recording industry big-five that pumps out monotonous, homogenized pop drool used to distract us from what is really happening to us, and whose only interest, besides dumbing us all down, is money . There are a few brave souls on terrestrial airwaves who possess a sense of satire and humor and who play tracks from Duhmocracy but most to whom I've sent the CD to are so self-censoring and lame it makes me feel that terrestrial airwaves are gripped in fear of this administration by voicing any level of controversy and it is pathetic. The atmosphere is tensing. It does make trying to make a lving very difficult but it is an artist's job to be creative and make a point in creative ways though by "being the media." It is the artists who put themselves on the line too here. The last "Free Speech Zone" appears to be the Internet and when we forsake Net Neutrality as an issue, just watch the megamedia fascists swoop in and make us little artists bandwidth-irrelevant. We must stand up for Net Neutrality now if protest music is to have a voice at all. Where I feel hope is that we are now at a place in our media culture where the Internet is leaving mainstream behind on significant levels which renders conventional corporate media irrelevant. Yay!! This cannot happen too soon. If we collectively ignore them, will they go away? The times they are a'changin.
by
Victrola (9 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 16 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 12:59:23 PM
Whatever Happened to Protest Music? Let Me Tell You!
As a protest singer-songwriter, I like the subject, but the article's theme and substance leave a lot to be desired. You had your spoiled rich kid rockers in the 60's too. Things don't happen in a vacuum. There was a huge mass movement and counter-culture that some corporations made money from too.
When was the last time you heard about an anti-trust federal law suit? Well, the same consolidation that happened in your news media happened in your music industry. I can't imagine getting a paying gig doing my recent protest songs. Nor can I imagine being able to afford putting out a CD of my most recent protest songs. So maybe we are missing each other.
One thing you have dead wrong is that political protest music is not being written these days! I will recommend that you listen to the featured artists at www.noliesradio.org
You will hear the heartbreakingly beautiful Flowers in Bagdad by Pete Cummins, unbelievably funny song parodies with Bush and Pappy and Slick Willie singing in "The Carlyle Group" by Dave Von Kleist, the lush vocals of Barb Ryman on This Empire Is Falling, all kinds of Broadsides, such as Ainsley Dunsbar's Don't Obey, David Rovic's Reichstag Fire, Tom Chelston's Bushwhacked, and several of my songs. Somehow you don't know about these singers because you expect the mass media, the record companies, and the pampered rock stars, to deliver the goods to you! Well, guess what? They learned some lessons from the 60's about media and about monopoly.
Probably none of these singers mentioned has any songs out unless they do it themselves. I bet that many of them get the money from a 9-5 day job to pay their own way into a studio and hire a factory to press them a small 1,000 minimum copies run. And they burn up whatever little money they make running the roads to some small venue that you never heard of...
So stop crying about the rich kids not writing your protest songs! Start supporting the working class and politically engaged singer-songwriters who are trying to carry the torch forward in a culture of mass distraction and psy war projects aimed at brainwashing the American people. We are all trying to get our songs out to you as best as we can.
Mad Cowboy Disease (Neo Con Cartoon Song), Are You A Citizen or Are You a Slave (Cajun style anthem to struggle), The Ballad of Pat Tillman (believed 9/11, joined the Rangers, killed by 3 bullets to the head at 10 yards range), Broadside Balladeer (tribute to Phil Ochs), The Ballad of William Rodriguez (20 year janitor of WTC North Tower), and Cheney's in the Bunker (based on Sec of Transportation Norman Mineta's 9/11 Commission testimony omitted from the final report).
Let's hear what you have to say after you actually listen to the vast array of great protest writing being done and not getting any mass media air time today! You won't be targeting the musicians in your essays! You'll be addressing the blackout of the protest singers of today! You'll be calling for financial intervention by the "movement" to produce cultural artists who will stand up to fascism and the attempt to destroy the Constitution. You'll find a way to find, to hear, and to support the protest singers of today! And, unless they shut down your internet, you will be able to pass this great new uprising in song along to others!
