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"Where Have All the Political Songs Gone?" (with apologies to Pete Seeger)
I’m spending some time this month rehearsing for an annual charity show (playing keyboards in the pit band), so my thoughts have turned back to music. Here’s my question: where have all the political songs gone, and especially songs about war and peace? I’m not saying there aren’t any (see below), but this genre doesn’t seem to cast the same shadow it once did.
Back in the folk era (for younger readers, that means the late 50s/early-to-mid 60s), songs about war and injustice were staples of popular culture here in the United States. Think of Pete Seeger’s “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” or Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” or Phil Ochs’ “I Ain’t Marching Anymore.” At about the same time, the all-time genius of political musical satire, Tom Lehrer, was writing scathingly funny songs about a range of foreign policy topics, including nuclear proliferation (“Who’s Next?”), NATO’s multilateral force (“The MLF Lullaby”), liberal interventionism (“Send the Marines!”) and even nuclear Armageddon (“So Long, Mom!”). And don’t forget Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction” (written by P.F. Sloan), an apocalyptic jeremiad that hit #1 on the Billboard charts in 1965 and contains references to nuclear war, Red China, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and congressional fecklessness.
By the late 1960s, fueled by Vietnam, songs about war were legion. Off the top of my head, there’s Donovan’s “Universal Soldier,” the Animals' “Sky Pilot,” CSNY’s “Ohio,” and “Wooden Ships,” John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance,” and “Imagine,” Edwin Starr’s “War,” and Kenny Rogers’ “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town.” Even Glenn Campbell’s pop hit “Galveston” (written by Jimmy Webb) has a Vietnam theme. There were a few songs on the other side too, most famously Sgt. Barry Sadler’s “Ballad of the Green Berets.”
My main point is that some of these songs were big hits, selling lots of copies and getting lots of airplay. And satire wasn’t entirely gone either, with Country Joe and the Fish’s “Feelin’ Like I’m Fixin to Die Rag,” and Randy Newman’s brilliant “Political Science,” which dates from the early 1970s but could have been written for George W. Bush. Excerpt:
No one likes us, I don’t know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around the world, even our old friends put us down,
Let’s drop the big one, and see what happens…
We give them money, but are they grateful?
No, they’re spiteful, and they’re hateful,
They don’t respect us, so let’s surprise them,
We’ll drop the big one and pulverize them.
I’d be remiss not to mention one of my all-time favorites, Nick Lowe’s “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?” (first recorded in the early 1970s but made famous by Elvis Costello and the Attractions in 1979 and later voted 284th best rock song by Rolling Stone). Then in 1985, right on cue, came the pop anthem to globalization (and foreign aid): “We are the World” (written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie and recorded by an all-star group to raise money for famine relief in Africa).
Given the foreign policy problems we have faced in recent years, including 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s somewhat surprising that we haven’t seen a resurgence of popular music exploring these themes. There are some obvious exceptions, to be sure, such as Springsteen’s “Devils and Dust,” Pink’s “Dear Mr. President,” or Neil Young’s album “Living with War,” and alt-country singer/guitarist/songwriter Buddy Miller has a terrific anti-landmines tune on his album Poison Love entitled “100 Million Little Bombs.” (Salon.com has a list of other anti-war songs here, and I found this list of top 10 political rock songs here.) On the pro-war side, you’ve got Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” and “American Soldier,” among others. But unless I’ve missed something (and that’s perfectly possible, because I’m not nearly as plugged in as I once was), none of these songs is commanding the sort of mass audience that earlier songs about war (or foreign policy, broadly defined) did. Some of them are powerful and evocative and musically sophisticated, but I haven’t heard one that seems likely to become a standard anthem.
Why? My hypothesis: there’s no draft. So long as military service is voluntary, and thus something that young people can opt out of, the costs of war will seem far away to many of them and their attention will tend to focus elsewhere. And when that happens, there won’t be big money in political songs and they’ll stay on the fringes of popular culture. Seems to be true of antiwar movies too.
But as I said, I’m not as plugged in as I used to be, and maybe I've just missed the good stuff. So the floor is open for comments: are there terrific songs about war or foreign policy being recorded these days? If so, are any of them attracting mass interest? If not, why not? The floor is open.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
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“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”
Stephen M. Walt is the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Harvard University.
