1. O’Brien 1
Music is a Weapon
A Short Essay for Visual Images
By Kevin O’Brien
2011
2. O’Brien 2
Music is a Weapon
Protest music brought attention to the American people from the past to the
present. People have found music to be a necessary alternative to protest times of war,
unfair politics, or other illustrations of social injustice. It is a target of modern day
censorship but it is proven to be the overall peaceful weapon of protesting instead of
violence.
The rise of protest music is likely to be credited from its original musicians of the
folk scene. Published by the Industrial Workers of the World in 1904 in Chicago, Illinois,
The Little Red Songbook was the first compilation of folk-protest music. The organization
contends that all workers should be united as a class, and that they should abolish the
wage system. These songs informed the working masses about issues of unionism and
socialism. This inspired newspaper columnist Woodie Guthrie to write his own politically
based songs in 1942, including the famous “This Land is Your Land”. Guthrie continued
to write his own collection until being succeeded by other artists such as Joan Baez, who
wrote music “most artfully”, and Pete Seeger, former members of The Weavers, who
wrote music “the longest.” The artist who had succeeded the most was Robert Allen
Zimmerman, who is known to the public as Bob Dylan.
“As Jerome L. Rodnizky put it, ‘Woody Guthrie did it the earliest
and most convincingly…and the young Bob Dylan did best.’…While
Guthrie sang about philosophically broad topics relating to unions and
socialism, Dylan had current events to sing about that already had the
attention of the American people.” [3]
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Dylan sang of events like the unpopular Vietnam War and nuclear bungling of the Cuban
Missile Crisis. Songs like “Desolation Row,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,”and
“Like a Rolling Stone” were the finest works of Dylan that described folk musicians’
early creations of protest music. Dylan continues to perform to this day, playing songs
such as "Beyond Here Lies Nothin',” “Dreamin' of You,” and “High Water (For Charlie
Patton).” The beginning of folk music was the spark in creating the future songs of
protest that became popular years later.
Musicians have written songs of protest and social injustice when the music
started to reach popularity. Neil Young was known for writing songs that were based off
of historical tragedies. His song “Ohio” was based on the deaths of four student protesters
at Kent State University in 1970. Although it was banned from most radio stations for
targeting Nixon’s party, it was played on illegal stations and became a signature tune of
the counter culture.
Many musicians sang of social inequalities of sex, color, and race. Originally
written by Otis Redding as a plea for respect from a woman, Aretha Franklin turned the
song “Respect” into a song that would substantiate Woman Rights. James Brown
supported the African American movement, and his song “Say It Loud-I’m Black and
I’m Proud” brought listeners into unity unexpectedly. Brown intended the song’s chorus
to be sung by a crowd of children, supposedly black children. Of the children recruited by
members of the band and crew, with the addition of children on the street, many of them
were surprisingly white or Asian.
Country Joe MacDonald brought soldiers and war protesters together when he
wrote a ‘sarcastic’ song about the Vietnam War. It became a huge peace anthem after
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300,000 people sang along with I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag at Woodstock. This
cheer was known as “The Fish Cheer.” During the times of war and social injustice,
protest music reached popularity through famous musicians.
Protest music has evolved to the extent where other genres of music can sing for
their rights. Many artists honestly believe that pop stars are the least expected musicians
to sing of political commentary. Above that, bands such as NOFX and Propaghandi of
punk rock, Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down of metal, and Spearhead
and KRS-One of hip-hop are power groups that have combined politics with music. As a
genre, Punk rock is the most political. Aside from bands that sing of love, sex, and drugs
(such as Green Day, MxPx, or Blink-182), bands like the Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys,
and Bad Religion build their views on political issues through songs like “Anarchy in the
U.K.,” “Holiday in Cambodia,” and “Recipe for Hate,” gaining attention from the
underground punk scene in several venues.
Hip Hop artists Ice Cube and Paris targeted President Bush Sr. in their songs “I
Wanna Kill Sam,” and “Bush Killa.” Some artists use religion as a form of protest. KRS-
One’s album, Spiritual Minded, reconciles Christian spirituality by adding in biblical
passages. One song includes both the words “peace” and “As-Salaam Alaikum.” “On a
New album for Fine Arts Militia called We Are Gathered Here… Public Enemy’s Chuck
D has set scathing spoken-word ‘lectures’ to rockish beats by Brian Hardgroove”[1].
Chuck takes apart the war-mobilization effort and condemns the arrogance of the
president’s foreign policy on A Twisted Sense of God. Tom Morello of Rage Against the
Machine notices the growing awareness of protest music as he says, “It seems like there’s
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quite a bit of really uncompromised, great, leftist rock and rap happening now. Bad
presidents make for good art and music,”[4].
Political music has gained positive criticism from listeners, but the music is also
the victim of corporal censorship. American rapper and professional agitator Chuck D, of
Public Enemy, believes that it is a struggle for artists to maintain steady careers and, at
the same time, write songs that are likely to be banned by public media. “The music
business is so focused on sales and results these days that it scares young artists away
from doing anything controversial”[4].