Good Luck & Bon Courage, Marc!
by
BroadsideBalladeer (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 1:29:37 PM
I wondered the same thing..today's kids are to medicated to care and the 60's generation are to tired to care! "War, what is it good for? Absolutely Nothing!"
by
Ruby (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 10 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 3:27:55 PM
I was looking at some protest old protest footage on Youtube
and I can't help but think we have become too apathetic. You are so right if you listened to todays radio stations you wouldn't even know a war was going on or that hard times have hit us. I listen to Marvin Gaye's Whats Going On, Eco Song, Inner City Blues and it sounds as if he is talking about today but I don't hear nothing from big singers today on the issues. I believe they are afraid to speak out because they want to play it safe and not isolate segments of fan-base. It's a shame that most stars don't realize that speaking out on the issues can actually get them more attention and create a stronger following for themselves.
I was looking at some of the old footage of the protests back in the day and I see a lot of courageous young people who put their bodies on the front lines, not affraid to be beaten, hosed or stomped on by cops for what they believe in. Today, we think its a big deal to be a part of a orchestrated pre-planned arrest. I've seen weak protest today in which the police are alerted that people want to get arrested and their names and information is given before hand.
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Sharon Roach (10 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 43 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 3:44:31 PM
My current favorite protest songs include Bruce Sprinsteen's "Last To Die" and John Fogerty's "I Can't Take It No More" and "Long Dark Night from his Revival album.
I'd like to refer you all to a non-profit source for protest music with some great stuff you can use however you wish (except for selling the songs): Protest-Records.com
I also highly recommend the Take Back The Media Podcast which provides a ton of free, spreadable protest music from a variety of artists. I'm not sure if they are currently putting out content, but at the link below you can freely download archived episodes of the protest music podcasts. There's a lot of it.
Both Protest-Records and Take Back The Media contain lots of excellent choices, but the selections are somewhat dated, and that circles back to this topic. I'm still mining the 'net for the sources like them that have more up-to-date music being put out by protesting musical artists. I'm sure it's there, I just haven't found the right mediums where lots of brave patriots tend to gather to broadcast good protest music in real time, virtually.
I'm not in on what David Letterman thought about it, but it was his show that had my favorite musical episode of network TV subversive broadcasting for the patriots.
As opposed to the Tories, those who supported the English king - or those who support The Wuss's USOB, Inc. (United States Of Bush, Inc.); war criminals and war profiteers who have pulled off the theft, government coup, propagandizing and nationalizing of the people, and the defilement of the USA, to the detriment of the planet and all of its people. As we all know, the continent's original people, the First Nations, weren't allowed to exercise their rights to exist, including the right to abort the birth of the "settlers'" nation.
It was on David Letterman a couple of months ago, the featured musical artist was John Fogarty. John Fogarty started by playing "Long Dark Night" all the way through and instead of stopping for another song or stopping for the customary greeting from David Letterman as the show ends, John Fogarty slid into a very fast and hard rock version of "I Can't Take It No More".
The lyrics of both songs are protests. "I Can't Take It No More" is the harshest, but "Long Dark Night" is full-on too. John Fogarty ripped out a fast shortened version of "I Can't Take It No More" and the time he took for it wasn't long enough to fit another whole song, before the handshake. I'm thinking the same song and a half was heard at rehearsal. I was so grateful to hear the words of those two songs that I went looking for whatever I could find about the show, maybe even a video, maybe an .mp3. The appearance was virtually invisible. Haven't checked recently.
John Fogarty and David Letterman gave me a vitamin "p" shot in the arm that night. As you can see, I'm still talking about it. This doesn't give me a good feeling though, about what has already happened invisibly to the U.S.A., if troubadors and comedians on this level are at all hesitant to at least acknowledge their own existence near the "p" word. John Fogarty must be okay with it though since he has produced these songs.
If it weren't for the 'net, there would be almost no protest music heard (how's "mainstream" very hard rock doing on this? Not my forte for now.). Country music's "Dixie Chicks warning" worked, and told musicians of all genres that they had better not mess with the war criminals in power. Still, the Chicks won almost all of the awards they could from the non-country music industry for the album containing the song, and for the song, "Not Ready To Make Nice".
I'm pretty convinced the music we seek is already underground, and it's up to us to find it and play it where people can hear it, despite the lack of broadcasting sources. We have or can get the technology that plays music out loud again instead of only earbuds, and we can choose to play protest music when we get or can gather an audience, even of one person.
People are afraid to face the possibility and probability that everything they know is wrong. It's all lies. So they will feel trapped by the words of the music, and choose to complain about the music being loud. You'll hear, "I don't want to get into that, I just get mad and there's nothing I can do anyway." If they stay within earshot. It's location on this one too. Timing, time for it, and location. Just my experiences, YMMV.
