i saw John Prine a couple of weeks ago (at Merlefest, yeehaw!) and he did a new song called "Some Humans Ain't Human", which had a couple of lines about W:

Have you ever noticed When you're feeling really good There's always a pigeon That'll come shit on your hood

Or you're feeling your freedom
And the world's off your back
Some cowboy from Texas
Starts his own war in Iraq

that got a thunderous roar of applause.

and of course, Prine's stuff from the early 70's still works: Sam Stone, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven, etc..

A liberal blogger with somewhat discerning taste in music -- hurrah!

In addition to the latest from the Dixie Chicks (who were challenging the president back when that was a risky career move), there are a slew of new, openly-anti-Bush songs and CDs out, by Neil Young, Pink, Pearl Jam, Merle Haggard, Paul Simon, and Dashboard Confessional.

They ALL suck. If you want good music, listen to the Right Brothers and their great song Bush Was Right on YouTube.

Great lines from the Song:
Ted Kennedy -- wrong
Cindy Sheehan -- wrong
France -- wrong
Zell Miller -- right!

I agree with your Neil Young assessment. I think the reason that the combination works with him is that his songwriting is perfectly integrated with his personality. Combine that with the years of honing his skills, he has reached the mastery of his media so it responds to his needs rather than having to force it to fit. It helps that he is stubbornly individualistic. One additional aspect of his craft that helps (also with Ohio) is the rejection (for the most part) through the years of over-production. This enables him to quickly produce an album of this sort without the loss of quality. The excellent quality of this CD belies the short amount of time it took to produce.

taste in music is quite good (it runs from the Beatles and Jack Johnson to Nirvana to Nine Inch Nails)

Methinks someone needs to consider the dangers of rock-ism.

Also, Jack Johnson kinda sucks, regardless.

Don't exclude Springsteen's new release with his take on old Pete Seeger tunes. It may not be original protest writing but certainly speaks to the times and is squarely directed at the current political climate.

OHIO! Best protest song ever! Thanks for the reminder.

http://www.thoughttheater.com

Some of us think the "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag" is a really great song, whether the lyrics are relevant, irrelevant, or relevant again.

"Lives in the Balance" by Jackson Browne. Written and recorded during the Reagan years, it's even more apt now.

"Shelf life"?

You want to get chills from a protest song? Try "Which Side Are You On?," the Pete Seeger version.

Woody wrote it in the 30's.

So ironically, the Right has succeeded in bringing back what it most hates and fears - the Sixties.

Sum 41's "Open Your Eyes" is good and fairly protesty.

Jimmy Cliff's "Vietnam" is so bouncy and catchy that I almost wish it wasn't about a soldiers death.

I was listening to an old Lou Reed album (New York, 1990) and found this song which would be the perfect Get Out the Vote anthem -- There is No Time.

This is no time for Optimism
This is no time for Endless Thought
This is no time for my country Right or Wrong
Remember what that brought

This is no time for Phony Rhetoric
This is no time for Political Speech
This is a time for Action
because the future's Within Reach

It's also got a good beat and you can dance to it.

Al,

Not original tunes. Why am I surprised that a right-wing touted song was not written by the band. The words could have come from a White House fax machine.

No mention of Abu Ghraib. GITMO. Libby. NSA. Katrina.

and of course, the government that governs the least, the "government" of Iraq.

Sorry, I meant Sum 41's "We're All to Blame."

The whole "Chuck" album is pretty damn good.

I always thought "Fortunate Son" by CCR was pretty rockin'.

Little Steven Van Zandt's "Sun City"?

I believe this had more to do with "Little Steven" having any discernable talent beyond remaining friends with Bruce Springsteen.

Just watched the Jackson Brown "Lives in the Balance" video at crooksandliars this morning and it's sadly, good.

I always thought that "Fortunate Son" would have made the best, and most accurate, Bush campaign theme.

And yeah, just hearing that opening riff to "Ohio" gives me chills.

I have to admit I've never been much of fan of protest songs, for the simple reason that very few of them are any good as music. They tend to garner momentary attention for their message (which can certainly be a good thing), but seldom have much of a shelf life. As the Washington Post's David Segal, the paper's former rock critic, asked me the other day, when's the last time you listened to Little Steven Van Zandt's "Sun City"?

When's the last time anyone listened to "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" or "Blowin' in the Wind" or "The Times They Are A' Changin'" by Bob Dylan? When's the last time anyone listened to "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nashy & Young, or "Fortunate Son" by Credence, or "Southern Man" by Neil Young, or "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday, or "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie, or "What's Goin' On" by Marvin Gaye, or "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)" by James Brown, or "You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder? Or anything by Pete Seeger or Springsteen or Woody Guthrie? It's nonsense to think that these protest songs aren't any good as music.

