For many years now we hear a lot on the news about "the culture wars." But there's another war that's been going on for decades: the war against culture itself.
You’re so right that Music is essential to social/protest movements. Even if Emma Goldman didn’t say it, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your Revolution” rings true because we need music in every aspect of our lives.
I saw the value of music firsthand the other day at a Gaza protest at the University of New Hampshire when counter-protesters tried to drown out our speakers and chants and we had a trumpeter who began playing thematic circus music, which made us all smile, laugh, and dance. Diffusing the tension while bringing us joy: what a gift!
Even a bucket and a drumstick brings so much life to a rally, but songs such as you sing do so much more. “We Shall Not Be Moved” at Columbia U did indeed move everyone. Macklemore’s “Hind’s Hall” is going to increase funding to UNRWA as he is donating all proceeds. Billy Strings is making quite an impact on Gen Z with his song (and music video) “Wargasm”, but there is not nearly enough. This needs to change!
It's a song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land
but it is every day more apparent that our struggling voices singing out for love and justice is lost among brothers and sisters who can't see the injustice taking over this entire world
so, i don't sing in the shower anymore
but given opportunity, will head bang to american idiot in any moment
A percipient analysis :-) A lot of the 'culture wars' are founded in an ignorance of history, and I found your placement of the cultural effectiveness of music in an historical context made a lot of sense out of a lot of nonsense. (Such a shame that history is no longer a respectable subject for study in our institutions). Not so sure of your pessimism about the prospects for post-seventies protest music. Springsteen, Jackson Brown, Sinead O'Connor have all produced powerful songs that are of the 'protest' genre. Some of them even made the odd hit parade. And yourself, and buskers I have known keep the tradition vibrant.
A rather inaccurate headline...
Rapper becomes one of the first artists to explicitly condemn US aid to Israel in new song
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/rapper-becomes-one-of-the-first-artists-to-explicitly-condemn-us-aid-to-israel-in-new-song/ar-BB1m0ubA?ocid=socialshare
You’re so right that Music is essential to social/protest movements. Even if Emma Goldman didn’t say it, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your Revolution” rings true because we need music in every aspect of our lives.
I saw the value of music firsthand the other day at a Gaza protest at the University of New Hampshire when counter-protesters tried to drown out our speakers and chants and we had a trumpeter who began playing thematic circus music, which made us all smile, laugh, and dance. Diffusing the tension while bringing us joy: what a gift!
Even a bucket and a drumstick brings so much life to a rally, but songs such as you sing do so much more. “We Shall Not Be Moved” at Columbia U did indeed move everyone. Macklemore’s “Hind’s Hall” is going to increase funding to UNRWA as he is donating all proceeds. Billy Strings is making quite an impact on Gen Z with his song (and music video) “Wargasm”, but there is not nearly enough. This needs to change!
If I had a hammer
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger
I'd hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land, uh
If I had a bell
I'd ring it in the morning
I'd ring it in the evening
All over this land
I'd ring out danger
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land, oh
If I had a song
I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening
All over this land
I'd sing out danger
I'd song of out a warning
I'd sing out love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land, oh
Well, I've got a hammer
And I've got a bell
And I've got a song to sing
All over this land
It's the hammer of justice
It's the bell of freedom
It's a song about love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land
It's a hammer of justice
It's a bell of freedom
It's a song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land
but it is every day more apparent that our struggling voices singing out for love and justice is lost among brothers and sisters who can't see the injustice taking over this entire world
so, i don't sing in the shower anymore
but given opportunity, will head bang to american idiot in any moment
Thought you might like this piece on the theme of music culture and protest.
https://theconversation.com/hinds-hall-is-macklemores-bold-new-pro-palestine-anthem-what-might-it-actually-achieve-229702
A percipient analysis :-) A lot of the 'culture wars' are founded in an ignorance of history, and I found your placement of the cultural effectiveness of music in an historical context made a lot of sense out of a lot of nonsense. (Such a shame that history is no longer a respectable subject for study in our institutions). Not so sure of your pessimism about the prospects for post-seventies protest music. Springsteen, Jackson Brown, Sinead O'Connor have all produced powerful songs that are of the 'protest' genre. Some of them even made the odd hit parade. And yourself, and buskers I have known keep the tradition vibrant.