Daily Reads
Affiliations
Recent Writings
Peace the fuck, and The
Peace the fuck, and The Beautiful Occupation by Travis, both about the war in Iraq.
"Letter to the President" by
"Letter to the President" by Rustic Overtones, a personalized song of a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"Letter to the President"
Oh great!
the Guy is deaf and dazzled with war games and you expect him to hear your melodies;->>>
But if you sing him: "No State no cry!" and pull his leg, maybe...;->>
Grand Sen~or.
Professor it is nice to hear
Professor it is nice to hear that you start singing again.
Professor! it is time to sing this one, at least you can sing even if you don't will to do anything more about it:
(As you observe two state is no solution, either Jewish Sate or no State Mate;->>)
-----
No State no cry
I remember when we used to sit in the government yard in Brooklyn.
Observing the crookedness as it mingled with the good people we meet.
Good friends we had,
Good friends we've lost along the way.
In this great future you can't forget your past,
So dry your tears I say
And to my peeps who passed
Away,
No State, no cry, no State no cry, say say say.
Hey little sister don't shed no tears
No State no cry say say say.
For pain of losing family, but while I'm gone Shorty,
Everything's gonna be alright, everything's gonna be alright,
Fugees come to the dance tonight, everything's gonna be alright,
O everything's gonna be alright,
The gun man's in the house tonight,
But everything's gonna be alright.
No State no cry, no State no cry.
No State no cry, no State no cry.
No State no cry, no State no cry.
----
and this one:
You ain't seen nothin' yet
B-B-B-Baby, you just ain't seen nothin' yet
Here's something, here's something that you're never gonna forget
B-B-B-Baby, you just ain't seen nothin' yet
You need educated;->>
You already have two songs in your repertoire;-))
I love politics in the song form too;->>
Grand Sen~or
Pink, Dear Mr. President
I do not like the false sentimentalism in this song, but it fits your criteria:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oegoI80t6WE&feature=related
It's Not Just the Music
Popular counter-culture in general, not just music, has gone underground in the United States. It's true that since the end of the Vietnam era, political commentary has (mostly) dropped away from pop music, but so has the type of open protest that characterized that era.
Although like anti-war songs, civil protest certainly still exists, it is not nearly as popular as it was in the 60's/70's. It seems that youth are more willing to channel their energy into something like the Obama campaign than a more defiant political voice in song or protest. If you look at the recent student movements in schools like NYU and CUNY, you can get an idea of the vast difference between youth counter-culture in the 70's and now. So anyone from that era who expects the same political commentary in pop music now would be as disappointed as someone from that era who went to your typical Anti-Iraq war protest a few years ago.
Also, it's important to note that with the "death of punk" at the end of the Vietnam era, there was a clear shift in genre for musical counter-culture. Since the 80's, the most relevant, incisive, and intellectual political commentary in music has all come from hip-hop. The "bring down the system" mentality that the student movements of the 70's eventually evolved to are most evident today in hip-hop. Public Enemy, Tupac, Rage Against the Machine, etc. These are the very same artists who have been taken up in the 90's by youth counter-culture movements all around the world. Most recently, it's artists like Immortal Technique and Blue Scholars who are still providing the anti-establishment political commentary in music.
It's true though, it's not at the same level it was before.
There's a fair amount of work
There's a fair amount of work that fits your request in the punk and hip-hop communities. In some ways, they've picked up the torch of the folk era as far as artistic and ethical culture, mode of distribution, authors' perspective, etc... There was a huge amount of this in the past (The Dead Kennedy's, the Clash, Crass, and Earth Crisis to name a few) but for a band dealing with foreign policy issues today:
Against Me! - White People for Peace from New Wave
They started off as a folk-punk band (See: Plan-it-x.com for the most prominent record label in the movement) and went on to sign to a major label. Also, From Her Lips to God's Ears from their previous album, searching for a former clarity, which featured the refrain "Condoleeza."
There's also the question of what is in the mainstream and what's in subcultures, such as folk or punk. Against Me!, for what it's worth, was featured on the cover of Spin magazine last year and was in many of the glossy music press's "best of" lists.
My two-cents ...
It could be that it is too "not politically correct" to denounce the current wars. There is, I think, selfcensorship in the West generally, and more so in the US. Critical music is being generated in Israel though.