How about Pinks' "Dear Me President..I think is a great tune with outstanding lyrics. Check it out.

I once saw Little Steven open for U2. He was horrible, classic opening act situation, with people booing and yelling for him to get off stage. Nothing to do with his politics, he just played crappy music.

As "protest", the Dixie Chicks song is subtle. It could apply to so many life situations that its percieved place as protest is not quite on the nose.

It's a good song. I just don't think it's all about Bush.

Didn't care for the Young album, myself.

Damn, Al you are one devoted parody troll. I get a kick out of you every day and this morning you certainly don't disappoint.

or "You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder

or "Village Ghetto Land" by Stevie Wonder. One of the most sadly beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard by anyone ever.

So ironically, the Right has succeeded in bringing back what it most hates and fears - the Sixties. Posted by: craigie

Except in one important way, the one the right knows it hasn't ghost of chance of resurrecting: the draft.

The dickheads on the right, like Al, try to make the point, incorrectly, that protests prior to the Iraq invasion weren't all that large (yeah 20,000 to 1 million is just a coffee klatch). But there is some truth to this because opposition to the Vietnam War really gained strength amongst the young only when student deferments were removed.

Digby: It ain't 1968.

Yeah, it is. Go ahead. Run with it.

I see that Al's taste in music is as abysmal as his taste in Presidents.

Man, if they've lost Merle Haggard.....

When's the last time anyone listened to...

Well, a while. But I did serenade some friends to "Joe Hill" the other night, until I was asked to stop (because of the delivery, not the content). I really died, said she.

Yet another illuminating post by tbrosz. Hey t, why not tell us about how some people also write songs about how bad Dems are. Or just point out how these songs prove that Dems all love Sadaam and want the US to lose in Iraq.

"I have to admit I've never been much of fan of protest songs, for the simple reason that very few of them are any good as music. They tend to garner momentary attention for their message (which can certainly be a good thing), but seldom have much of a shelf life."

Bartender, give my friend at the end of the bar a tall glass of Steve Earle, with an Ani DiFranco chaser.

When will antiwar novels be back?

Where on earth are they?

Here are some:

http://antiiraqwarnovel.wordpress.com/

Send a novel message to Congress and the Administration...: Homefront.

I hope you goofballs enjoy your trip back to the 60s and 70s. Protest music, marches, getting stoned, all that.

I bought a friend a Bruce Cockburn CD for Christmas. My favorite protest song was inspired by the illegal terrorist war the US waged in Nicaragua. It is still relevant and needs to be played very loudly.

Here comes the helicopter -- second time today
Everybody scatters and hopes it goes away
How many kids they've murdered only God can say
If I had a rocket launcher...I'd make somebody pay

I don't believe in guarded borders and I don't believe in hate
I don't believe in generals or their stinking torture states
And when I talk with the survivors of things too sickening to relate
If I had a rocket launcher...I would retaliate

On the Rio Lacantun, one hundred thousand wait
To fall down from starvation -- or some less humane fate
Cry for Guatemala, with a corpse in every gate
If I had a rocket launcher...I would not hesitate

I want to raise every voice -- at least I've got to try
Every time I think about it water rises to my eyes.
Situation desperate, echoes of the victims cry
If I had a rocket launcher...Some son of a bitch would die

The lyrics raise a question: where are all of those rocket launchers the US gave to the mujihadeen during the Afghan war against the Soviets?

I'm surprised that on one has mentine Steve Earle.. "Jerusalem" works as political commentary and as music. "Revolution" isn't as good but has tow GREAT songs about Iraq.

Hey Kenny, if a trip back to the 70s includes the part where Repubs are voted out of office en masse, then yeah, we will enjoy it. Thoroughly.

theres somethin happenin here...
what it is.. aint exactly clear...

Tom: Yeah, it is. Go ahead. Run with it.

Why do I sense that you are more interested in damaging Dems than you are in good government? Because if you think that the reason things are so fucked up is that this administration hasn't had enough lattitude and deference, then you really have lost touch with real life.

Al what's the matter? You are barely trying and your feeble attempts at being a troll make the baby Jesus cry.

"To protect our freedoms it seems we're going to have to relinquish some of our freedoms for a short period of time."

- Neil Young, singer-songwriter of "Let's Roll"

I hope you goofballs enjoy your trip back to the 60s and 70s. Protest music, marches, getting stoned, all that.

Sex, drugs, music. What was the bad part again?

theres somethin happenin here...
what it is.. aint exactly clear...

How could I forget Stephen Stills? One of the great and underappreciated guitar players and songwriters. "Word Game", "The Cost of Freedom", etc.

Even Elvis had "In the Ghetto" and "You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog", which could be a protest song, depending on when you played it.

Sex, drugs, music. What was the bad part again?

Don't forget the flowers in their hair!

