The Clash’s music is as vital as ever. Right now, we’ll consider a small sample of their important contribution to the canon of protest songs. White Riot (1977) “White Riot” was the band’s first single, and it appeared on their self-titled debut. The song tackles issues of race and class. The song was also influenced by the 1976 riots at […]
Learn more →
“The Only Band That Matters” The promotional tagline bestowed upon them by their record label may seem like hyperbole, but at times, they came close to scaling the lofty heights of being “The Only Band That Matters.” One of the reasons why they’ve mattered is that they were able to address real-world issues in fresh ways. Their music continues to […]
Learn more →
The history of protest music is filled with tunes that are often misinterpreted. One example is Woody Guthrie‘s “This Land Is Your Land”. Originally composed as “God Blessed America for Me”, instead of being a patriotic tune, it was meant as a caustic critique of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. The tune’s most potent lyrics often get excluded: “There was a […]
Learn more →
Released in 1940, Woody Guthrie’s first commercial recording Dust Bowl Ballads is widely cited as the first concept album. Based on both his personal experiences and John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath it details the 1930s Dust Bowl era during the Great Depression when farmers were dispossessed of their land due to weather conditions and bank foreclosures. This resulted in […]
Learn more →
“This machine kills fascists” It would be impossible to overestimate Woody Guthrie’s impact on American folk music. His contributions to the canon of protest songs are undeniable. His music rallies against fascism, racism, and other injustices. Even though Woody’s initial attempts at a music career began in the early 1930s, he started to gain a wider audience in 1937 when […]
Learn more →