Critical music is being
That is good, maybe you can sing "No State No Cry" there in Israel;->>
Now I am thinking that would fit much better to Jewish ideology, as many Jews support "No State!" solution.
Grand Sen~or.
Political Songs
Professor-
I agree with your main point but think you've overlooked U2. To name just a few songs off the top of my head "Sunday, Bloody Sunday", "Bullets to Blue Sky", "Mothers of the Disappeared", "Miss Sarajevo", "Seconds" and "In the Name of Love". U2 have always addressed politics in their albums to varying degrees but I think deserve a mention at least to mark a contrast in how apolitical mainstream rock has become.
Where There Are Political Songs
I put up a music video of a popular political song on my blog in an entry entitled Where have all the political songs gone? Unfortunately, Professor Walt's blog allows no embedded videos.
In any case, his question is interesting and focuses on the intersection of pop culture, national interests and foreign policy as discussed by Melani McAlister in Epic Encounters.
More Discussion of Song and Politics
Noa Does a ‘Benny Morris,’ Calls Hamas ‘Nazi-Like’
Who knew?
A 60's idealist that became a "realist".
Songs for your performance...
Henry K. ...The Song...Take A Listen...You'll Think You're Back In The Rice Paddies
http://homo-sapien-underground.blogspot.com/2007/02/henry-k-song.html
You're in Palestine-The Song...Now At I Tunes
http://homo-sapien-underground.blogspot.com/2006/04/youre-in-palestine-song.html
Everyone Here's Reading Noam Chomsky-The Song
http://homo-sapien-underground.blogspot.com/2007/02/everyone-heres-reading-noam-chomsky.html
Life’s Sweet Refrain-The Song...Now At I Tunes
http://homo-sapien-underground.blogspot.com/2006/04/lifes-sweet-refrain-song.html
Songs for your performance...
Henry K. ...The Song...Take A Listen...You'll Think You're Back In The Rice Paddies
http://homo-sapien-underground.blogspot.com/2007/02/henry-k-song.html
You're in Palestine-The Song...Now At I Tunes
http://homo-sapien-underground.blogspot.com/2006/04/youre-in-palestine-song.html
Everyone Here's Reading Noam Chomsky-The Song
http://homo-sapien-underground.blogspot.com/2007/02/everyone-heres-reading-noam-chomsky.html
Life’s Sweet Refrain-The Song...Now At I Tunes
http://homo-sapien-underground.blogspot.com/2006/04/lifes-sweet-refrain-song.html
Several factors....
There are several differences in this era and the previous that may have some baring.
I think that you might also be able to see this a factor of how media corps, like radio stations are run today. I think the Dixie Chicks showed that there are repercussions to those with a mostly American markets for voicing political dissent. Not that it ended their careers, but it did not further it either. Out side of the blogosphere, everything else has been stifled in monopolies.
So, that means either it is not being made, or it is not part of the "official" ie regulated pop culture.
Here is a relevant article and I think I agree with darryl that the work is out there, and the genre has changed. I have heard quite a bit of anti-war rap on NPR.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-06-29-iraq-music_x.htm
Last, the medium of popular music is changing and expanding its the borders with the internet. So, much of the antiwar music I hear is shared via the internet and is fairly international. Shams "Ahlan Azzayek", Outlandish and Sami Yusuf. The rap songs, and others, may not be on the radio, and perhaps not at i-tunes, but you can down load them and I think the questions is whether they are in people's i-pods.
Dropkick Murphy's - Green
Dropkick Murphy's - Green Fields of France
A cover, but extremely powerful nonetheless.
Lost in Translation, and Try Linkin Park, Hands Held High
1) “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?” is great in "Lost in Translation."
2) I think "the political" is sprinkled here and there. Listen to some of the last Linkin Park album ("Hands Held High" comes to mind - it really is an indictment of Bush). Some of the hip-hop songs have references to Iraq (the song where Rihanna covers "Ma Ya Hi," - "Live Your Life" by T.I. has a mention of Iraq). Obviously Kanye mentioned Iraq during his Katrina telethon.
But you're right - with the exception, perhaps, of Linkin Park (at least "Hands Held High"), there aren't really any songs a la "Ohio."
You play keyboard? How cool! Did you have a garage band growing up?
draft, the past, the net
"If not, why not?"
