I feel like there are lots of parallels between the eighties and now (recession/inflation, yuppies/inequality, skin-heads/fascists, hot-cold wars etc.) but there used to be protest music! Where is that stuff now? Music that's intelligent and outraged - like we should be!
I'm out of touch now, so if it exists, educate me! Or have the protest songs been removed from tiktok by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (UK specific, but suppression of protest seems to be everywhere)? (I've linked to the Levellers - maybe it really was better back in the day?)
edit: Maybe not the right audience, but if the song is old enough to vote then I might already know it! What's happening now? Any songs from the last 10 years!
edit: Thanks for everyone's insights. I've spent the day discovering music that I'd never have found otherwise. Really enjoying a load of these, but thanks to everyone! It seems like protest music is confined to certain genres/places, and lots of older songs - maybe they just last longer... which is maybe a little interesting.
Big difference: we’re too tired to protest, and that’s only the ones who are capable of doing it in the first place. Rich bitches have made us stupider and more complacent as a whole, as well, at least where they haven’t divided us and pit us against each other.
Another big difference: we don’t have a whole lot of hope for the future anymore. A lot of that whole protesting thing stems from the hope for things to be better, and with climate change, massive polluting corporations very obviously distracting people with manufactured outrage, the rise of authoritarianism, and several massively public wars, there ain’t a whole lot of hope to go around.
Frankly, I wish there were some people making protest songs. This current crop of people needs a good kick in the ass, myself included. But I don’t have the energy or hope or talent to do it myself.
If you like Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello did a solo project called The Nightwatchman that had a lot of great protest songs. I think it’s closer to 15 years old, so not the last 10.
Toxicity - System of a Down was an incredible album about American exceptionalism and war hungriness. The towers were hit a week after the album was released.
This might not be everyones cup of tea, but metal and hardcore are full of protest music. Heaven Shall Burn for example is lyricly anti-fascist and environmentalist (live video because that show is fucking legendary).
You're wrong about virtues of Christianity
And you're wrong if you agree with Sean Hannity
If you think that pride is about nationality, you're wrong
You're wrong when you imprison people turning tricks
And you're wrong about trickle down economics
If you think that punk rock doesn't mix with politics, you're wrong
You're wrong for hating queers and eating steers
If you kill for the thrill of the hunt
You're wrong 'bout wearing fur and not hating Ann Coulter
Cause she's a cunted cunt
You're wrong if you celebrate Columbus Day
And You're wrong if you think there will be a Judgement Day
If you're a charter member of the NRA, you're wrong
You're wrong if you support capital punishment
And you're wrong if you don't question your government
If you think her reproductive rights are inconsequent, you're wrong
You're wrong fighting Jihad, your blind faith in God
Your religions are all flawed
You're wrong about drug use, when its not abuse
I hope you never reproduce
You're getting high on the downlow
A victim of Cointelpro
You're wrong and will probably never know
Uncle Sam Goddamn - Brother Ali
Ju$t - Run the Jewels (and a lot of their or Killer Mike's songs)
Gang Shit - Marlon Craft
The Guillotine - The Coup
I Wish I Was a Riot Grrrl - Destructo Disk
Nobody's Biz - Four Fists
Some of these being older than 10 years is a real bummer lol
The men who rule the world
Have made a fucking mess
The history of power
The worship of success
The king is in the counting house
He's chairman of the board
The women who crowd the courtrooms
All accused of being whores
The fast paced Ukrainian version of In The Army Now which protests military marketing and conscription (directed at USA)
Laga Reh (translations required lol) which protests Pakistani government complacency in allowing foreign powers (cough USA cough) to dictate the country at the expense of progress and "disappearing" of any local opposition.
I love this question. Perhaps there is also the record labels and mainstream media that prioritize marketability and mass appeal, which most probably would discourage artists from producing overtly political content, the stuff that may be thrown into the controversial or polarizing basket just doesn't pull in the bucks these days.
I listen to a lot of punk music so obviously it's strongly political. Here's just a few off the top of my head:
White People for Peace by Against Me!
Unprotected Sex With Multiple Partners by Against Me!