I have to admit I've never been much of fan of protest songs, for the simple reason that very few of them are any good as music.

I have to disagree there. Some of my favorite music from the sixties and seventies were protest songs. To name just a few:

Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan)
Alice's Restaurant (Arlo Guthrie)
Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen)
Chicago (Graham Nash)
Find the Cost of Freedom (Crosby, Stills, Nash)
Fortunate Son (Credence Clearwater Revival)
For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
Games without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel)
What's Goin' On (Marvin Gaye)
Freedom (Richie Havens)
Imagine (John Lennon)
Let the Sunshine In (from the musical "Hair")
Peace Train (Cat Stevens)
Man in Black (Johnny Cash)
The End (The Doors)
The Times, They Are A Changin' (Bob Dylan)
Turn, Turn, Turn (The Byrds)
War (Edwin Starr)
Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (Pete Seeger)

"If you want good music, listen to the Right Brothers and their great song Bush Was Right on YouTube."

Reason #1 why home schooling should be outlawed, which this family was. The Right Brothers video should be filmed in grainy black and white film with Laurence Olivier doing the voice over and shown on The History Channel.

Phil Ochs is still as (who killed himself 30 years ago this month) is still as listenable and relevant as ever. If you can find the boxed set, it is scary and depressing how relevant he is.

Draft Dogers Rag - THE chickenhawk song of all time
I Ain't Marchin' Anymore
The War Is Over
Another Age
Song of A Soldier ("To you it was duty/to them it's a game")
and the always wonderful: Love Me, I'm A Liberal

Check it out!

Wow, there are so many great protest songs. I've no idea where you are coming from.

Or maybe you are just limited in what you define as a protest song? Rock is filled with them, from Everclear to Rush to Ozzy Osbourne to Metallica to Anni DeFranco to CNSY to Pink Floyd to Jackson Browne to Sting/Police to U2 ... I just don't see how you can say protest songs make bad music. Bad musicians make bad music, and it doesn't matter if its politically motivated or not.

"To protect our freedoms it seems we're going to have to relinquish some of our freedoms for a short period of time."- Neil Young, singer-songwriter of "Let's Roll"

got a link ?

>The lyrics raise a question: where are all of those rocket launchers the US gave to the mujihadeen

We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat.

/ snark

Check out James McMurtry from his fine album Childish Things

"We Can't Make it Here"
Lyrics

Vietnam Vet with a cardboard sign
Sitting there by the left turn line
Flag on the wheelchair flapping in the breeze
One leg missing, both hands free
No one's paying much mind to him
The V.A. budget's stretched so thin
And there's more comin' home from the Mideast war
We can't make it here anymore

That big ol' building was the textile mill
It fed our kids and it paid our bills
But they turned us out and they closed the doors
We can't make it here anymore

See all those pallets piled up on the loading dock
They're just gonna set there till they rot
'Cause there's nothing to ship, nothing to pack
Just busted concrete and rusted tracks
Empty storefronts around the square
There's a needle in the gutter and glass everywhere
You don't come down here 'less you're looking to score
We can't make it here anymore

The bar's still open but man it's slow
The tip jar's light and the register's low
The bartender don't have much to say
The regular crowd gets thinner each day

Some have maxed out all their credit cards
Some are working two jobs and living in cars
Minimum wage won't pay for a roof, won't pay for a drink
If you gotta have proof just try it yourself Mr. CEO
See how far 5.15 an hour will go
Take a part time job at one of your stores
Bet you can't make it here anymore

High school girl with a bourgeois dream
Just like the pictures in the magazine
She found on the floor of the laundromat
A woman with kids can forget all that
If she comes up pregnant what'll she do
Forget the career, forget about school
Can she live on faith? live on hope?
High on Jesus or hooked on dope
When it's way too late to just say no
You can't make it here anymore

Now I'm stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store
Just like the ones we made before
'Cept this one came from Singapore
I guess we can't make it here anymore

Should I hate a people for the shade of their skin
Or the shape of their eyes or the shape I'm in
Should I hate 'em for having our jobs today
No I hate the men sent the jobs away
I can see them all now, they haunt my dreams
All lily white and squeaky clean
They've never known want, they'll never know need
Their sh@# don't stink and their kids won't bleed
Their kids won't bleed in the da$% little war
And we can't make it here anymore

Will work for food
Will die for oil
Will kill for power and to us the spoils
The billionaires get to pay less tax
The working poor get to fall through the cracks
Let 'em eat jellybeans let 'em eat cake
Let 'em eat sh$%, whatever it takes
They can join the Air Force, or join the Corps
If they can't make it here anymore

And that's how it is
That's what we got
If the president wants to admit it or not
You can read it in the paper
Read it on the wall
Hear it on the wind
If you're listening at all
Get out of that limo
Look us in the eye
Call us on the cell phone
Tell us all why

In Dayton, Ohio
Or Portland, Maine
Or a cotton gin out on the great high plains
That's done closed down along with the school
And the hospital and the swimming pool
Dust devils dance in the noonday heat
There's rats in the alley
And trash in the street
Gang graffiti on a boxcar door
We can't make it here anymore

Ringo - slight correction: "Fortunate Son" would have made the best ANTI-Bush campaign theme song.