I think part of it is the draft or lack thereof. But I also wonder about the shadow of the last war - everyone is aware of how painful the schisms were, no one wants to revisit them.
I'd also be interested in the Internet, and how much of pop culture and socialization occurs via blogs, Facebook, Myspace, etc. I don't know how this fits with your thesis, but just a thought.
Green Day had a song that was
Green Day had a song that was popular for a while
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G0Sq3lwtTs
Green Day had a song that was
Green Day had a song that was popular for a while
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G0Sq3lwtTs
Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg's The Price of Oil was against the war in Iraq. He's still active and released an album last year. Generally his songs are more anglo-centric in terms of their politics, but he definitely never missed a chance to take a shot at Bush and american hegemony.
Three items of interest from the "Classical" music realm
One:
There is an electronic journal, called "Music and Politics," that publishes twice per year. Their Summer 2008 issue featured an article about the composer Hans Eisler and the FBI, and one on Serbian rock music in the 1990s. University of California Santa Barbara hosts the site. Here is its URL:
http://www.music.ucsb.edu/projects/musicandpolitics/about.html
Two:
Since the beginning of the present phase of the US-Iraq War (March, 2003), there have been very few performances of such works as Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem," or Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 8, in the USA. In Russia, though, led by nationalist conductor Valery Gergiev, there has been an increase in performances of such Soviet-era patriotic standards as Shostakovich's 7th Symphony.
Three:
Contemporary US "classical" composers tend to avoid works about war that have a specific anti-war program, or contain lyrics. It is quite improbable for any US composer to write a large-scale work critical of US war policy, or critical in any specific way of American corporate behavior, and get it performed by a competent orchestra, major or minor.
My work about Rachel Corrie, "The Skies are Weeping," was cancelled twice in 2004 in the US, before we managed to get it performed in London in 2005.
One of the most touching political song
"When the world stop turning" by Allan Jackson
I don't know if it can be counted as a polical song, but the lyrics and melody really impress me a lot.
An omission ...
I don't know how I could have forgotten about Michael Heart's "Song for Gaza" that can be listened here. It is featured a lot on pro-Palestinian websites. I don't know how much it has resonated in the US where Gaza is not considered 'our' war. Youtube has flagged it such that it requires signing in. However, it is available for viewing on Heart's website here.
Ask Bono ...
Heck, is there anyone out there who would NOT play the equivalent of Sun City today? Can you remember what happened to the Dixie Chicks way back when? Bruce himself lined up for the war after 9/11 and it took some time for Neil Young to shake himself awake.
We live in a time when U2 still pretend to be a rock 'n roll band while being a majority shareholders in the Forbes brand.
Maybe songs of protest will come back when journalism does.
Look across Genres
"Bombs over Baghdad" by Outkast.
Tom Lehrer, Phil Ochs et al
If I remember correctly, Tom Lehrer's career was overwhelmed by legal hassles from some of those he targeted in his brilliant satires. This ushered in a very dark time for political songsters who now had to worry not only about being under government scrutiny (like Phil Ochs) but possible lawsuits for writing the very songs we needed to hear.
Social Fragmentation
[disclaimer I wasn't alive for the 60s and 70s so the arguments below rest a possibly inaccurate understanding of recent cultural history]
While I agree that there are many great political songs written these days (and I'm tempted to go through my iTunes library and post some of my favorites here later) I think Stephen's main point is a good one. It's not so much that political music isn't being produced and selling well, it's that there don't seem to be many political songs sweeping the pop airwaves. The only real exception to this I can remember is Greenday's "Holiday" which seemed quite popular for a while.
I think this has as much to do with fragmentation of media as anything else. In the 60s and 70s most people tended to hear new music through a handful of local radio stations, which mostly played the music of a few major record labels. So there was a relatively unified pipeline for promoting and distributing music. Now there are uncountable ways to find and listen to music from all over the world. As a result, the popular music landscape is so fragmented I don't think it's possible to have a hit listened to widely enough to have the cultural resonance that the political songs of the 60s and 70s had.
Yes there is no draft now and the American public seems generally less interested in the outside world today for some reason, but I think you shouldn't overlook the possibility that the political songs of the 60s and 70s built cultural awareness of political issues as much as they benefited from them.
