Joni Mitchell was born on November 7, 1943. Her 80th birthday is an appropriate time to reflect on the considerable legacy of the Canadian singer-songwriter. She had a gift for writing introspective songs that tap into the human experience. Her music also reflected a social consciousness, especially during the later part of her career. Right now we will look at […]
Learn more →
Source: Mrmw | Wikimedia Commons Music plays an integral role in filmmaking. When employed successfully it can create ambiance, even to the point of becoming an additional character in the movie. It can make an excellent film even more iconic. At other times an outstanding soundtrack to a forgettable motion picture can transcend the movie and even have a significant cultural […]
Learn more →
Source: Markus Spiske | Pexels One of the objectives of this website is to document music’s link to different protest movements. Music often mirrors what is happening in the world, so it is no surprise that many protest tunes address environmental concerns. Here is a small sampling of songs that deal with climate change. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Marvin […]
Learn more →
Billy Bragg, one of the artists who recorded a response song to Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Man North of Richmond”. Via artist’s Bandcamp The history of protest music has a long-standing tradition of songs written in response to other songs. For example, Woody Guthrie’s protest standard “This Land Is Your Land” was composed to critique Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. This […]
Learn more →
RIP Sixto Rodriguez (July 10, 1942-August 8, 2023), photo courtesy of guah, via Flickr On August 8, 2023, Detroit-born singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez sadly passed away at 81. Under the name Rodriguez, he released two studio albums between 1970-71, Cold Fact and Coming from Reality. The albums achieved little success in America, but he did find success in a few countries, […]
Learn more →
RIP Sinéad O’Connor (December 8, 1966-July 26, 2023) Photo courtesy of Man Alive, via Flickr Sadly, influential Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor died on July 26, 2023, at the age of 56. During her career, she established herself as a controversial and uncompromising figure. An example of this is when she performed a cappella reworking of Bob Marley’s “War” during an […]
Learn more →
At this point, I’m not even going to attempt a proper intro. Here is a sampling of notable socially conscious music released in October. RIP D. H. Peligro. Songs/Videos: The Delicate Nature (Featuring Laurie Vincent) – Bob Vylan This is the latest single from the UK grime punk duo which touches upon an array of social issues. Concerning the motivation […]
Learn more →
Over the past number of months, posting has been less frequent due to health issues and other personal circumstances. There has been improvement, so I hope to start posting more often. In connection with this, I plan on returning to posting a monthly recap. Below is a list of notable socially conscious songs, videos, and albums released during July. Songs […]
Learn more →
Back in August 2018, this site published a list of 10 topical tunes dealing with women’s reproductive rights. That was around the time that Argentina voted against legalizing abortion. There were also concerns that potential shifts in the US Supreme Court could lead to Roe v. Wade being overturned. With those concerns recently manifesting themselves, this seems an apt time […]
Learn more →
Since I started this site at the end of 2017, I seem to introduce these lists with variations of it has been a shitty year, but at least we have the music. At this point, I really don’t know what else to say. So here is a list of some of the notable socially conscious albums released so far this […]
Learn more →