Barry McGuire wrote Eve of Destruction to express the frustrations of the youth
during the Vietnam and Cold Wars, the nuclear arms race and the civil rights movements.
Craig Werner, professor of African-American studies at the University of Wisconsin
recalled of the day the song was suddenly banned from radio stations. “I was growing up
in Colorado Springs, which is a military town. The week [the song] came out, it broke
onto the Top 20 charts on the local station at No. 1. And then was never heard again”[1].
Hip-hop and reggae artist Michael Franti preformed his latest hit “Bomb Da World.” on
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. The lyrics were too sensitive for the show’s
producers. Months after the filming of the performance, the clip finally aired.
The modern country band known as The Dixie Chicks was banned from the radio
after singer Natalie Maines told a London audience, “We’re ashamed that the President of
the United States is from Texas.” The President at the time was George W. Bush. “The
comment led to the term ‘getting Dixie Chicked’ for when an artist gets a commercial
and public smackdown for speaking out”[4]. Maines responded with the attitude that
informed listeners to choose a side.
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"After what happened to us, it gave people that idea: 'We know
what happens to you if you don't like the president. You lose lots of
money in album sales, so I'm going to speak to the people who do like
him, and then I'll make lots of money,"[4].
The Dixie Chicks album Taking the Long Way has songs that fought back to their
detractors for banning them from radio. One of which is the lead single “Not Ready to
Make Nice.” Many protest songs are censored temporarily or forever, yet music artists
are capable of fighting back.
Music is truly the most powerful and meaningful weapon in the battle of equality,
and peace. Although Americans feel that it is necessary to fight for their home front
physically in combat, music is the calming alternative to violence. “[Folk musician]
Leslie Nuchow believes in music’s ability to transform the people who listen to it, and
she doesn’t waste a lot of time worrying about who will distribute it”[1]. She went to
demonstrations and gatherings after watching the Twin Towers collapse. About 50 people
showed up, walking through the streets singing “This Little Light of Mine,” and “Dona
Nobis (Give Us Peace).” “People wept, other people came and joined us. And to me,
that’s action. That’s making a statement through music, using music as a healing
force,”[1]. Tom Morello, former guitarist of the band on hiatus Rage Against the Machine,
describes that the band inspired many listeners to revolt against their government.
Despite the band’s sudden break-up, he stands true to the messages they said through
their music.
“Given the right to dice throw of historical circumstance, we could
have started a social revolution in the United States of America that would
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have changed the country irrevocably. I put no ceiling on what the
potential impact a cultural force like that could have,”[2].
“Just as the issues of protest music have become more diverse, so have the artists
engaged in it,”[3]. Irish rock band U2 wrote songs against apartheid in Africa while artists
from Bjork to the Beastie Boys preformed at a concert to raise awareness about China’s
oppression of Tibet. Musicians have collided in benefit concerts such as the famous Live
Aid, a two-venue concert held on July 13, 1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and
London, England.
“The event was viewed by a live audience of 162,000 [90,000 in
Philadelphia and 72,000 in London]… and was broadcast and telecast live
around the world to an estimated 1.9 billion TV viewers in 150 countries
across the world,”[5].
Around £150 million was raised as a direct result of the concerts, and all of the proceeds
was sent to the relief fund of the Ethiopian famine. Chuck D describes the importance of
protest music; that it’s a symbolic energy that shadows many radicals and musicians
alike. “It’s funny. In the past, I’d hear some folksingers singing folksongs or ‘Give Peace
a Chance’ and think, God, this is really corny. But then you realize, in a time of war, it’s
a really radical message”[1].
In light of what protest music has brought to this country, the American
community is free to protest against difficult subjects of social injustice through music. It
gains positive criticism from listeners, but the music is also the victim of censorship.
Nether the less, music becomes the most powerful and meaningful weapon in the end.
![O’Brien 2
Music is a Weapon
Protest music brought attention to the American people from the past to the
present. People have found music to be a necessary alternative to protest times of war,
unfair politics, or other illustrations of social injustice. It is a target of modern day
censorship but it is proven to be the overall peaceful weapon of protesting instead of
violence.
The rise of protest music is likely to be credited from its original musicians of the
folk scene. Published by the Industrial Workers of the World in 1904 in Chicago, Illinois,
The Little Red Songbook was the first compilation of folk-protest music. The organization
contends that all workers should be united as a class, and that they should abolish the
wage system. These songs informed the working masses about issues of unionism and
socialism. This inspired newspaper columnist Woodie Guthrie to write his own politically
based songs in 1942, including the famous “This Land is Your Land”. Guthrie continued
to write his own collection until being succeeded by other artists such as Joan Baez, who
wrote music “most artfully”, and Pete Seeger, former members of The Weavers, who
wrote music “the longest.” The artist who had succeeded the most was Robert Allen
Zimmerman, who is known to the public as Bob Dylan.
“As Jerome L. Rodnizky put it, ‘Woody Guthrie did it the earliest
and most convincingly…and the young Bob Dylan did best.’…While
Guthrie sang about philosophically broad topics relating to unions and
socialism, Dylan had current events to sing about that already had the
attention of the American people.” [3]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)