If one looks at bands that
If one looks at bands that have consistently performed well on "the charts", often one will look to U2. However, not really being a part of the American political movements, the music truly lacks. Now these next two bands, while not folk proper, seem to characterize best the liberal movements throughout the modern ages. Pearl Jam, although much of that had to do with Neil Young covers it would seem, and Rage Against the Machine. Consistently performing well on the charts, and continued work both in the political and musical rings.
I know there have been more...
but at the moment the two that come straight to mind are "Self Evident" by Ani Difranco (and a lot of her stuff in general) and "New Kicks" by le Tigre. I'd have to agree that neither one of these songs was a hit in any sense of the word, but political songs are still being written. Oh, and now that I think about it MIA has been pretty political in her music as well and has been attracting interest (hey, she was nominated for both a grammy and oscar this past year).
Bury Me Far From My Uniform
It hasn't come out on an album yet, but I think "Bury Me Far From My Uniform" by Joe Pug is about the best anti-war song i've heard in a long time....and it manages to somehow make it's point without being political. There is a video of the song at http://www.laundromatinee.com/sessions/video_session__joe_pug
Green Day
I think the one with the most popular reach was Green Day's American Idiot, and also Holiday (come to think of it, they may have done a whole album around it, I'm not a big enough GD fan to know).
It wasn't explicitly anti-war so much as anti-Bush administration/Bush foreign policy in general - in a draftless war, that may be the new form of popular protest.
Self-censoring automatons
I'm sure it's been said amid these comments, but the musical and pop culture landscape is vastly different. It's really not fair or relevant to compare the two periods. Granted, there is no draft now to match the immediacy and poignancy of the '60s "movement" or what have you. But the political, or protest, music is out there. It doesn't fall into your lap via radio because no one under 50 listens to the radio for music. It's on the Web, it's rap and rock and folk and everything in between. Unfortunately, we self-censor. The Dixie Chicks are "un-American," Eddie Vedder is criticized for impaling a Bush mask and M.I.A. is labeled a "terrorist." But, hey, we're just drunk with freedom here. All that said, we are a bunch of soft, coddled, apathetic
drooling morons.
Some examples from the Iraq War period:
TV on the Radio - Red Dress, Bomb Yourself, Dry Drunk Emperor
Metric - Succexy
Conor Oberst - When the President Talks to God
Decemberists - Valerie Plame
Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds
Sleater-Kinney - Combat Rock
A nice look at neo-Depression artists (for lack of better terms).
And our generation can't read either, apparently.
A great anti-war song
If you'd like to hear a great modern anti-war song, listen to "The Captain's Lament" by Mad Bread.
It's a powerful, timeless song in which the narrator is a "career soldier," a seasoned military officer who understands the pain of wars all too well.
You can hear it for free at www.myspace.com/madbreadmusic
love not war is for my parents
I had always thought it was because the last thing any teenager/20year old wants to do is be caught singing the same songs their parents sang.
Now I must admit, *I* happen to enjoy some of the music from that period, but not because of the political message. Some of it really is *great* music, so what is the difference today ?
Maybe nobody came up with anything worth singing even when the war songs were written.
A side note, I happened upon a song about the U.N. from Dave Mustane, the last remaining member of Megadeth, called 'United Abominations'
http://tinyurl.com/a9l4t9
Even the metal heads are getting into foreign policy.
political songs
Dear Stephen M. Walt,
Your limp reference to Congress as "feckless" is forgiveable...since you revealed you may not be nearly as plugged in as you once were.Nonetheless,the article was good for me.Thanks.It reminded me of Steppenwolf's "Monster".?refrain line? "America, where are you now? Don't you care about your sons and daughters? Don't you know we need you now? We can't fight alone against the Monster"
I hope you take the time to hear this tune...again?.I hope you get other responses to this subject,like: Joe McDonald had/has more to say on this subject.
Thank You, Sincerely,LOM
Recent War Songs
The Gulf War Song by Moxy Fruvous and to a lesser degree, Army, by Ben Folds come to mind....
On the Alt Side
Tori Amos came out with "Yo George" recently. Perhaps not specifically against the War so much as his Presidency as a whole.
"i salute to you Commander
and I sneeze
´Cause i have Now
an Allergy
To your policies it seems
Where have we gone wrong, America?
Mr. Lincoln we can´t seem
to find you anywhere out of the millions....