I wish we had a candidate who could have played it, over and over again - without any irony. Kerry? Just wouldn't have fit. Maybe a progressive version of Chuck Hagel as yet undiscovered?

"Fortunate Son" is, in fact, one of the best - and most stinging - critiques of Bush and Co. and the Iraq mess. Never mind that it was written 30 years before Bush came to power - he is the ultimate Fortunate Son (never mind the problematic book of the same title).

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief",
oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no senator's son,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no,

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, why don't they help themselves? oh.
But when the taxman come to the door,
Lord, the house look a like a rummage sale, yes,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no.

You are the crown of creation
And you've got no place to go
Soon you'll attain the stability you strive for
In the only way that it's granted
In a place among the fossils of our time
-- Jefferson Airplane, 1968

Actually, the song on the Neil Young that's chilling it's so good is "Flags of Freedom," in which a young girl listens to Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" on her iPod while her brother's unit marches onto the plane to go to Iraq. When people wonder 20 years from now what it was like back then, that song will be one they listen to.

I hate to rain on your self-indulgent parade, Dems, but get real. You might have enjoyed the protests of the 60s and 70s, but where exactly did that get the Democrats?? Check your history: Nixon won in 1968 and 1972.

You might have enjoyed the protests of the 60s and 70s, but where exactly did that get the Democrats?? Check your history: Nixon won in 1968 and 1972.

...and then came 1974. Bummer, huh?

You might wish to check your history yourself, Kenny Boy, particularly Congressional history. After the 1970 midterms, to provide just one example, the House had a Dem majority of 254-181, and the Senate 55-45.

I can't believe nobody has mentioned "Masters of War," Dylan's most explicit and bitter protest song.

'no more lies' is a repeated line from the song 'restless consumer'.

what is great about 'living with war' is how neil sketches-in issues and feelings connected to the tradition of war in the u.s.a. - both in standing up for what's right and lashing out for what we think we need, and then charting the human fallout that results.

the record is a very deep expression of what is going on. 'flags of freedom' (where he quotes bob) is great. 'roger and out' is a beautiful song about a guy remembering a pal killed in vietnam. 'shock and awe' is a retread of 'hey hey, my my'.

notice young even quotes the melody of steve goodman's 'city of new orleans' (good morning america) when he sings 'let's impeach the president for lying.' face it, the guy is good.

The American National Anthem (English-only) is the best song ever, especially that part about "rockets" and "bombs."

As for Steve Van Zandt's talent, he co-wrote and co-produced the absolutely amazing "I Found Love" with Maria McKee. (on the Lone Justice album "Shelter") One of the best fusions of rock with gospel that you can find. It's not as lyrically poignant as "Think" by Aretha, but it's got an absolutely roaring crescendo.

cleek,

I was there at Merlefest, too. Chilly that evening! Did you see the meteor?

Actually, Prine modified the line to "some beady-eyed guy from Texas."

Great protest songs:

In a class of its own:

Boris Vian, Le Deserteur

The slyest "protest" song that I can think of is Chuck Berry's great "Promised Land". Its lyrics recall the days when simple transportation for blacks was a elaborate chore. Nothing is explicit in the song, but it comes pretty close with "We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle/Half way 'cross Alabam."

(I think that's actually, "more trouble" but the web sites claim that it's motor trouble.)

when's the last time you listened to Little Steven Van Zandt's "Sun City"?

Actually, I LOVED that. Had a cassette tape of the whole, er, album.

"Fortunate Son" is, in fact, one of the best - and most stinging - critiques of Bush and Co. and the Iraq mess. Never mind that it was written 30 years before Bush came to power - he is the ultimate Fortunate Son (never mind the problematic book of the same title).

Also, and this is somewhat more difficult, but never mind the jeans commercials . . .

Jim Carroll "Barricades"
From about 1989 I think...

We should have left at once
We should have never stayed
Now they have drawn the line
Now there is a barricade
Now there's a barricade
A barricade
Who makes promises?
Who makes promises through a thick lead door?
Through an intercom on the 23rd floor?
Who makes promises and then promises more?
Who makes promises for El Salvador?

Bobby's getting called. Billy's getting called
Juan's getting called, John's getting called . . .
They get a letter in the mail, they get a telephone call

It says, "Come on, Come on . . ."
It says, "Come on . . ."

