Music is one of the most powerful genres in the media industry as it is truly a place where people can voice their opinions and be heard without (much) censorship. Some of the most poignant political moments have been affected by or captured within songs containing and delivering powerful messages.
There have been thousands of songs that managed to epitomize a cultural situation and shape historical moments but the following is an example from a selection of decades (in chronological order) of some of the top success stories in fusing music culture and political activism which have/will transcend time.
Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday (1939)
Originally a poem by Abel Meerpol, Strange Fruit outlines the severity of the American racist issues of the time; lynching being one of the main topics covered within the powerful lyrics of this tune released by Billie Holiday in 1939. Her version of the song, despite having been covered and performed by many other artists, was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978. The lyrics of the song/poem became the inspiration for many novels, poems, and other creative works. In 1999, Time magazine called it the song of the century and in 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the ‘Top 20 Political Songs’.
Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll – Bob Dylan (1964)
Bob Dylan is one of the most prominent writers of anti-war and protest songs in the 20th century. His commentary style prose has led to many a story revolving around war, racism, social injustice being told as he rages against “The Man” as only Dylan can. There are many songs to choose from by Bob Dylan which fall into this category, in fact a top ten could have been written by him alone. However, the most prominent, popular and effective of his protest songs has to be The Times They Are A Changin’. Dylan went all out with this one combining the folk protest movement of the 1960’s with the civil rights movement. The shorter, punchier verses pile upon one another in such a powerful way with lyrics such as, “There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’ / It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls / For the times they are a-changin’,” – iconic Dylan statements that manage to transcend the times and capture the spirit of social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s.
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.
A Change is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke (1964)
A Change is Gonna Come is a single by the R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke; the song was written in 1963 and was released as a single shortly after his death in late 1964. This song soon came to represent the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Over the years, the song has gained popularity and even made it to #12 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is often thought to have been a reaction to an incident in Shreveport, Louisiana where Cooke and his band tried to register at a ‘whites-only’ motel and were arrested for disturbing the peace. Cooke is commonly known as the ‘King of Soul;’ his contributions to the genre paved the way for many other prominent figures such as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder.
I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I’ve been running ever since
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
It’s been too hard living but I’m afraid to die
‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there beyond the sky
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
I go to the movie and I go downtown
Somebody keep telling me, “Don’t hang around”
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
War – Edwin Starr (1970)
War is a counterculture anti-Vietnam War protest song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1969. Whitfield first produced the song with The Temptations, but later re-recorded it with Edwin Starr after the label decided to withhold the Temptations version so as not to alienate conservative fans. Starr’s version of the song quickly became a Nº1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and became one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded. Big names like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Joan Osborne have since covered the song, which has proven applicable in any era.
Peace love and understanding tell me
Is there no place for them today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord knows there’s got to be a better way
War, huh, good God y’all
What is it good for?
You tell ’em, say it, say it, say it, say it
War, good Lord, huh
What is it good for?
Stand up and shout it, nothing
War, it ain’t nothin’ but a heartbreaker
Imagine – John Lennon (1973)
This incredibly famous song was written and performed by John Lennon on his solo album Working Class Hero. His poetic lyrics depict the idea that the world could be a most wonderful place if we lost the greed and attachment to material things, a world without a class system and political boundaries; a world without religion. It is ultimately a call for world peace. One month after the release of his LP, Lennon released Imagine as a single in the United States; the song hit Nº3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the LP reached the top spot on the UK charts only a few months afterward. Lennon himself once said of the song that it is “virtually the Communist manifesto, even though I’m not particularly a Communist.” It was written in 1971 during the Vietnam War, though its message encouraging tolerance and equality is no less relevant today.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Get Up Stand Up – Bob Marley (1973)
This iconic reggae song written by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh originally appeared on The Wailers’ 1973 album Burnin’ and was played live in many versions by Bob Marley & The Wailers. While touring Haiti, Marley was extremely moved both by the lives of the Haitians and the extreme poverty they faced; according to his then-girlfriend Esther Anderson, this is what inspired him to write this song. As with many of these songs, Get Up Stand Up still holds relevance in the modern world where inequality and human rights violations still abound. It has been covered by a myriad of other artists and remains legendary within the Bob Marley classics.
