With everything that’s going on in the world I've been thinking about the power behind people’s right to protest — and the equally powerful strength of a protest song. Music and protest go hand in hand, whether it's Woody Guthrie, Billie Holiday or more recent acts like Green Day, Rage Against The Machine or Jesse Welles. Bruce Springsteen even visited Minneapolis the last week of January to perform a solidarity concert alongside Tom Morello, where he performed his latest protest song "Streets of Minneapolis," which he'd just written earlier that same week.
Protest songs have always carried a rare kind of electricity: they have an ability to turn private frustration into a shared, undeniable force. They put injustice into words that ordinary people can carry with them, sing together and rally around. In moments when voices feel ignored, a protest song can make it impossible to ignore what's happening.
Let’s examine a list of just a few of the protest songs that bring people together and give voices to those who can't carry their message on their own. And hey — maybe there'll even be some new-to-you music discovery along the way.
Plastic Ono Band — “Give Peace a Chance”
John Lennon was always the most political Beatle, and he could get downright heavy in his subject matter (see “Working Class Hero”).
This is a classic track that boasts more peaceful messaging and has become an anthem synonymous with world peace and kindness across all cultures. Put this on as a reminder of the good people can do.
Rage Against the Machine — “Killing in the Name”
This song is pretty much the exact opposite of “Give Peace a Chance.” Rage Against the Machine harnessed raw anger in the form of music here.
With lyrics pointing to white nationalism in the police force and the epic chorus of “F*ck you I won’t do what you tell me,” this track from the early '90s is impossible to ignore. The feelings that it awakens are primal to say the least. This has become an anthem for angry protesters across the globe and a textbook example of defiance in musical form.
Peter Gabriel — “Biko”
Peter Gabriel wrote this heartbreakingly powerful anthem after the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko.
This song is meant to remind the listener of the cruelty that humans are capable of, but also to never forget that one person can make a difference and has the power to stand up for what’s right.
Jesse Welles — “Red”
Jesse Welles has quickly become one of the more political musical voices of current times.
Yes, this is a tongue-and-cheek track poking fun at right wing politics. But what it's also doing is imagining a world where war is the ultimate unifying factor between the world's people, and when war comes “we all hold hands.” Welles really channels his inner Country Joe McDonald on this one.
Radiohead — “2+2=5”
This is one of Radiohead’s most political songs and it happens to take its title from George Orwell’s 1984. It's a great protest anthem for those who are tired of misinformation.
It tells listeners that looking away from the problems for too long has consequences. This is a well-balanced song that starts off quite reserved but by the end is a livewire anthem with Thom Yorke yelling "You have not been paying attention."
Billie Holiday — “Strange Fruit”
Everyone needs to hear this song at least once in their life.
Billie Holiday tackles racism and the lynching of African Americans so intently and with such feeling that the song is still discussed today. Holiday’s vocal is haunting and the song is arguably one of the most important tracks in American history.
It was originally released in 1939 and is still as gut wrenching now as it was then.
Public Enemy — “Fight the Power”
It’s all there in the name.
Before Flava Flav was a reality TV star, he was the hype man for possibly the most political hip-hop group of all time (he is also arguably one of the most famous examples of an artist "selling out"). Public Enemy has many songs that can be interpreted as protest songs, but this remains the most poignant, and it’s catchy as hell. The track has become symbiotic with rebellion against the forces keeping people down.
IDLES — “Danny Nedelko”
This is a 2018 punk rock fist pumper with a positive message: immigrants are people, immigrants are friends, it’s not that hard to be compassionate.
This is a fun track and also shows IDLES at their more playful. It serves as a good reminder that you can get riled up, but you don’t need to get violent.
Tracy Chapman — “Talkin Bout a Revolution”
This is a quiet but powerful protest anthem that highlights the struggles of the working-class. With "Talkin Bout a Revolution," Tracy Chapman wrote what would become one of the most famous protest songs of the '90s.
This isn’t a track with hard calls to action, but more about bringing awareness to the people who have been downtrodden for too long. She asserts that a day will come when they rise up.
System of a Down — “BYOB”
Who would have thought that a group of Armenian immigrants playing Nu-Metal might have political leanings to their lyrics???
With the line “Why don’t presidents fight the war / why do they always send the poor?” System of a Down gave the casual listener something to think about, and created probably one of the most insane songs to ever be played on Saturday Night Live. A strategic F-bomb during the live broadcast got them banned from any future performances on the show.
The Cranberries — “Zombie”
"Zombie" is one of The Cranberries' biggest hits. It was written in response to the violence and political upheaval in Northern Ireland during a decades-long struggle.
With bombings common place and death being almost a daily occurrence, lead vocalist Dolores O’Riordan channeled her anger and sense of hopelessness into one of the most important political protest songs of the '90s.
Run The Jewels — “walking in the snow”
Arriving shortly after the death of George Floyd, “walking in the snow” addresses police brutality and systemic racism.
This is a razor-sharp protest song, and when Killer Mike raps "Until my voice goes from a shriek to whisper, I can't breathe," it hits in a very real way what so many people watched unfold during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bob Dylan — "Hurricane"
This is not the standard go-to Bob Dylan protest song — that would go to "The Times They Are A Changin'." However, in my opinion "Hurricane" is arguably a more important song (I know that's a hot take).
This is a history lesson that tells the story of Rubin Carter, who was falsely imprisoned for murder. Even though he didn't commit the crime he unjustly served close to two decades in prison. Dylan spits venom against the justice system and law in the south throughout the whole track.
As a listener you feel anger as well, and can only imagine what Carter went through. As an Easter Egg of sorts, after this track is over, if you're paying attention you'll learn something.
How many songs can you say that about?