All the American boys
Asleep beneath American shade
Awake on foreign soil
They awake inside the barricades
Inside the barricades

The sun curves over the jungle
And trees grow from the dead nun's lungs
But when the ship is in the harbor
Then the cyanide pill's on their tongue
Inside the Barricade, inside the barricade

Girls, no more going out dancing
And boys, there's no more getting laid
You're gonna parachute to the holy land
And you will drop into the barricades
Inside the barricades, inside the barricades

Who makes promises for the Neutron bomb?
It will sign your lungs to death
And leave the corporate walls unharmed . . .
Who makes promises with such insidious charm?
But it would have made things cleaner
In old Vietnam . . .

That's when Kevin got called up
Ritchie got called . . .
And Kevin never came back
Ritchie never came home

Their folks got a letter in the mail
THEY GOT A LETTER IN THE MAIL . . .

I ain't gonna die for Standard Oil
I.B.M. . . . I wouldn't die for them!
G.E.? Not me!

"Come on," they say, "Come on"
They say "Come on,"
And you say, "ahh" . . .
You just say "LATER!"

"Machine Gun" by Jimi Hendrix.

brilliant evocation of vietnam.
the best known version, on the Band of Gypsies album, contains the greatest single note ever played on an electric guitar. no kidding.

"Southern Man" by Neil Young plays on the radio station i listen to at least once a week.

Re what Mysticdog said about rock and protest songs: "One" by Metallica, most vivid description of being injured in war. and there's a song on Smile Empty Soul's first album called "This is War" that doesn't really seem like a protest when you read the lyrics, but it's played so mournfully that it seems like one to me.

"Good Christian Soldier" by Kristofferson is one of my favorite anti-war songs.

An obscure album, Leon Russell & Marc Benno's Asylum Choir II, had a couple of real appropriate songs. (Give a dollar for your fingers, two dollars for your eyes, You paid the price of freedom and now you realize, You could see the world's a better place if you could see at all, I hear my German Shepherd coming down the hall.)
Hendrix - Machine Gun
Counry Joe - more appropriate would be Super Bird (send him back to Texas/make him work on his ranch)

KC wrote (apropos "Fortunate Son")

Also, and this is somewhat more difficult, but never mind the jeans commercials . . .

Posted by: kc on May 10, 2006 at 2:18 PM | PERMALINK

KC, you are of course familiar with Fogerty's long running battle with Fantasy Records over copyright, and the sad truth that he had no control over the use of his songs by Wrangler or anyone else. At least not until Fantasy was taken over by Concord Records; apparently Fogerty is finally getting his due. But he still ain't no fortunate son...

Here's what Fogerty said when the song was used in the ad:

"It makes me angry....When you use a song for a TV commercial, it trivializes the meaning of the song. It almost turns it into nothing."

"People walk up to me, people I've met through my kids, at school, people who rarely talk to me about the old days, and they say, 'Oh, John, I saw your commercial,' and the first thing out of my mouth is: 'It stinks,' " said Fogerty, who first saw the spot in the summer of 2000. "They usually get a surprised look on their face — they're just making conversation — and then I have to explain."

I'm surprised no one's mentioned "American Idiot" by Green Day. That's got to be the most powerful anti-Bush protest album I've ever heard. And it's great music too.

A friend of mine who teaches third grade let one of her students bring in the album and play it as his music choice during study hall. All the other students sang along. They all knew the words.

Anyone got a specific Ani DiFranco song for me?

America What a great country.Two war deserters as President back to back.Now this is a hell of a country for ya.

I obtained my copy of 'American Idiot' from a friend's ten year old son. Perhaps the younger younger generation will show some opposition to Bush and America's war on humanity.

"I hate to rain on your self-indulgent parade, Dems, but get real. You might have enjoyed the protests of the 60s and 70s, but where exactly did that get the Democrats?? Check your history: Nixon won in 1968 and 1972."

Because the vested, status quo democrats fought back against the grass roots. And if they do it this time, they deserve to lose again.

The situation is very different now though. Two stolen elections, a pointless pre-emptive war, economic disparity, health care costs, a tremndous loss of US prestige - this time, there is only one direction to point the finger towards -the Republicans. In 1968, the establishment was Democratic, and the Democrats feared the anti establishment movement. This time, everyone is at least heading in the right direction, with the exception of certain dinosaurs in the party.

If the dems catch the populist wave this time, they will sweep to power like in the 30's. If they fight it, it will crash right over them and leave the party broken and scattered like in 1968. I see a lot more willing to catch the wave, and a lot fewer wanting to fight it, though anything is possible when so many are indecisive about how to win.

Tim Buckley's "Once I Was" is one of the most beautiful songs ever! It plays at the end of the movie Coming Home when Bruce Dern goes into the sea.

