Protest Songs

In case you were wondering, protest songs are alive and sorta well. People of my generation cut their teeth on protest music; we sang along with CCR's "Fortunate Son," Edwin Starr's "War," CSNY's "Ohio," and lots of stuff from Dylan (e.g., Blowin' in the Wind, Subterranean Homesick Blues, The Times They Are a Changin'). Even if you didn't sing along, you couldn't avoid the genre...it was all over the radio. That's not the case today, unless the hip-hop guys are doing it. I'll freely admit I'm oblivious to what the rappers are doing, for all I know there are 39 anti-war raps out there. I just don't go there.

So while I'm not aware of any mainstream, commercial radio protest songs these days, I am very much aware the genre survives in niche markets served by college radio and Pacifica outlets. I listen to KPFT, Pacifica's Houston's station...in fact, I'm listening to Spare Change, a weekly show hosted by a DJ named Larry Winters. Winters specializes in protest songs. Here's a few songs I've heard him play this morning:

Steve Earle's "Home to Houston" (2004)

Great God A’mighty what was wrong with me
I know the money’s good but buddy can’t you see
You can’t take it with you and that ain’t no lie
I don’t wanna let ‘em get me I’m too young to die
If I ever get home to Houston alive
Then I won’t drive a truck anymore

Iris Dement's "Wasteland of the Free"

We kill for oil, then we throw a party when we win
Some guy refuses to fight, and we call that the sin
but he's standing up for what he believes in
and that seems pretty damned American to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

(Chorus)

While we sit gloating in our greatness
justice is sinking to the bottom of the sea
Living in the wasteland of the free
Living in the wasteland of the free
Living in the wasteland of the free

John Fogerty's "Deja Vu All Over Again" (2003)

Day by day I hear the voices rising
Started with a whisper like it did before
Day by day we count the dead and dying
Ship the bodies home while the networks all keep score

Did you hear 'em talkin' 'bout it on the radio
Could your eyes believe the writing on the wall
Did that voice inside you say
I've heard it all before
It's like Deja Vu all over again

KPFT publishes their playlists, but they're a week in arrears. You can see Larry's entire oeuvre here. A casual scan of the playlist(s) reveals Larry's an equal-opportunity protester. Granted, most of his songs are decidedly anti-right-wing, anti-war, but there's a lot of social-ills protest, too. Like Brando replied when asked "Johnny, what are you rebelling against?" Larry will say "Whattaya got?" This is good. You don't want to be a one-note anything in life, let alone a one-note protester!

I searched for Winters' bio but came up empty. At the risk of stereotyping, I suspect Larry's an old hippie. God knows they're coming out of the freaking woodwork these days. And it's mostly the old hippies that are manning the anti-war barricades, too. And they need some new anthems; the old Viet-Nam stuff is nice, but it's not very topical, is it?

({1303 MST} Oh My God...Winters just trotted out "Imagine." Excuse me, I'm gonna be sick.)

I'm back. God, I can't stand cliches!

Where was I? Anthems, yes. There are none, yet. I believe the lack of a general air-play, genuinely popular anti-war song is a good sign for those of us who support the war. The lack of popular anti-war songs tells me the anti-war movement hasn't gained any traction. Another sign of a lack of traction is the fact songs like "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue," "American Soldier," and "Have You Forgotten" get lots of airplay, even though those songs are all two years old, or older. And country music artists create new songs every month...and they get airplay. Lots of it.

So. I'll keep listening. Ol' Larry's doing his part, but he seems to be pissing in the wind. Thank God.

(Here's another view on the Protest Song genre, specifically its resurrection.)