Well you have the whole Nation
on all fours "
And Dave Matthews came out with "Everybody wake up" in 2005 which i think certainly can make you believe it is about the war. Plus He has openly spoke out about his feelings regarding the war:
"Everybody wake up
If your living with your eyes closed
See the man with a bomb in his hand
Everybody wake up
Oh baby it's not easy sometimes
They build these walls ever higher and hide behind them
Seems an odd way to try and make things right
Oh I feel like I go crazy sometimes
Our finest hour arrives
See the pig dressed in his finest fine
The believers stand behind him and smile
As the day lights up with fire...."
Protest has a different form
It's not about a war anymore inasmuch as it's about the Machines behind war.
And really, with so many delicious battles to choose from (Iraq, Afghanistan, Terror, Drugs, The citizenry of the United States, etc...) it is surprising there aren't more anti war songs and protests...
But most of the protest music is now about the NWO, a face-off with the collectively concealed "powers that be." The faceless, amassing wealth and power at the expense of so many.
Rage Against the Machine (though they've been on a break since 2000)
The Coup (Hip Hop act from Oakland, famously had an album release on 9/11 with an image of the WTC blowing up... "Party Music" was pulled Rather quickly and the cover replaced...)
Dead Prez (Hip Hop group, focused on Socialism/Pan Africanism, Black Panther ideals, clean living, opposing "The Man")
One Day as A Lion (2008 EP/Side Project by Zach De la Rocha from Rage, Angry Rock Funk Hip Hop with a touch of Sun Tzu)
The Nightwatchman (Side Project of Rage's Tom Morello, Go Figure, right?)
Streetsweeper (Side project from Tom Morello and Boots Riley from the Coup)
I would even point to Nine Inch Nails recent Year Zero as some form of protest music - Good Soldier, Capital G, Vessel... in fact the whole of Year Zero is very evocative of a totalitarian regime crushing a soul, and the cry (digital/analog) that we emit as we are crushed...
As inspiration for year Zero, perhaps, we can look to the Heart and Soul of Nine Inch Nails - Trent Reznor has long been an advocate for musicians rights, and has been amongst the vanguard of artists fighting against corporate control of their art (See Prince (SLAVE), Radiohead (and Others) pushing their wares on the internet for LowLowLow Prices)
On the other hand, Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell has slyly embraced corporate sponsorship while turning his back on it at the same time (usually long enough to achieve his various, artist friendly ends - Lollapalooza comes to mind immediately).
Interestingly enough, Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, and Streetsweeper are embarking on a tour shortly that will be ticketed exclusively through Music Today, a small(er) third party ticket sales group. MT Ticketing will work hand in hand with artists and customers over the web to keep costs low for fans and profits up for bands, the exact opposite of the Clear Channel/Ticketmaster schemes.
And as a general rule, know that there are artists protesting, but they aren't on the radio.
I am one of them.
Homeland Refugee
Homeland Refugee by the Flatlanders is one of the greatest protest songs I've ever heard. It can be heard here: http://www.ilike.com/artist/The+Flatlanders/track/Homeland+Refugee
Don't think it's on iTunes yet.
Anti-War Music for Today
Paul Hipp has written a number of great anti-war songs during the Iraq war period....very insightful and witty, with a proper amount of anger. A number of his songs have been featured on the Huffington Post.
Political Songs
A few additions to an already thorough discussion:
Jakob Dylan's new album, "Seeing Things," makes some very strong political statements in a very poignant manner.
I also wouldn't overlook his father's last release (prior to the last Bootleg), "Modern Times." Some of these songs are more deftly rendered and make a more meaningful political statement than most of his more-famous early work. His 'voice' on this album is mature and insightful.
Also, John Fogerty's last album, "Revival," has a strong political bent, however, it is far inferior to Jakob and Bob Dylan and some of the others listed in previous comments, and does not, except for a couple songs, compare favorably with his own earlier music.
Jay-Z has a political song or two on a more recent album, "Kingdom Come."
The World Saxophone Quintet also released an album called "Political Blues." While the music is sound, the lyrics are amateurish, but an attempt, nonetheless, to write political music.