Preacher man don’t tell me heaven is under the earth
I know you don’t know what life is really worth
Is not all that glitters in gold and
Half the story has never been told
So now you see the light, aay
Stand up for your right.
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight
Most people think great God will come from the sky
Take away ev’rything, and make ev’rybody feel high
But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now you see the light
You stand up for your right, yeah!
Sunday Bloody Sunday – U2 (1983)
Sunday Bloody Sunday is the opening track from U2’s album War, and is one of the rock group’s most overtly political songs. Its lyrics relate to the troubles in Northern Ireland, focusing on the Bloody Sunday incident in the county of Derry where British troops shot and killed many unarmed civil rights protesters who were there to rally against internment. The song has remained one of the band’s staples in concert and is considered one of U2’s signature songs.
And the battle’s just begun
There’s many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
Torn apart
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Fight the Power – Public Enemy (1989)
Fight the Power was brilliantly used as Radio Raheem’s musical motif to the classic Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing. It was Public Enemy’s breakthrough song incorporating references to many parts of African-American culture; civil rights samples, black church services sounds plus the music of James Brown. A few attacks on Elvis Presley & John Wayne for their on-the-record white supremacist views later provide the cherry on top of this political protest tirade of a track which encourages us all not to “believe the hype”.
Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant shit to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother fuck him and John Wayne
Cause I’m Black and I’m proud
I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped
Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
Don’t worry be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn if I say it you can slap me right here
(Get it) lets get this party started right
Right on, c’mon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
Killing In The Name – Rage Against the Machine (1992)
Rage Against the Machine was one of the most politically active groups at a time when political protest songs weren’t very common. Killing in the Name is the quintessential Rage Against the Machine song, with its confronting vocals that link police to racism with the line “Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses,” and with the ending refrain “Fuck You, I won’t do what you tell me.” Zach de la Rocha & Tom Morello almost inspired a riot at the Democratic National Convention in 2000. Then de la Rocha abruptly left the group, but Tom Morello has continued his political activity, most recently getting involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites
You justify those that died by wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn cross
And now you do what they told ya, now you’re under control
And now you do what they told ya!
Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me
American Idiot – Green Day (2004)
An unlikely candidate but a nod to the modern day political activity within music…this punk rock anthem is the title track from Green Day’s album American Idiot was released in August of 2004 to mostly positive reviews by critics and four Grammy nominations. The song criticizes America circa 2004 in the midst of the Bush Administration and the growth of the “new media,” which comes under fire in this song. In a 2004 interview with Q magazine, members of Green Day even discussed flag desecration in relation to their song, saying that they would support it. American Idiot was ranked the Nº13 Single of the Decade by Rolling Stone in 2009; Stone also placed it at 432 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. The album American Idiot has since been adapted as a hit Broadway musical.
Don’t wanna be an American idiot
Don’t want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America
Welcome to a new kind of tension
All across the alien nation
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay
Television dreams of tomorrow
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow
For that’s enough to argue
Bonus Track – Same Love– Macklemore (2012)
Although Same Love is a recent addition, the song’s popularity and political message award it a position within the ranks of politically significant songs. The track is the fourth single released by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis from their 2012 album, The Heist. The track also features Mary Lambert and discusses the issue of gay and lesbian rights. It was recorded during the campaign for Washington Referendum 74, which legalized same sex marriage in Washington State. It was most recently nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year at the 2014 Grammy Awards, its not hard to see why when you hear the sincerity and clarity of these lyrics. Spot on!
If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
“Man, that’s gay” gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we’re saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don’t have acceptance for ’em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that’s not important
No freedom ’til we’re equal, damn right I support it
(I don’t know)
And I can’t change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
We press play, don’t press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
‘Til the day that my uncles can be united by law
When kids are walking ’round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn’t gonna solve it all
But it’s a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it’s all the same love
About time that we raised up… sex
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