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They Doth Protest Too Little!
2:30 PM GMT 19/11/2007
The English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 was accompanied by the first documented song of proletarian dissent, the Cutty Wren. A jaunty allegory, it essentially advised dragging oppressive feudal landlords into the greenwood, eviscerating and boiling them, then feeding the remains to the poor. Now that’s a protest song.
The Cutty Wren begat a noble (if less cannibalistically inclined) tradition of decanting civil opposition into justly inflammatory anthems – a tradition that has birthed such iconic epistles as We Shall Overcome, Strange Fruit, Give Peace A Chance, What’s Going On, Free Nelson Mandela and Fight The Power – all of them substantive proof of dissenting song’s transformative muscle. In 1973, a despotic Chilean junta was so threatened by the oppositional songs of activist-poet Victor Jara that they machine-gunned him to death – not perhaps the best advertisement for a career in protest song but undeniable proof of its potency. Moreover, the political landscape of the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s can actually be mapped in protest song, from Blowin’ In The Wind and For What It’s Worth to Give Ireland Back To The Irish, God Save The Queen, Johannesburg and dozens of others.
All of which makes the current lack of decent protest anthems all the more curious, nay disturbing. Think about it. When was the last time you had your blood summoned and your sinews stiffened by a roistering musical clarion call which actually addressed contemporary ‘issues’? It’s not as though there’s a dearth of contentious matters about which to remonstrate: a Middle East in meltdown, a US Government insouciantly peddling ‘Vietnam 2’, the climate in freefall etc… And yet, where is the song that synthesises, articulates, mobilizes dissent on such matters? Where is the new folk’s political firebrand? Who will pen this generation’s Shipbuilding?
In such a parlous climate the author of that moving, anti-Falklands War epistle, Elvis Costello, could once have been relied upon to pen a mighty, rallying diatribe but now prefers uxorious hymns to his spouse, Diana Krall. On his estimable new album, Robert Wyatt, Shipbuilding’s still politically engaged singer, addresses issues like Iraq only elliptically – and the same can be said for recent missives by Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Radiohead, Arcade Fire and others. Making an explicit political statement in song just isn’t cool any more, apparently.
Isolated outbreaks of hectoring invective like Neil Young’s Let’s Impeach The President have tended to lack the successful protest anthem’s sine qua non, poignancy, while Ian Brown and Sinead O’Connor’s Illegal Attacks was well-intentioned but, frankly, pants. Dear Mr. President, a righteously irate single by that noted Rosa Luxemburg of the pop barricades, Pink, meanwhile, vented daring anti-Bush sentiments but was then spinelessly released only in Europe.
Those who could make a big and effective anti-US noise (hello Messrs Hewson, Sumner, Dwight and co) are apparently too in thrall to the corporations who fund them (and too wary of Midwest record burning 'ramifications') to take the full protest plunge - shame on their lily livers.
It’s enough to make you pine for Chumbawamba. Almost.
David Sheppard
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 2:30 PM GMT 19/11/2007
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Those interested in a contemporary, mature, and enlightened take on the protest song need look no further than Joni Mitchell's new album, "Shine".
Posted by David Marine at 8:02 PM GMT 26/11/2007 Report Abuse
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David - great piece. you're right - we need MORE protest songs. In 2004, i wrote an entire protest album - 11 songs - titled "The Life and Times of George W Bush." But nobody had the guts to TOUCH it - NOBODY! Not even MOJO. Maybe you will now. Check out www.myspace.com/911theband.
thanks for listening.
Posted by jon fulmer, bass/vocal/songwriter, 9-1-1 at 1:03 PM GMT 27/11/2007 Report Abuse
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David,
Give me your e-mail and I'll send you a bang-on generation-spanning protest anthem off my upcoming CD
Alan Lord
alanlord23@hotmail.com
Posted by Alan Lord at 7:48 PM GMT 28/11/2007 Report Abuse
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Oh, I forgot - check out also the video of the song "America Sucks" by my fellow local musos Grim Skunk. Yeah, we were around years before "Montrealers" Arcade Farter.
http://www.myspace.com/grimskunk
Alan Lord
"of Montreal" (literally)
Posted by Alan Lord at 7:59 PM GMT 28/11/2007 Report Abuse
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Start drafting rich people, there'll be protest songs on the radio again, but till that possible event, howz about a lill protest song in the theistic nature?
The inspiration 'twas e-mails that began to be filled with too much "respect."
