Protest song

From Freepedia

A protest song is a song intended to protest perceived problems in society which can include injustice, racial discrimination, war, globalization, inflation, social inequalities and so on. Protest songs are generally associated with folk music, but in recent times they have come from all genres of music, including punk rock and hip hop. Such songs become popular during times of social disruption and among social groups and their supporters.

History

Folk protest songs occur throughout history, as in the American Revolutionary War and in the abolitionist movement of the 19th century. During the American Civil War, traditional songs such as "We Shall Overcome" served as protest songs.

In the 20th century, the union movement, the Great Depression the Vietnam War (see Vietnam War protests) and recently, the war in Iraq spawned protest songs. The common form during that time, often with acoustic guitar and harmonica, was popularized by the work of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger in the beginning of the 20th Century and continued into the middle of the century by Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and, to a lesser extent, to the end of it with the works Public Enemy and Rage Against The Machine. "La Nueva Cancion", a Chilean musical movemnent, born during the social movements of the 60's and the revolution of Allende in the 70's is a great example of the power of music as a weapon to denounce, propose and unite, making the artist a key person to bring social changes. The assasination of Victor Jara, one of the key singers of the Nueva Canción movement, after the military coup in 1973 and the installation of a dictatorship of 17 years lead by the general Pinochet, shows the potential of the singer to help his people, and the danger he can represent for any regime. "There is no revolution without songs" wrote Allende.

See also

For examples of many different types of protest songs, see List of protest songs.

External Links

• Antiwar Songs - a collection of pacifist and antimilitarist songs lyrics from all over the world and of any time, based on free contributions by readers and collaborators.
• Vietnam: The music of protest, Steve Schifferes, BBC News, Sunday, 1 May, 2005