Survivor Guilt by Rise Against
State of the Union by Rise Against
The Eco-Terrorist In Me by Rise Against
45 by Sum41
Empty Walls by Serj Tankian
Prison Song by System of a Down
Christian Nationalist by Anti-Flag
Die for your Government by Anti-Flag
72 hookers by NOFX
Please Play This Song on the Radio by NOFX
Fuck Euphemism by NOFX
Take Back the Power by The Interrupters
Quarantine by Blink 182
I tried to include a bit of variety and not all be anti-war songs from/about the Bush era. A couple are about the music industry specifically, and one is a musical rant about kink culture (and it's not the one you think based on the title!) I'm also a big Rise Against fan so I tried to pull out some non-singles from accross many years since basically any song by them has a good political message. I highly recommend looking up the lyrics to all of these after the first listen or better during the second listen
Billy talent are great for political, fuck the government/ big corporations type songs. Not protest songs so much. But it feels pretty on theme. Their messages are great.
Surprise surprise and viking death march are two of my personal favourites songs by them.
Gary Clarke Jr. Has some good protest songs, especially for a blues musician, including a remake of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's Ohio.
Municipal Waste is great for some hardcore, there's actually a bunch of hardcore bands that have some excellent protest songs.
Then you have Ice-T's Body Count.
Lamb of God's albums post-Randy's time in a Czech prison have been full of social commentary, far more than the earlier albums.
I've seen people highlight Killer Mike's Grammy wins, but his other group Run the Jewels is pretty much the biggest name in protest rap these days.
Then you have Kendrick Lamar, possibly the best rapper of his generation, absolutely one of the greatest story tellers of rap, period.
Overall there's a lot of pop, metal, rock, rap and other genres who have some prominent names and many lesser known names who are putting out good angry music.
Then you have Ice Cube putting out Arrest the President then proceeding to talk about voting for that same president.🤦♂️
Leslie Fish is still writing music. Plus her old works from 1980-s (eg It's Sister Jenny's Turn to Throw the Bomb and Firestorm) are as relevant now as they were 40 years ago.
I don't know if thease two are protest songs, but they are near enough: Plavi orkestar - Fa Fa Fašista, Bijelo dugme - Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo
Edit: They are yugoslavian, so not that relevant now.
Maybe I'm late but I recommend Speak by Queensryche, it's about revolution. The entire album Operation Mindcrime is a rail against religion and capitalism told through a character recruited into an underground revolution. It's very good and a song that contains the lines "educate the masses" and "burn the Whitehouse down" gets a thumbs up from me
It's the worst that it's been since the last time it happened
It's happening again right in front of our eyes
There's updated footage, wild speculation
Tall tales and hearsay and absolute lies
Been passed off as factual, when actually the actual
Causes they're awkwardly blocking the way
Keeping us all from enjoyin' our evening
Shoving its roots through the screens in our face
Now, what would you get if you heard my opinion
Conjecturin' on matters that I ain't never dreamed
In all my born days as a white boy from Hickman
Based on the way that the world's been to me?
It's called me belligerent, it's took me for ignorant
But it ain't never once made me scared just to be
Could you imagine just constantly worryin'
Kickin' and fightin', beggin' to breathe?
How many boys could they haul off this mountain
Shoot full of holes, cuffed and layin' in the streets
'Til we come into town in a stark ravin' anger
Looking for answers and armed to the teeth?
Thirty-ought-sixes, Papaw's old pistol
How many, you reckon, would it be, four or five?
Or would that be the start of a long, violent history
Of tucking our tails as we try to abide?
Or would that be the start of a long, violent history
Of tucking our tails as we try to abide?
Stand Out Riot is an incredible ska/hardcore band with mostly political lyrics. They are from UK so I don't get all of the references, but they are fucking awesome anyway.
How about some Billy Talent? Love them musically, but lyrically they are equally strong.
Some songs that come to mind are:
-Reckless paradise
-Kingdom of Zod
-Surprise surprise
-Dead silence
Additionally I'd add Paramore's 'The news' from their recent album.
Given that Tiktok is a corporation with likely ties to a government that is not particularly fond of protest, perhaps it is not the best place to find protest music. Having said that, Muse continues to make protest music as they always have. I suppose the problem is that protest music doesn't often get included on music platforms, leaving us with a sanitized version of the musical landscape.