Tim Buckley's "Once I Was" is one of the most beautiful songs ever! It plays at the end of the movie Coming Home when Bruce Dern goes into the sea.

"Coming Home" is a wonderful movie. Should be seen by every kid thinking of enlisting in this senseless war.

Let me add one song to the fine list posted by David McCullough above:

"Little Pink Houses" by John (Cougar) Mellencamp.

Little Pink Houses was another song where the Republican Party just did not quite get it. Just as with Springsteen's "Born in the USA", the Republicans heard a hit song with a catchy tune and wanted Mellencamp to allow them to use "Little Pink Houses" during the Reagan re-election campaign. Mr. Mellencamp told them they should probably go back, listen to the song and pay attention to the words.

There have been quite a few protest songs with lasting popularity and a fair amount of "worth" as music in their own right. I guess this is just another post by KD where his fingers engage the keyboard before thoughts engage his brain.

i can't believe i forgot Live. about half their catalog is basically protest music, way back to Mental Jewlery, check out 10,000 years, or most explicity What Are We Fighting For .

imho, the best most underappreciated band in the country.

Oddly enough, I was listening to "Sun City" this morning. Honest.

It's held up a lot better than one might expect.

Another great new CD, not explicitly anti-Bush but including songs written out of frustration and anger with the way this country has fallen so far in the past 5 years under his administration, is the new Tool CD, 10,000 days. Paricular tracks include "Vicarious", "The Pot", and "Right in Two".

Beatles suck. That is all.

Oh also, Chalk Farm's "Lie on Lie" was such an excellent song for the times as well.

I guess this is just another post by KD where his fingers engage the keyboard before thoughts engage his brain.

I guess this is just another post written by someone other than KD.

I'm surprised you mention Neil Young, good protest songs, and don't mention Buffalo Springfield's "For What it's Worth". That, to me, is the ultimate good protest song.

A lot of great choices here, but nobody has yet mentioned one of the greatest, the Rolling Stones' "Street Fightin' Man". In two lines the Stones sum up all the hopes and frustrations of anyone who has worked to make the world a better place:

But what can a poor boy do
'Cept to sing for a rock 'n' roll band?

And it's also some of the Stones' best music. The incredible thing about "Street Fightin' Man" was that it was performed all on acoustic instruments.

And if you still don't think that protest makes for great music, check out Max Weinberg's drum fills at the end of "Born In The USA". Weinberg says they came about by accident as he thought Bruce Springsteen gave a signal to end the song. Max was mistaken, though, as the rest of the band continued playing. Weinberg's flamboyance came about from his efforts to recover the beat. Following the session, Weinberg thought he would be in for a good ass-chewing, but Bruce liked the playback so much that he decided to use that take.

Dylan's "With God On Our Side" is reminds me of the Bush administration.

I am very musical. My first grade teacher said to me, "sing a song for the class, Richard," like I could perform on the spot. As an expert on music, I can say Neil Young has no talent and, moreover, he is rude to our President.

p.s. Don't e-mail me.

How about...War by Edwin Starr 1970?

War, what is it good for- absolutely nothing- say it again.

Oddly enough, I was listening to "Sun City" this morning. Honest.

It's held up a lot better than one might expect.
Posted by: Matt

That's rich. Did you throw on Frampton Comes Alive or Boston after that?

I obtained my copy of 'American Idiot' from a friend's ten year old son. Perhaps the younger younger generation will show some opposition to Bush and America's war on humanity. Posted by: Powerpuff

Not likely. Unless they reinstitute the draft or create a war tax, count on generations to come to be just as apathetic about war in distant lands as there parents and grandparent have been because they are not required to bear any direct or easily quantifiable cost for government policies nor inclined to inform themselves about them.

The slyest "protest" song that I can think of is Chuck Berry's great "Promised Land". Posted by: Jeffrey Davis

I always thought it was "My Ding-a-ling," written inresponse, I believe, to being busted on the Mann Act.

I was afraid you would write that.

But what can a poor boy do
'Cept to sing for a rock 'n' roll band?

And it's also some of the Stones' best music. The incredible thing about "Street Fightin' Man" was that it was performed all on acoustic instruments. Posted by: dr sardonicus

Give me a fucking break. Jagger was born middle-class, has a college education, and was probably a millionaire by the time they recorded the song. Regardless of its inspiration, the Stones never had an iota of political consciousness.

Check out the winners of the 2006 Swimmy Award for Best Political Song:

Nite Swimming - Best Political Songs

Went to reply to Paul Glastris about protest songs not making good music, but saw that Stefan, Daryl, and a number of others did it for me. Has anyone yet nominated Stevie Wonder's Living for the City, just to mention one more? Or Steve Miller's Fly Like an Eagle?

Heyzeus, you're crotchety today, Jeff.

