Protest Songs - Gone But Not Forgotten ?

Protest/political songs are fast becoming things of the past. A recent piece by Madeline Ostrander at Common Dreams: Dar Williams: Why the Music of Protest Is Still Worth Defending: "We can’t change the world if we can’t even sing together—a star folk singer on what happens if political music dies...." The essay brings up this topic once again.

Commenter Michael Leone hit the nail on the head for me:

As the author said, its not as simple as "political" music being dead. For one thing, the industry intentionally tried to KILL all political music. If you read commentaries and memoirs of some of the more mainstream acts, who at least had a reasonable conscience, whenever they tried to do something political there was pressure from the labels, if not the producers themselves. People like Eddie Vedder or take Springsteen, even though he's not very politically literate at least has his heart in the right place, have had to insert political commentary through "the back door" and it either pisses off the powers or they misunderstand it "BORN IN THE USA" YEAH!!!

Then there's the Billy Braggs of the music world, good, honest stuff, but mostly marginalized by the industry (though not completely, I mean, there's also the fact that people like what they like.) Most would like to remain relevant and get their stuff out to as many people as possible and that means walking a fine line in the climate the past 30 years............I could go on about this for hours, but it really comes down to corporate power and has nothing to do with the last few generations of artists. There are as many engaged, decent and even radical people writing and playing music as ever, its just that the corporations now have more power and more of a free hand to crush what they don't like than they did..............

An article from April this year by Luis Rivas was also relevant: Political music was once mainstream, so what happened?

Snip:

Peaking in the ’60s and ’70s, protest music, music based on social justice, a call to change, a righteous condemnation of the Vietnam War, a ballad in support of Nelson Mandela and against the apartheid government of South Africa, songs about overcoming racism, sexism, division—all this, all of it, was here in the U.S. And it was mainstream. It wasn’t some underground movement where DJ’s were rounded up and arrested for broadcasting subversive verse. Or a marginalized style of music that only appealed to a handful of people.

No, we’re talking about top 40 hits. Music that, even currently, is still listened to, their records are still being purchased (or downloaded as pirated mp3s). No, we’re talking about The Mammas and the Poppas, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Byrds, Phil Ochs, John Lennon, The Beatles, Pete Seeger, The Doors and a list long enough to bring any contemporary musician to his or her knees in shame and embarrassment.

So what happened? How did the Billboard top 40 of 1967—and well into the 70s, really — go from featuring groups that were known for their social commentary songs, such as The Beatles, the Mamas and the Poppas (three times), the Doors (twice) and Buffalo Springfield to the Billboard top 100 of 2012 including Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, One Direction, Drake and something called a Justin Bieber......

I've long found this issue disappointing too. Three of my posts from 2007 on the topic prove it:
Why So Subtle (August 2007).
Music In the News - Venus/Saturn. (Sept 2007).
John Fogerty's Revival (Oct 2007).

Once more, from the comment quoted above:

"....it really comes down to corporate power and has nothing to do with the last few generations of artists. There are as many engaged, decent and even radical people writing and playing music as ever, its just that the corporations now have more power and more of a free hand to crush what they don't like than they did."

Yet another way the people of the USA are being controlled and manipulated!

A reminder:

For What It's Worth written by Stephen Stills, performed by Buffalo Springfield and released as a single in January 1967:



And, from Pink Floyd: On the Turning Away written by David Gilmour and Anthony Moore, from Pink Floyd's 1987 album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Read the lovely lyrics HERE.