political and protest songs

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I find these type of songs to be the most passionate and meaningful songs. They seem to express my feelings in a 2-5 minute song better than if I were reading a very long book.
I listen to mostly folk and punk music. There is a reason for this. Most protest songs fall into these genres.

Does anyone else like this type of song? I have yet to see a thread with this topic.
I would like to get some recommendations and to see the favorites of other users.

Here are two very different types of protest songs. one is very angry and the other is less extreme but equally passionate.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNzIKoAy2pk[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oPFT_d4x_I[/youtube]

Last edited by artrat on 26 Jan 2012, 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

I never really listened to the lyrics in that rage against the machine song but I will now. Thumbs up and I voted yes

more phil ochs- outside of a small circle of friends-
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulTmmTIlM_o[/youtube]

Look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Riding down the highway, yes, my back is getting stiff
Thirteen cars are piled up, they're hanging on a cliff.
Maybe we should pull them back with our towing chain
But we gotta move and we might get sued and it looks like it's gonna rain
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Sweating in the ghetto with the colored and the poor
The rats have joined the babies who are sleeping on the floor
Now wouldn't it be a riot if they really blew their tops?
But they got too much already and besides we got the cops
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Oh there's a dirty paper using sex to make a sale
The Supreme Court was so upset, they sent him off to jail.
Maybe we should help the fiend and take away his fine.
But we're busy reading Playboy and the Sunday New York Times
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

Smoking marihuana is more fun than drinking beer,
But a friend of ours was captured and they gave him thirty years
Maybe we should raise our voices, ask somebody why
But demonstrations are a drag, besides we're much too high
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

Oh look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

I really don't like it in general, but the ones I like, I really do. And I think social content is as important as political content, I think the difference is that songs with political content tend to indoctrinate the audience more.

I write political lyrics fairly often. I rarely use them though, I can write a story but I can't for the life of me write a decent set of lyrics

Growing up in the punk scene I discovered a love politically and protest songs. Mainly they had to have some sort of social justice element in them. Punk is still what I mainly listen to and it has also helped lead me to a lot of great books which has really formed the way I live my life.

Good for nothing but the undertaker and the hippy protest singer.

I have the same problem.

I find that it works very well in the punk genre.
Sometimes it is necessary to write a song that deals with social and political issues. When angry and defenseless against the government and corporation writing a protest song can be an emotional release for an artist.


Abacacus, You should be glad that you can write a decent political story because I can't. I write political poems that would make good lyrics but I have no musical talent at all. You should post some of your stories on this forum because they sound interesting.

Many do indoctrinate the audience but some are just the emotional response of the artists. Those are usually the best ones.
I will admit that some protest songs can be terrible.

neerdowell, Growing up in the punk scene sounds fantastic. I have always daydreamed about growing up in the early U.K. punk scene.

Is that a bad thing?

If you are a socialist then it is. Capitalism has not exactly worked and is morally and ethically wrong.

Can you give an example of it not working? And can you explain why it is morally and ethically wrong?

Here's some charts for reference. The first map depicts the Index of Economic Freedom, the second depicts the Human Development Index (darker blue indicates a higher score).


[img][800:625]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/2012_World_Map_of_the_Index_of_Economic_Freedom.PNG[/img]


[img][800:441]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/2011_UN_Human_Development_Report_Quartiles.svg/1000px-2011_UN_Human_Development_Report_Quartiles.svg.png[/img]

If Capitalism existed none of you would be paying taxes, you would have no public infrastructure of ANY kind, no public buildings, nothing.

Pretty much the entire planet is Socialist, they just won't admit it to themselves.

I agree.

You're referring to Murray Rothbard's brand of capitalism, anarcho-capitalism.


That isn't true, even if you use fringe definitions of socialism such as "popular socialism".