Well, about now we should all be doing a rousing rendition of the Mothers of Invention song, Who are the brain police...

Actually probably a line from a song with a different title. A dam* good line, in light of current events...

Heyzeus, you're crotchety today, Jeff.
Posted by: shortstop

Hey! don't blame me just because you spent $35.00 on a Digital Mobile Lab Gold copy of FCA. I warned you about the hazards of drinking and e-commerce.

As a devotee of Raymond Douglas Davies, I must point to the Kinks album "Arthur" as a sterling example of a certain strain of protest music - one that is bitingly satiric and yet disarmingly subtle. The album as a whole encapsulates and gently derides the lives of quiet desperation and unthinking patriotism led by most of us. The overall tone is one of empathy and sadness rather than confrontation and anger.

"I was born, lucky me, in a land that I love."

God Save the Kinks

Well, about now we should all be doing a rousing rendition of the Mothers of Invention song, Who are the brain police... Posted by: serial catowner

I think you're confused and you meant "Dream Police" by Cheap Trick.

"I was born, lucky me, in a land that I love."

God Save the Kinks Posted by: athos

"Victoooria, Victoooria. Victoria. Victoria."

We played that in the band. "Waterloo Sunset," too.

Mothers of Invention song...

Please, god, no!

Jeff, heh. You're the one who insisted I burn you a copy post haste. And second-day air wasn't good enough, no, sir.

Give me a fucking break. Jagger was born middle-class, has a college education, and was probably a millionaire by the time they recorded the song. Regardless of its inspiration, the Stones never had an iota of political consciousness.

So? Neil Young was the son of Toronto's best-regarded sportswriter of his era, and grew up rather comfortably himself.

All popular culture is inspired in part by the desire to make a buck. Within much of rock music, social conciousness is so intertwined with commercial considerations as to make attempting to separate the two pointless. You can write the greatest lyrics ever put to pen, but if nobody hears them, so what? You miss a lot of good stuff if you get snobbish about its origins.

Just googled Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction, and it's the strangest thing- the words still seem to fit the times.

Hey, don't blame me if we have the 60s again. We tried to move on. Wasn't my idea to make the eastern world explode again.

I know- the first time my wife chose the video for the evening, she chose Baby Snakes.

And let's not forget the brilliant Randy Newman's "Political Science."

"Boom goes London, boom Paree - more room for you and more room for me. They all hate us anyhow, so let's drop the big one now!"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I've never heard a song by Cheap Trick.

But hey, on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog.

But hey, on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog. Posted by: serial catowner

No. No one (unless you use a cam) knows whether you look like a dog. But when you wax sentimentally about Frank Zappa "music" . . .

Within much of rock music, social conciousness is so intertwined with commercial considerations as to make attempting to separate the two pointless. You can write the greatest lyrics ever put to pen, but if nobody hears them, so what? You miss a lot of good stuff if you get snobbish about its origins.
Posted by: dr sardonicus

Talk to the hand, Dr. S.

There is absolutely no similarity artisticly or in terms of social consciousness between Mick Jagger and Neil Young. I love them both, but for different things.

Jagger's career has been the height of artiface and primarily about making as much money as he could (otherwise try to explain 99% of his music and X number of tours since 1978). Whereas Neil Young couldn't give a shit about what anyone ever thought about anything he ever did. He's always made music that interests himself with little regard (save for the regrettable Trans album) for current style, something borne out with his difficulty in keeping record contracts over the last fifteen years or so.

JeffII,

What do you mean? Frank Zappa was one of the best musicians rock has ever produced. There is a yearly Zappanale festival in his honor in Germany http://www.zappanale.de/

It featured prominently in the wonderful documentary Rock School (not "School of Rock"; Rock School was a documentary about an actual school in Philadelphia, while School of Rock was a work of fiction---not sure if it was based on rock school, or not).

I have to admit I've never been much of fan of protest songs, for the simple reason that very few of them are any good as music.

"Four Dead in Ohio," "Blowin' in the Wind," "Born in the USA," "Banned in the USA," "Winds of Change," "Right Here, Right Now," "Fortunate Son," etc. etc.

Wow, Paul Glastris, you're an idiot.

Write what you know, moron.

We Shall Overcome
Lindbergh, by Woody Guthrie
God Save the Queen, by the Sex Pistols

I also like "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats. Sure it's not a protest song, but it's great, and I rarely get to bring it up.

Here's what Fogerty said when the song was used in the ad:

"It makes me angry....When you use a song for a TV commercial, it trivializes the meaning of the song. It almost turns it into nothing."

LaborFriendly, I did not know that. Thanks.

And JeffII, you're kind of a dick, but you made me laugh.

JeffII, Neil Young joined Crosby, Stills, and Nash with no other purpose in mind except the bottom line. From an artistic standpoint, he certainly didn't need those other three guys...

