Buffalo Springfield, “For What It’s Worth” Aretha demanded her propers, and nearly half a century later, she still reigns as the Queen of Soul, thanks in no small part to this undeniable track. From that very first “WHAT you want…” it’s clear this is an anthem, one that timed out perfectly with the civil rights era and the feminist movement, but it can be applied to pretty much anyone who’s looking for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. This classic Otis Redding cover is not only one of the best Aretha tracks, but also one of the best songs of all time. Nearly 50 years after its release, “Respect” is still ubiquitous.
It’s one, two, three, four, what are we fighting for? I don’t give a damn, next stop is Vietnam.” The band’s dark humor notwithstanding, it foretold the the doom and despair many a young conscripted soldier felt when their draft board summoned them for military service. One of the highlights of Country Joe’s memorable appearance at Woodstock, the profanity laced “Fish Cheer” represented a generation’s disdain and frustration with the politicos who sent America’s sons to fight futile wars without regard for the loss of life. Country Joe and the Fish, “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag (The Fish Cheer)” Although the song only climbed to the middle reaches of the pop charts, it did manage to raise more than a million dollars for the cause. Scores of big name artists took part in the recording, including Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, U2, Keith Richards, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Pete Townshend and Joey Ramone, just to name a few. It’s an anthem that railed against those who would play at the country’s major entertainment complex, dubbed Sun City. Siding themselves with an imprisoned Nelson Mandela, Steve Van Zandt and an ad hoc group of players dubbed the Artists Against Apartheid took a firm stance against a racist regime in South Africa. Little Steven & Artists Against Apartheid, “Sun City” While many of the verse’s lyrics are specific to the anti-Nazi movement within the early punk subculture, the song’s simple chorus (“Nazi punks, Nazi punks, Nazi punks, FUCK OFF!”) is a cathartic refrain whose evergreen employment never falls out of use.
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Incredibly incensed by this unanticipated and unwelcome turn of events, his direct response was to write the song “Nazi Punks Fuck Off,” release it as the lead single for their follow-up album In God We Trust, Inc., and include a free armband in the 7” single that featured a crossed-out swastika (a symbol which was also used on the vinyl’s label sticker). Dead Kennedys, “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”Īfter the release of their debut album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables in 1980, Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra noticed that much of his lyrical satire was being taken literally as an influx of neo-Nazis started infiltrating their shows. The final clarion cry, “Up against the wall, motherfuckers,” made it clear there was no other choice. This song sets the pace with a furious marching rhythm and a clarion call for the disenfranchised to rally for rebellion. By 1969, with the release of the Volunteers album, they were firmly caught up in the political discord that wracked the world, and America in particular.
Hilary Saundersīy 1967, Jefferson Airplane had shifted its flight path dramatically, moving away from the folk sounds that inspired them early on into the realms of psychedelia and the bold embrace of the Summer of Love. The album opens, “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.” A direct response to the nation’s deteriorating international perception and its internal hysteria in response to 9/11, “American Idiot” looked inward and outward simultaneously and cemented Green Day’s legacy in the history of punk. The title track of their 2004 album “American Idiot” ushered Green Day into the 21st century with the pop punk snark of their youth with the anger of the Bush era. In these trying times, we’ve attempted to distill some of these best protest songs of all time, so here are 50 that have impacted our collective consciousness. There is no shortage of great protest songs-in fact, we’ve covered Canada-specific protest songs from their last tumultuous election, contemporary protest songs by people of color, protest songs that are anti-fascist and more. Over the decades, protest songs have led the way, offering a powerful and passionate testimony to those suffering, while urging listeners to lend support and solidarity in response. Some might denounce that as exaggeration, but at minimum, music does have the power to stir emotions and bring attention to worthy causes. It’s been said that music can change the world.
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