Steven K came up with a topic worthy of copying. Name some songs about PROTEST ... either about the Vietnam War or Hot Pants ... whatever. I KNOW Chicago did a few about the war.

Also, I have a favorite song sung by Barry McGuire about protesting nuclear war ...

Eve of Destruction

Just knock if you want the lyrics ...

I'm sure we'll all come up with a bunch, but second on the list should be:

"God Save the Queen"

followed closely by:

"Anarchy in the UK"

"Street Fighting Man" by the Stones.

OK, 1 more biggie:

Dylan's "Masters of War"

Miko, great choices. "God Save the Queen" was probably the second punk song I'd ever heard. "Because the Night" by the Patti Smith Group, was, I believe, the first.

Two songs that were protests songs, but may not be thought of as such:

"This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie
"This Note's For You" - Neil Young and the Blue Notes.

Some others:
"Abraham, Martin and John" - Dion
"Alice's Restaraunt" - Alro Guthrie
"Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Give Peace a Chance" - John Lennon
"My Generation" - The Who
"Ohio" - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"War" - Edwin Starr
"Zor and Zam" - The Monkees

If I Had A Hammer - Peter, Paul and Mary

Hammer Don't 'Em!

Great choices yourself, Benn.

This board's off to a good start...

How do we draw the line between "Topical" and "Protest"?

Duh!

Blowing in the Wind - Bob Dylan

One Tin Soldier

The other BOB-
Bob Marley!!!:

"Get Up Stand Up"
"Redemption Song"

How about songs like Dylan's "Hurricane"? Topical or protest? Hard to tell sometimes.

"Bulls On Parade" or "Freedom" by Rage Against the Machine. Actually, ANY song by RATM!

Hey BF since u know RATF....didnt they do a song that goes. "paranoid paranoid everyone is out to get me...you told them all i was crazy. They cut off my legs now i'm an amputee god d*mn you!"
If so whats its name. I love that song but they dont play it enough on my local stations and when they do they never mention the name!
Thanks for any help,
Dan

Lennon, "Gimme Some Truth," "War is Over," "God," "Mother," "Working Class Hero," "Well, Well, Well," "Power to the People" and "I Found Out." Of course, these are all protesting different things and may not be seen as protest songs by some.

But no one can argue with "Give Peace a Chance."

(which is why it was already mentioned. Duh!)

More Bob Marley -- "I shot the Sheriff"

Sorry, Dan R, but I haven't heard that particular RATM track.

Thought of Bob Marley. Didn't think anyone else would.

I also thought of "Blowin' In the Wind", but decided to let someone else name it. For Dylan, I'll pick "Maggie's Farm".

Miko. I'm shocked. How could you not name Bruce Cockburn's "If I Had a Rocket Launcher"?

I thought of this one on my way home from work this morning: "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holliday.

Then there's "Sun City" by Artists United Against Apartheid. "Cop Killer" by Body Count. And Country Joe McDonald and the Fish's "Fixin' To Die Rag". Okay everybody, gimme an "F!"

Lennon's purest protest song is John Sinclair, which had a clear agenda and actually resulted in a victimized man being released from prison. Good for you, John!

Miko. I'm shocked. How could you not name Bruce Cockburn's "If I Had a Rocket Launcher"?

Well...it did run through my mind, as well as a bunch of other songs of his (he has dedicated a large portion of his career towards "awareness" material so there are quite a few ). I just thought I'd let this board get going before opening up the flood gates.

From "Burn":
Here it comes, the loaded gun,
Must keep the commies on the run.
You buy or bury everyone
For life, liberty and just plain fun.

From "Call It Democracy" (a "love letter" to the International Monetary Fund):
One day you're gonna rise from your habitual feast
And find yourself staring down the throat of the beast
They call the revolution
IMF, dirty MF
Takes away everything it can get
Just make certain that there's one thing left
Keep them on the hook with unsupportable debt.

"Berlin Tonight" got him banned from playing East Germany at the time, something about a reference to "that anal-retentive border wall."

From "The Trouble With Normal":
There are men in gas masks dancing
As the shells burst
But the trouble with normal
Is it always gets worse

There's lots more, perhaps I'll start that BC board as threatened.

How about an "anti-protest" song? ...
The Ballad of the Green Beret ... Sgt. Saddler

Fighting soldiers from the sky.
These are men who jump and die.
Men who mean just what they say,
The brave men of the Green Beret.

"Die Hard The Hunter" by Def Leppard

"Indian Reservation" by Paul Revere & The Raiders.

"The Dawn of Correction" - The Spokesmen

Home and Reverend Posey - Gary Puckett & the Union Gap

"Strange Fruit" is probably the most daring protest song ever. FOr those who don't know, it's a song about lynchings recorded by Billie Holliday. John Hammond wouldn't let her record it on his label but let her go to another label. Protests songs are a very common genre of pop & rock these days, but this song was released in 1939. Lady's first version remains the best. SHe wouldn't let anyone else sing it while she was alive and when it is done now, it's as a tribute to her.

Nice to know there's someone else who appreciates Lady Day. I was wondering whether I would have to explain that choice. Thanks, goog. It is a great song.

really? Maybe its not them but i thought it was because in the lyrics he goes "i want to (something) and rage against the machine" maybe he was just using the expression and not the band name. thanks anyway

Don't forget "Ohio", by CSNY, written and recorded right after the Kent State shooting in 1970.
Richie Havens opened Woodstock, one of the seminal events of the Baby Boom Generation, because no one else was there. His song "Freedom" was totally ad-libbed (this according to the "Behind the Music" about Woodstock.) God, do I wish I was there.

a nice protest song with audio clips of a protest ...
Prologue (August 29, 1968) - Chicago Transit Authority

Along the same lines (but no audio clips)

Free - "Chicago III", Chicago.