[To the tune of George Harrison’s “Awaiting On You All”
(a.k.a. “Chanting The Name Of The Lord”)]
“Chanting The Name Of The Turd”
a.k.a. “Chanting The Name Of Old Tor”
You may have a smooth grin
Your lies come out deadpan
great communicator, mental masturbator
spent a decade vegetatin’
If you open up your heart
blood will gush right out
your emotions are in your brain
not in replaceable chest spout
By chantin’ the name of old Tor and you will see
it’s worthless as chanting the name of any ole deity
when earthquakes or giant storms come from the sea
its as helpful as if you spent your whole life chantin’ Gumby
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
You need to cut a fart
all life needs to make gas
if you’re an instigator or alligator
you’re gonna get recycled
If you open up your heart
blood will gush right out
charge gnomes in you chest rent
`cause they’ll never help you out
By chantin’ the name of old Tor and you will see
it’s worthless as chanting the name of any ole deity
`god speed` or Lennon songs in space shuttles ain’t worth a pee
when they go boom you’re toast regardless of your theology
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
You do need some shelter
reporters love helter skelter
Invest in Mardi Gras beads, not flood wall needs,
and churches go a floatin’
If you open up your heart
there’ll be a blood stream
don’t let the creeps con you
with their minds so freakin’ mean
George sang, “Pope owns 51% of General Motors.”
Harrison was pissed, he only owned 49% of GM stores.
Chant Jehovah, Krishna, Allah, Satan or Tor
They’re equally worthless to help you, that’s for sure
uuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre
Posted by Tor Hershman at 11:30 AM GMT 01/12/2007 Report Abuse
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"It's freedom of speech - as long as you don't say too much" - Neville Brothers
"Sons and Daughters" (from Brother's Keeper)
Why no new protest songs?
Apathy.
Fear.
Distraction.
Few people care enough about what happens to other people to speak out when injustice happens. They never think that they might be next on the list.
Those that might speak out are silenced by fear. It's one thing to come up with a jsut cause and/or catchy slogan, another thing to be bold enough to say or display it in front of the oppressor. More so if they have numbers superior to yours, control of the media, and weaponry. Think Burma.
And what if there's just too much happening to be able to focus attention on a particular issue long enough to formulate an effective means of protest. Didja see that video on YouTube where these kittens with swords and Viking helmets are doing Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song"? Oops my cell phoine is ringing! Hey! It's a Gilligan's Island festival all day today on satellite! You know I can't deal with it all until I've finished reading the Sunday (New York) Times... oooh look at that...
Speaking out requires engagement with the people and issues affecting them, learning to listen and be educated as to their situation. It means being bold enough to confront and wise enough to expect the consequences of so doing. Choosing your battles is very important. It means recruitment and consensus decision making. It requires focus - even when being assaulted by a fully clad and armed riot control officer.
And if you're a musician?
If you've signed a long term contract with a multi-national corporation to distribute your music, your options may be restricted - after all the concerns of the shareholders come before any issues of justice. Turn in product deemed to be politically provocative and we may sue you for failing to turn in commercially acceptable product, thus violating the terms of your contract. The Rolling Stones may have been able to satisfy the terms of ending their Decca contract by giving them the master tape for "Cocksucker Blues" knowing there would be no way the company could mass market it as a single, but contract lawyers have become a little more savvy since then. Ask Neil Young about his dealings with Geffen in which he was sued for not providing commercially viable (in the company's eyes) product. The contracturally obligated can no longer hand in any half-hearted piece of crap to fulfil a contract and get away with it.
So maybe you've eschewed the music industry and gone straight to making your recording available on the web. How are you going to distinguish yourself from the millions of other wanna-bes in cyberspace? Only if your name has some recognition prior to posting have you a chance of success. There's just too much hype out there - with the result that nobody trusts the ratings system since they know it can me rigged.
Despite this, you've sat down and written a protest song.
But then the fear factor asserts itself as a suspicious government flexes its muscles.
It's one thing to speak out, it's another thing to deal with the results of speaking out. Like being investigated as a security risk by the government. That alone can cost you your day job and any support from your friends and family. Crossing borders suddenly becomes a nightmare - detained for questions, more questions, searches, more questions, etc. Arbitrary arrests, continually being stopped by the police for no reason (being sussed as they say in the UK), audits by the tax department, overly scrupulous inspections by government agencies as to sanitation, workplace safety, etc.