Neil Young and Mick Jagger traveled different roads, but they wound up in the same place. They're old. And ten million fans of 50 Cent could care less about either one of them.

"JeffII, Neil Young joined Crosby, Stills, and Nash with no other purpose in mind except the bottom line."

Bullshit, he likes those guys, and sometimes hates them, but you hang for forty fucking years because of friendship.

And way back to the beginning, I have heard "Ohio" on solo acoustic guitar, and it is very much a CSNY song. The harmonies make it an anthem.

And let's not forget the brilliant Randy Newman's "Political Science."

I was 'ooh-oohing' to myself, hoping nobody would beat me to mentioning Randy Newman.

You can't beat a rueful elegy like, "It's Money That Matters."

Eddie Vetter's live version of Masters of War is chilling-- partly because it is once again, sadly, all too timely.

Bob Dylan's Hard Rain is still great. And it protests just about everything-- war and racism and pollution and violence and corporate greed.

And the Fish Cheer?

I also find myself listening again to the Animals' Sky Pilot.

Fortunate Son is chilling-- it could have been written about Bush.

listening to "Fortunate Son" is enough to get me rageful at Shrub in an instant.

Pearl Jam... I have only heard "World Wide Suicide", and appreciate the riff they lifted from Offspring's "Keep em Separated" which is a song about the same issue, writ small.

"American Idol" is wonderful, albeit too subtle a story. I'm glad to know that it's a favorite among the young ones, who are, after all, going to have to pay the bills for Shrub's little war...

The first rule of rock n roll is the first rule of music in general (to quote whats-his-name): if it sounds good it is good.

The twelfth or fifteenth rule of rock n roll is that you're allowed to be against politicians, but not allowed to be for other politicians.

Eminem got it when he dissed Bush, but didn't endorse anyone else.

Both Mr. Young and Mr. Springsteen seem to have understood it at one time, but also seem to have unlearned it. Springsteen's tour for Kerry in 04 was embarrassing. Young's endorsement of Obama is slightly less embarrassing (if only because Obama may actually become president one day), but nevertheless wrong.

Even writers are better served by doing a kabuki dance around partisan politics rather than endorsing particular candidates. TS Eliot seems actually to have been something of a moderate, and may today have written for the likes of the New Republic or some such rag, but his memorable political statements were about being a royalist in politics, classicist in literature, and Anglo-Catholic in religion. He chose to pen tributes to the un-electable (at least to the White House) and ideologically pure Robert A Taft rather than Churchill.

Why?

As Allen Ginsberg said, politics makes poets monstrous. More precisely, practical politics makes poets (and other artists) middlebrow, and while its okay for an artist to be a fascist/royalist/anti-semite/sexist/homophobic pig or leftist/crazy/satanist/radical there is nothing worse than being middlebrow. Granted John Kerry isn't quite as middlebrow as say Tony Blair or Hillary Clinton, but just middlebrow enough to be embarrassing. Sorry folks: the Democrats may be less bad than the Republicans but they will never, ever be cool.

Blue Nomad - way too rough on Springsteen.

Won't comment on whether political engagement made him (and presumably every other artist) middlebrow - and suppose he always has been given the demands of his medium.

But I can say one thing, I felt he emerged from the 2004 campaign far as more dignified, as far more eloquent - as just more honorable - than either of the candidates (and anyone running in the primaries).

You may damn with faint praise and say that's not hard given the competition, but I heard him and he conveyed more about the importance of the election in two minutes than Kerry did in his entire campaign. What was his line, "we learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school"? Same difference.

Blue Nomad:

My impression was that the Boss was more against Bush than for Kerry - which is consistent with your tweflth or fifteenth rule of rock n roll. Well, Bruce and millions of the rest of us, too.

Salvation from middlebrow-dom for him, and perhaps for the rest of us, too.

TS Eliot seems actually to have been something of a moderate, and may today have written for the likes of the New Republic or some such rag, but his memorable political statements were about being a royalist in politics, classicist in literature, and Anglo-Catholic in religion. Posted by: The Blue Nomad

Actually, what T.S. Eliot is most remembered for politically/socially is being an anti-Semite.

ani difranco writes great protest songs. good musically and lyrically. i haven't read the other comments to this post yet, so i'm probably behind on mentioning that. just thought i'd say it anyway.

I would say that "Free Nelson Mandela," by the Specials, is an exception. It's still a catchy, danceable little tune (which in itself is pretty unusual for a protest song).

And Peter Gabriel's "Biko" always makes me cry, though I think that's more a memorial than strictly a protest song.

I think a lot of people who wouldn't necessarily go in for Green Day per se would love American Idiot.
I'd heard about it, but hadn't really paid any attention - and it blew my mind. Fantastic stuff.