One of the goals of this site is to create an online archive of artists, albums and songs that have notably contributed to the canon of protest songs. With that goal in mind, last year I decided I create an online Protest Music Hall of Fame. It is now time to start the nominating process for 2019. The results of […]
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 →“Don’t waste time mourning, organize!” Joe Hill was born Joel Hägglund in Sweden, before immigrating to America in 1902. He changed his name to Joseph Hillstrom, which was shortened to Joe Hill. He joined the Industrial Workers of the World, commonly referred to as the Wobblies. The Wobblies strived to organize the workers ignored by mainstream unions, such as the […]
Learn more →“This machine kills fascists” It would be impossible to overestimate the impact that Woody Guthrie continues to have 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 Guthrie initial attempts at a music career began in the early 1930s, he started to gain a […]
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“Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses” Often the most effective protest songs are the most direct. That is the case with “Killing in the Name” off Rage Against The Machine‘s 1992 self-titled album. In the face of injustice sometimes the most appropriate response is a defiant “fuck you.” This anthem of disenfranchisement attacks systemic […]
Learn more →“You will not be able to stay home, brotherYou will not be able to plug in, turn on and drop outYou will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skipSkip out for beer during commercialsBecause the revolution will not be televised” This proto-rap classic was influential in the development of socially conscious hip-hop. Jazz poet Scott-Heron originally recorded […]
Learn more →“I go to the movie and I go downtownSomebody keep tellin’ me don’t hang aroundIt’s been a long, a long time comingBut I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will” Sam Cooke is responsible for composing and performing one of the most essential tunes of the civil rights era, “A Change Is Gonna Come”, from his 1964 album Ain’t […]
Learn more →“We shall live in peaceWe shall live in peaceWe shall live in peace, some day Oh, […]
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 →“Southern trees bear strange fruitBlood on the leaves and blood at the rootBlack bodies swinging in the southern breezeStrange fruit hanging from the poplar trees“ One of the most important songs ever composed and recorded, Abel Meeropol originally wrote “Strange Fruit” as a poem under the pseudonym Lewis Allan. He penned it in 1937 under the name “Bitter Fruit”, after […]
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