Protest Songs

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Modern people mostly seem to think explicit political statements in songs are corny. But what protest messages in songs have affected you emotionally? any?
I won't laugh at anyone's answers...I find "great white buffalo" by ted nugent very moving.

― Duane Zarakov, Sunday, 27 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children" by The Manics. Even such heartfelt stalinism is a breath of fresh air these days, truly harkening back to the pop-front days of Guthrie and Robeson.

― Sterling Clover, Sunday, 27 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No more auction block,When the buffalos gone, we will not be moved, and half a dozen spirtuals

― aanthony easton, Sunday, 27 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Raiders version of 'Indian Reservation' makes me laugh very hard. It tries so hard...

― JM, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

we shall overcome!

― Jeff, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tons of 'em, but right now, mostly The Coup's "Underdogs".

― Patrick, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bruce Springsteen's "Factory". Perfectly pitched in its controlled tension, and how many protest songs are like that?

― tarden, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Prophets of Rage" by Public Enemy, it being the first PE track I ever actually heard and *listened to*.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

When I first saw the subject, I thought this was going to be a thread about "Up Middle Finger." Seriously.

― scott p., Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Shipbuilding' by Elvis Costello. I don't know if this is the kind of 'explicit' political statement you're talking about but it's a lot more affecting than most finger pointing songs. However, also see 'Pills And Soap', 'Tramp The Dirt Down', 'Radio Radio', even 'This Sad Burlesque'...

― John Davey, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Between The Wars'!

― the pinefox, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I wish Up Middle Finger was a protest song. But meanwhile, let us not forget Springsteen's "American Skin" the context of whose arrival overwhelmed me completely, and which I listened to very frequently for the month after I napstered it.

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Has anyone ever written a protest song about protesters? They suck, if I had a big sign I'd protest them.

― Otis Wheeler, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

> Has anyone ever written a protest song about protesters? They suck, if I had a big sign I'd protest them.

"My Friend of Misery" by Metallica. (Maybe even Elvis Costello's "Night Rally.")

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh yeah, can't forget the Stones' "Street Fightin' Man" re: songs protesting protesters.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Get Up Stand Up" by Bob Marley and the Wailers is a good protest song. It may be overplayed, but it is actually contains some good sense underneath its ganja cloud.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pet Shop Boys - Shopping

― Nik, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

New Jack City by Ice T. used to make me cry. 'The Eve of Destruction' by Barry McGuire. I thought Shipbuilding was a good choice, I didn't even know that was a protest song, suddenly I see that it's about defense spending? How moving. I thought it was a love song, probably, without much reflection. I guess that protest songs are love songs, only they are for more than one person. You may not like it, but it's true.

― Maryann, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Where Do The Children Play?" by Cat Stevens really gets me. That captures the mood of the 70s ecology movement better than just about anything, but I just find it pretty.

― Mark, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Songs protesting protesters - "Bloody Well Right", Supertramp

― tarden, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Song protesting songs protesting protesters - that PE one that goes "You singers are spineless, your general subject 'love' is minimal'" or suchlike

― tarden, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Maryann: "Shipbuilding" is specifically about the imperialist approach of the then UK government to the 1982 Falklands War and the concurrent decay of Britain's industrial base.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Shipbuilding" is specifically about the imperialist approach of the then UK government to the 1982 Falklands War and the concurrent decay of Britain's industrial base.

As I recall, these very words were printed on a 'parental advisory' sticker on the front of the single

― Nick, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This is my first post to this forum. This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately b/c there's been a couple really solid and amazing punk records come out in the past few months. After I heard Propagandhi, (International) Noise Conspiracy, and Anti-Flag's new records, it got me thinking about whether there would be a boom in this music during the next 3 1/2 years of the Bush regime and whether some musicians that had kept their opinions to themselves up to now would become energized.

― Kevin S. Hoskins, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'They're so tired of shooting protest singers / That they hardly mention us' (EC, 'Tokyo Storm Warning')

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

I'm making a radio series on protest songs and how the lyrics, sentiments affected people. I'm considering many at the moment - including Shipbuilding by Elvis Costello - and would be interested in knowing if anybody answering this discussion thread might be available to be part of a small discussion group on a protest song.

Thanks, Paul

― Paul Scott, Tuesday, 14 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Following Gore Vidals advice i am so there.

― anthony, Tuesday, 14 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

What? Nobody else is moved by the Offspring's "Not the One"?

― Philosopher-King, Tuesday, 22 April 2003 02:22 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

Mott the Hoople "All the Young Dudes" ("we never got it off on that revolution stuff, what a drag.."), Ten Years After "I'd Love to Change the World," Buffalo Springfield "For What It's Worth" (ESP. this one - people carrying signs saying "huray for our side"!), Three Dog Night "Easy to be Hard."

― chuck, Friday, 14 May 2004 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

(Those were all anti-protest protest songs, by the way)

― chuck, Friday, 14 May 2004 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

D. Dodger (aka Bob Seger), "The Ballad Of The Yellow Berets" ("This is a protest against protesters")

And a year or so later, the fantastic flip-flopping followup "2+2=?"

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 14 May 2004 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"Something to Think About" by the Reverend Charlie Jackson

"In the middle of the ocean/In the middle of the night/We’ll keep on fighting/Until we bring daylight."

― Pete Scholtes, Friday, 14 May 2004 22:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Bob Seger's "2 + 2 = ?" is fucking great. So are "Some Mother's Son" by the Kinks and "Fuck Rodney King" by Willie D. There. That's the Holy Trinity of protest sogs.

― Mr. Snrub, Saturday, 15 May 2004 00:19 (twenty-two years ago)

twelve years pass...

Folks were talking about if there was good protest music from the Bush era on ILX. I don't know about contemporary punk, folk, or whatever...but there's always !!! with this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTSr_QDjOdc

Sorry, it's actually !!! side act Out Hud, song is "Dear Mr. Bush, There Are Over 100 Words For Shit And Only 1 For Music. Fuck You, Out Hud". Instrumental, but the message in the title is powerful enough.

― viborg, Thursday, 10 November 2016 02:49 (nine years ago)

"nuff protest hip hop too -- Paris' Sonic Jihad was full of songs, there's also "My Favorite Mutiny" by The Coup....

― viborg, Thursday, 10 November 2016 02:51 (nine years ago)

Wu-Tang Clan - "Heaterz"

― Piano Mouth, Thursday, 10 November 2016 05:00 (nine years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.