I believe the music is out there, it is just up to us to help spread it any way we can, to push it, to MAKE it more popular despite the war criminals' best efforts to stop those messages from getting out to The People.
by
JustHisWordsdotcom (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 14 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 4:02:54 PM
The Rolling Stones 2006 album had a great single called "Rough Justice" which was as good as anything they've ever done - they got no airplay, perhaps because the album also had a song called "Sweet NeoCon". They still continue to have the biggest tours in the world.
Springsteen won 10 Grammys since 2002, including a slew of protest songs (Starbucks refused to carry his music because of his anti-corporate message).
Green Day's American Idiot album won a Grammy in 2004, U2 won a Grammy for How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in 2006, Dixie Chicks won Album of the Year in 2007.
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young did anti-war reunion shows in 2006 to sold-out crowds, including a Woodstock show - there was no press coverage. Mr. Young released "Let's Impeach The President For Lying", a free-to-all MP3 release that same year.
Outspoken anti-Bush critics also include Bon Jovi, Eddie Vedder, Joan Jett, Kanye West, Eminem, Jada Kiss, Chuck D, Henry Rollins and others.
If Al Gore's Live Earth concert for the environment constitutes a statement against the Bush administration, you can add Madonna, The Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, Foo Fighters, Alicia Keys, Roger Waters, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Duran Duran, Kelly Clarkson, Dave Matthews, Melissa Etheridge, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Ludacris and others.
So I think the biggest and best in music are represented in the anti-war movement, but the corporations are blocking their message to a great extent. This is because the record companies today are all just appendages of media conglomerates that whitewash the news.
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Gustav Wynn (46 articles, 32 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 222 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 6:44:23 PM
I’m spinning in circles from this war on the streets- They’re starving our children just to balance their sheets- They lie to the masses when they tell us we’re free- There’s so many taking so much more than they need- Red lights flash in homeless eyes at night- Revolution in my head- The change has come y’know the time is right- So hard to keep your family fed- and the state of the union keeps us searching for a better way- and there ain’t no reason for oppression in the USA- It’s so political when quasi-intellectuals are running our society- You’re all political prisoners like me- You’re just like me- The bill of rights has been torn in half by a court that has no shame- Are you right or are you left with the feeling we’re all the same ? And there ain’t no reason to believe a single word you say- and there ain’t no reason for oppression in the USA (c. 1993 Alfadacaz Music )
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Brent Turner (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 58 comments)
on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 7:52:38 PM
people are playing but you just aren't listening or at least not in the right places. So many artists are still singing and writing songs about what is going on you just need to get past the radio and tv and all the media that is so shitty. Go to some open mics and coffee houses, listen to the spoken word of rappers and hiphop and alternative, even rockers and mainstream artists sing about being fed up with whats going on. Try actually buying the album from the guy on the street or the mix tape from the girl in the subway. You just might hear something you like.
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Ben Kall (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 18 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 12:28:51 AM
A few weeks ago the soundtrack from the movie Juno was number one in the top 40. There is a least one pretty good protest song on that album. Ironicaly it was produced by Fox. Much protest music is comming out of the indie rock movement, but it takes a lot of looking to find it. Being 50 and having many more pressing interests I confess that I have not looked too hard.
by
Torus (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 9 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 1:54:43 AM
Yes, I own the album Neil Young's "Living with War, in which every song is a protest song. I heard Springsteen also has one out recently, but haven't bought it yet. Roger Waters has a single out I heard on youtube, but cant find an album to go with it. I go karaoking sometimes, and always belt out a slightly modified version of "War Pigs" as one of my songs (apologies to Black Sabbath). I agree the record labels and clear channel are suppressing the playing and sellling of this music. Nine Inch Nails has a great video/single out about the future, where everybody is under surveillance even in their bathrooms, and military goons round up people, including the band as they practice. The last scene, we see the empty room whre the band was practicing, with broken up equipment, and a blood trail leading out the door and down the hall, where a body is just being dragged around the corner in the distance. I think the song is titled somthing like "In the year 2020" or something.
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wxman2001 (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 106 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 5:46:59 AM
Near where I live in Chicago a friend of mine will soon be opening a performance based Coffee house. this is guaranteed to improve access for local protest artists. More as it Happens.
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Torus (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 9 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 8:13:19 AM
