Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967. If he was still alive he would be 51 years old today. Makes you wonder how today’s political climate would affect his music. Even though Cobain didn’t write too many direct protest tunes, much of his music possessed a keen social awareness. He was definitely against the macho attitudes that contributed to […]
Learn more →Back in November 2016 I started writing a book on the historical developments of protest music tentatively titled 500 Songs of Protests. Writing about music’s link to a variety of protest movements while the US election was winding down and then witnessing the aftermath of the results, made for an interesting climate to write about this subject. Within this backdrop there […]
Learn more →In the rich history of the American protest movement, The President of the United States has long been a target of the protest song. Because of the leftist leanings of many musical artists, Republican presidents are more of a target, but Democratic presidents have not been immune to these lyrical attacks either. At times musicians have courted controversy and have even […]
Learn more →Many localities throughout the world have recognized February 7th as International Clash Day. This is appropriate because, in today’s tumultuous political climate, The Clash’s music is as vital as ever. Right now we’ll consider just a small sample of their important contribution to the canon of protest songs. Also “Straight To Hell” was previously featured as a Daily Dose of […]
Learn more →On February 1, 2018 Dennis Edward died at the age of 74. Even though he had a stint with The Contours and had some solo success, he was most known as member of The Temptations. He joined them as a lead singer in 1968 at a time when the group was starting to become more edgier and psychedelic with their […]
Learn more →Music has long been a powerful medium to protest the social injustices faced by humankind. For example, many of the anthems of the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s found their roots in the “negro spirituals” of the 1800s and early 1900s. Right now we will consider a list of 10 civil right protest songs recorded during the […]
Learn more →Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 and he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Considering the inedible impact that the famed civil rights leader had, it should be no surprise that numerous songs have been inspired by him. Here is a list of ten of those tunes. Blues For Martin Luther Kings – Otis Spann (1968) This […]
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