Culture Bully Asks: What Are Your Favorite “Political” Songs?
This week, we’re taking a look at political songs that transcend simple sloganeering and platitudes, songs that tackle a particular issue and might actually make you think about it. A few examples:
“Heven Tonight” by the Coup: A lot of artists write anti-organized religion songs, but Boots Riley of the Coup ditches the knee-jerk church-bashing and writes a thoughtful, inspiring track about fighting to make things better right here and now as opposed to waiting for the afterlife.
“Locusts” by Invincible: A song about gentrification in Detroit, this is that rare track that can actually educate on top of inspiring. While it’s easy to write a “fuck the police” song or a “the government is corrupt” song; this is a more challenging topic, and the song benefits from that ambition.
“Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)” by Kanye West: Forget about Jay-Z’s off-topic guest verse. This is a song about blood diamonds by one of hip hop’s biggest stars. You’d have to be pretty cynical to dismiss that as meaningless.
“Hard Time Hustlin’” by Krayzie Bone: A lot of rappers talk about selling drugs, but this little-known song by Bone Thugs & Harmony member Krayzie Bone is a powerfully detailed exploration of why the drug trade is so widespread. Completely unpretentious, the song makes the connection between poverty, crime and punishment through a straightforward storytelling rap.
There are a lot more. What “political songs” do you appreciate the most?
That song by the Coup is really good – thanks for sharing Kyle. I got kinda hooked into their harder songs and this is a good reminder for me of what they’re capable of…
I don’t really look too close for political ties in music, probably because I just don’t have the interest in delving too deep into people’s political agendas. That being said – even at its most delicate moments, Neil Young’s Living with War is still as angry an album as I’ve ever heard.
Not favourite, but most political track: Ras Kass “Nature of the Threat”.. 8 mins complete history recap (from Ras’ perspective).
Favourite: tons of tracks out of the P.E. catalogue. “Black steel in the hour of chaos” “Fight the power” – or this is probably it: “By the time I get to Arizona”!!
Most anything from Immortal Technique Revolutionary Vol. 2 (esp. “Point of No Return,” “4th Branch,” and “One (Remix)”) and for non rap music I would say Bob Dylan “Masters of War” and “With God on Our Side,” “Military Madness” by Graham Nash, “Southern Man” by Neil Young and “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath.
Those are my end of the work day, top of my head, obvious choices.
When it comes to political songs, there’s no doubt in my mind that Neil Young does it best.. “Ohio” always was my favorite, but Sound Opinions (public radio show out of Chicago) had an excellent episode dedicated to this same subject sometime around the election last year, and they played “Campaigner” by Young. the line “where even Richard Nixon has got soul” really stuck with me, and since i think that song has completely stole my heart.
Afrika Bambaataa “Renegades of Funk” still hits me hard everytime i hear it.. Anything by Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys has my attention..
and from another angle sepultura is a band that has had a strong political that i appreciate immensely.. while “beneath the remains” hints at the inequalities that the second and third world citizens must endure, tracks from arise and chaos a.d. (namely “refuse/resist”) showed that the band had a political perspective that hadn’t been hear yet.
oh definitely cosign “by the time i get to arizona.” one of my favorite songs of all time.
also thought of a couple more:
“a.d. 2000″ by erykah badu, on the more subtle tip, talking about amadou diallo.
“song for brown babies” by local hip hop duo big quarters is great, particularly the hook.
the title track on toki wright’s “a different mirror” album is brilliant all around.
“Orwell Oh Well” by El Guante.
Immortal Technique- Industrial Revolution
Cage – Grand Ol’ Party Crash
Definitely agree with Ryan, CSNY “Ohio” still does the trick every time.
“A Different Mirror” is a super dope track as well, definitely on point.
Brother Ali’s “Uncle Sam Goddamn” and “Mr. President (You’re The Man” demonstrate two contrasting approaches to political music. The former is a biting criticism of our government; the latter is an outburst of pure joy, a fun and funky song inspired by President Obama’s presidential victory almost a year ago. It was refreshing to hear happy politically themed music, as that genre tends to get associated with more angry music.
Neither tracks qualify as absolute “favorites” of mine, but both are pretty great nonetheless.
“fortunate son” too.
John Ashcroft – “Where Eagles Soar”
Haha, just kidding
I agree with the love Immortal Technique is getting – my personal fave would be “The 3rd World”
Also gotta mention Gil Scott Heron’s “The Revolution will not be Televised” as a classic.
My favorite political songs are mostly the Clash though – tracks like “London Calling” and “Spanish Bombs”
Mine:
N.W.A. “Fuck The Police”
Ice Cube “A Bird In The Hand”
Brother Ali “Uncle Sam Goddamn” & “Mr. President (You’re the Man)”
Anything from Rage, PE, or Downset.
Mr. Lif “Home of the Brave”
El-P “Dear Sirs”
P.O.S “Stand Up (Let’s Get Murdered)”
Toki Wright “State of Emergency” (or the Title Track as most said)
Saul Williams “Not In My Name”
Pearl Jam “Bushleague”
Bob Dylan “Masters of War”
Nas- My Country
Anything by Immortal Technique lol
Wyclef Jean- If I Was President
Not to mention being beautiful and sad, Rufus Wainwright’s “Going To A Town” has some of the most powerful political imagery I’ve heard in a while. It summed up the “If this happens again, I’m moving to Canada” feeling a lot of people had from 2004-08.
I think one of my favorite recent political songs has been Conor Oberst’s “When The President Talks To God.” The recorded version, which he gave away as a free download, is quite good, but the version he played on Letterman, alone and acoustic, knowing full well what playing that song might potentially cost him, is incredible. It’s quite a stirring and raw performance. Here’s video proof-
(cough)Leno(cough)
How this conversation has gone without someone naming Pink’s “Dear Mr. President,” I’ll never know.
Also – she’s hot. In the same way Fergie’s hot. Not pee-pants Fergie though – that’s hot in a totally different way.
Associated Content just put together a list of their “50 Greatest Political Protests Songs” of All-Time. Not a bad list, can’t really argue with Billie Holliday’s “Strange Fruit” as #1. But the list leans heavily on older songs, with very few tracks in the Top 50 being released in the last 20 years (although I do enjoy the inclusion of “Any song by Rage Against The Machine” at the #27 spot).
Does that mean that we’ve grown tired of being “preached to” by our artists, or are the modern day political songs just not that good? It’s an interesting argument-I feel it’s a combination of both, combined with a more pronounced subtlety by modern artists, to the point where most listeners might not even realize the song is political at all.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/386276/the_50_greatest_political_protest_songs.html?cat=33
well, erik, my personal opinion is that it just means that that horrible list was put together by a bunch of old fogies who stopped listening to anything but radio rock when the clock struck 1980. that list is FAIL.
“Don’t Wanna Be An American Idiot” is not a song by Green Day. “Why I’ll Always Be The Man In Black” is not a song by Johnny Cash. “Southern Man” by Neil Young is not about politricks.
Gotta agree with Ryan on this one. Two of the most political musical genres, rap and punk, have been all but ignored. OH, except *Green Day* who are TOTALLY punk (meh) and TOTALLY deserve a spot on the list instead of, say Sex Pistols or Public fucking Enemy
Why the old fogey musical establishment has taken a shine to Green Day of all bands is beyond me.