There's a great documentary on the MC5 that has the surviving band members and their (ex-)wives detail what they had to go through after ending up on a government watch list because of their connection to John Sinclair's White Panther Party. Or you can read the recently declassified FBI files on John Lennon.
Two small stories to make you aware how paranoid the government can be.
In 2001, as I was traveling to Chicago to attend a healing prayer conference (!) I had to go through customs at Detroit. I'm familiar with the routine of customs but the weekend I went across they were executing Timothy McVeigh and customs was on high alert. Every item in my bag had to be opened before the inspector (no problem there) but then they came to a bottle containing a week's supply of assorted vitamins. They questioned me on each capsule and pill, what it was for, if I had a doctor's prescription for it with me, how many I took per day, and so on. I fully expected them to confiscate them but they didn't.
What was worse was this: Seasoned travelers that we were, I and a nun from the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa) were the first two people at the inspection counter. After spending at minimum ten minutes with me, I returned to the bus. But the nun was detained - in fact, they opened another inspection station to deal with the rest of the passengers while they detained her. Forty minutes later the nun was cleared to go - the last person on the bus to be cleared. I guess being from India, wearing a head covering, traveling through countries on a watch list, and belonging to an organization that speaks out against poverty and injustice was enough cause for the grilling. And this pre-9/11!
The second story occurred this past summer. A businessman was traveling to Los Angeles carrying with him a Womble costume ostensibly to promote the ecologically minded characters. (Wombles are cute furry, pointy nosed children's TV characters from the 1970s, if you don't know). The customs agent dutifully ran the word "wombles" through his computer - and came across a reference to an anarchist organization that protests at economic summits who had co-opted the name as an anagram for themselves. Guess what happened.
Yes, the poor fellow was detained and questioned for some time.
I pity the poor child (or adult) who naively wears a Womble badge or T-shirt while traveling to the States.
If this is what happens to the average citizen, how much more will happen to those who dare to raise their voice?
And what of the hassles documented by the Dixie Chicks just because they criticized George Bush at a concert - in the UK!
The media can stifle protest - they can also provoke and fuel a tsunami of a backlash if they so desire. Again, who owns the media? The public? Think again!
The protest song is still alive and well however, it's just difficult getting it heard. Think who controls the media - a few conglomerates determined to provide an audience for their advertisers. No voices of dissent here (unless it is government approved dissent).
But there are still ways of getting the word out.
Willie Nelson has come up with a unique idea - sponsor a website dedicated to peace: the Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute.( http://www.willienelsonpri.com )
He's co-written a song that you are free to make your own version of, or remodel as you see fit, or write and submit your own. Downloads are available so you can check out what's been submitted.
The only flaw with this: who's listening?
And what action is being taken as the next step?
Talk - Action = Zero
What happens next is up to you.
Posted by Frederick Harrison at 2:04 AM GMT 02/12/2007 Report Abuse
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Coonor Orbost sang When the President Speaks to God at a concert before it became cool to criticise George W. Maybe not the greatest protest song but direct nevertheless.
Aftr reading this article, I implore you to do a long article on Victor Jara, quoting lyrics and giving the full political story.
Further_WA
Posted by Further_WA at 12:17 PM GMT 05/12/2007 Report Abuse
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I have a strong track with a theme on briging home the throops.
Please listen , this song is available to any one who needs it.
you may find it on my site at
Ronnielaas.com "BRING THEM HOME"
Posted by Ronnie laas at 4:54 AM GMT 06/12/2007 Report Abuse
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'Dad's gonna kill me' by Richard Thompson, the most direct protest song of this or any year.
Posted by DCC at 12:21 PM GMT 07/12/2007 Report Abuse
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I was going to reply with some examples you may have missed Mr.Sheppard....but upon re-reading your note;....from here across the pond....I could not agree with you more...
I think also....radical anti-liberals have very successfully noted which way the winds are blowin'...trimmed their sails accordingly, and shrewdly turned any attempt to protest as a protest against itself. It's 1984 all over again. As long as culture continues to be treated as a gift from the cultural elitists, then we will be continually spoon-fed our own swill...and mumble "thank-you sir....can I have another".
Posted by Anonymous at 6:43 PM GMT 10/12/2007 Report Abuse
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Make peace, not war!
Posted by GoobProom at 3:28 PM GMT 14/01/2008 Report Abuse
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Hello!
Nice site ;)
Bye
Posted by ligoGritora at 8:03 PM GMT 28/01/2008 Report Abuse
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