IAN BROWN - ILLEGAL ATTACKS
There are protest songs out there, but the mainstream media doesn't want to know about them. But the good people know:
IAN BROWN - Illegal Attacks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqfBH1IJkWo
Rob
protest songs
A few years ago when Steve Earle released one of the very few protest songs which attacked the narrow minded thinking of many Americans , I posited this same question to The Nation magazine. It seemed that when the middle class was not being forced to join the military , the foreign wars were simply not an issue. Where are the marches in the street? Where are the protest songs? People are more concerned with their retirement funds than with Foreign Policy. The young are simply concerned with finding a job; the conscience of a greater responsibility now seems to be an anachronism.
These comments are from a 50 year old Canadian who remembers the Viet Nam days. Americans should never forget that dissent is the very back bone of democracy.
Imagine, the Dixie Chicks could very well be the
best known protest singers. How The heck does that happen?
Results of a quick scan of my iTunes. . .
"16 Military Wives" by The Decemberists (also "Valerie Plame," although that one's more of a joke song, I think)
"Road to Peace" by Tom Waits
"Dry Drunk Emperor" by TV on the Radio
"Four Winds" by Bright Eyes
"Vox the Rote" by Mike Doughty
"Kabul Sh*t" by Lily Allen
"Hunting for Witches" by Bloc Party (the last two are British, but the songs seem applicable to US politics as well)
So, I'm not saying that any of these artists are the next Bob Dylan, but I think a significant fraction of Americans my age (mid 20's) would be familiar with at least a few of them.
Patriot
I've got two songs I'd call protest songs on a little CD I released just before the last election:
http://www.corneroak.com/lyrics/patriot.html
Titles:
Too Big to Fail • Identity
Lindsey Eck
Blue Oak Record Group
Pete Seeger was on board and
Pete Seeger was on board and committed to union, social justice and peace issues well before WW2, way before the music industry realized how marketable such fare was....
and after all those years of Pete's activism the image chosen to display with this article was a recent one of Pete and pop star Bruce Springsteen who recently signed an exclusive deal with Wall Mart to sell his "Greatest Hits".
Why was Bruce in the photo? Probably because he's more marketable than Pete, but American commercial radio- like commercial "news" isn't promoting what isn't self-serving.
Artists who consistently write real songs about peace/war issues:
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Billy Bragg
Steve Earl
David Rovics
Rod MacDonald
John McCutcheon
Yikes McGee
One has to do a little work to look for the kind of music you speak of
Here's partial list of songs dealing with peace/war-some are older than the current war cycle-like Gill Scott-Herron's"Work for Peace", and "Bad Man" by Louden Wainwright 111, but the message still fits perfectly.
THE BRAVEST -TOM PAXTON
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO PEACE ON EARTH-WILLIE NELSON
LINE IN THE SAND -LUCY KAPLANSKY
MAN OF GOD -ELIZA GILKYSON
1984-ANIAS MITCHELL
HEY HO-TRACY GRAMMER
NOT READY TO MAKE NICE -DIXIE CHICKS
MY HERO MR PRESIDENT-PAULA COLE
FRATHOUSE WINDOW- TWICE AS DUSTY
NO NO GUANTANAMO-SEAN HAYES
FOR THE GOOD OF AMERICA -ROD MAC DONALD
MR PRESIDENT-SAM BUSH
HAIL TO THE CHIEF -GEORGE AND JULIUS
THE WAR IS OVER-DAVID ROVICS
LETS PRETEND- JOHN McCUTCHEON
wartime president-ARIEL
DUBYA WENT TO WASHINGTON-KEN INGHAM
COWBOY PRESIDENT-YIKES McGEE
YOU AINT A COWBOY-STEPHAN SMITH
I'M GEORGE DUBYA-GEORGE AND JULIUS
PROPAGANDY-YIKES McGEE
NO MORE LIES-JOHNNY OM
LIARS IN CHIEF -YIKES McGEE
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT-RUSTIC OVERTONES
THE BUSH BOYS-THE MAMMALS
THE LIAR SLEEPS TONIGHT-THE FABULOUS SPAMTONES
GEORGY BUSH-THE (PUBLICITY)SEEKERS
LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE-CHUCK BRODSKY
SCARED-WILL PUTNAM
MORON- DAVID ROVICS
MILES TO BAGHDAD-LIZZIE WEST
BLESS THIS MESS-SHERYL CROW
JOHN WALKERS BLUES-STEVE EARLE
RED BALL EXPRESS-SCOTT MILLER & THE COMMONWEALTH
JOHN BROWN-MARIA MULDAUR
OLD ENOUGH-MATT LEWIS BAND
BAGHDAD DREAM -STEVE FORBERT
ZOMBIELAND-T-BONE BURNETT
PETROLEUM PEOPLE-DANA HUBBARD
PRICE OF OIL-BILLY BRAGG
NO BRAINERS-FRANK PAHL
BAD PRESIDENT-YIKES McGEE
HEY YOU-COLIN O'BRIEN
ROILY OILY-COLLEEN KATTAU
OCCUPATION-DAVID ROVICS
GEORGE BUSH BLUES-Lightnin' Boy Malcolm
DON'T THINK TWICE-JOHN KASPER BAND
THEY CALL IT DEMOCRACY-BRUCE COCKBURN
BRING EM HOME-PETE SEEGER & FRIENDS
I'LL START WITH ME-ALICE PEACOCK
PRESIDENT-DAN BERN
I WAS PRESIDENT-WYCLEF JEAN
FINAL STRAW-R.E.M.
EMPIRE-DAR WILLIAMS
BAD MAN-LOUDEN WAINWRIGHT III
FLAGPOLE-MICHELLE MALONE
BOMB THE WORLD-SPEARHEAD
WHO WOULD JESUS BOMB-DAVID ROVICS
BOMBS OVER BAGHDAD-JOHN TRUDELL
BAGHDAD CHILDREN-HORSEFLIES
RICH MANS WAR-STEVE EARLE
JACOBS LADDER-CHUMBAWUMBA
THE BELL-TARA NEVINS
BRING THEM HOME-BURNS SISTERS
TIME TO GO HOME-SPEARHEAD
WHEN THIS WAR IS OVER-CALE/CLAPTON
NEW ORLEANS-DAVID ROVICS
WHOS GONNA BUILD YOUR WALL-TOM RUSSELL
HELLO MAMA-YIKES McGEE
POLITICAL SCIENCE-THE DUHKS
GUNSLINGER-JOHN FOGARTY
DANGEROUS TIMES-CHUCK BRODSKY
EVERYBODY'S WORKIN FOR THE MAN- KANE/WELCH/KAPLAN
SLOW DOWN FAST-BRUCE COCKBURN
BUSH WAR BLUES- BILLY BRAGG
DIPLOMACY-CHRIS SMITHER
GOODLE USA-DARRYL SCOTT
I AM A PATRIOT-EDDIE VETTER
WE CANT MAKE IT HERE ANYMORE-JAMES McMURTRY
THE BOTTOM LINE-SHAWN TAYLOR
MIGHTY TRUCKS OF MIDNIGHT-BRUCE COCKBURN
TAKING MY BIZ ELSEWHERE-PHILIP BROTHERTON
STAR MANGLED SPANNER-FRANK PAHL
STUPID'S PLEDGE-UTAH PHILLIPS
NO POWER WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY-BILLY BRAGG
YO GEORGE-TORI AMOS
DEAR MR PRESIDENT -PINK
WAR-JONNATHA BROOKE
HEY WORLD-SPEARHEAD
PEACE(FULL) PROTEST-JOHN MILLER
WORK FOR PEACE-GILL SCOTT-HERON
JPMFYF-TIM EASTON
IN THE BEGINNING-CHUCK BRODSKY
WHEN THE PRESIDENT TALKS TO GOD-BRIGHT EYES
CHENEY'S TOY-JAMES McMURTRY
137 EXECUTIONS- ROD MACDONALD
WHO ARE THE NAZIS NOW-CLAN DYKEN
THE DECIDER-TWICE AS DUSTY
LETS IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT-NEIL YOUNG
GOODBYE GEORGE-ANN REED
BYE BYE BUSH- CONCERNED CITIZEN
Peace, SpunDoubt
Wow
Now that's a collection!
awesome political message: The Coup - Pick a Bigger Weapon
Song: Head of State
In a land not very far away from here
George W. bush was drinkin beer
His daddy was head of the CIA
Now listen up close to what I say
The CIA worked for Standard Oil
And other companies to whom they're loyal
In a whole 'nother land by the name of Iran
The people got wise and took a stand
to the oil companies, ay aint sh** funny?
This is our oil, our land, our money
CIA got mad and sent false info
to Iraq to help start the Iran/Iraq wo'