COLLECTION: Comparing Eras of Protest Music + David Byrne

[Ryan Goble]

Cool (not comprehensive) critical piece about protest music ... very teachable.

There’s a tricky art to protest music because it can come off as shrill, preachy, or simple-minded. Artists frequently perform to audiences that already share their belief, so what’s the point in “preaching to the choir?”

The last couple years have brought an avalanche of protest music steeped in the language of #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter and #Resist, critic @gregkot writes. https://t.co/vSQbF4e2qu

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) June 5, 2019

But in writing anguished songs such as “What it Means” for “American Band,” Hood found himself inspired by artists as diverse as the Clash and Tom T. Hall. The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” was a hit when Hood was in high school, with lyrics about Iran’s ban on Western music in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Hall’s “Watergate Blues” surfaced in 1973 as the Nixon White House was being consumed by political scandal. “I heard ‘Rock the Casbah’ on the radio even though it was extremely political, and it’s still timely,” Hood says.

also this vintage study guide for some of @BenHarper's best protest songs from the 1990's like 'How Many Miles Must We March,' 'Excuse Me Mr.," & "Like A King" (that got a bit more complex with recent @USNatArchives releases) https://t.co/1JQIAEwMGz #mcpop pic.twitter.com/r1gN7ScZvr

— Ryan R. Goble Ed.D. (@mindblue) June 10, 2019

See also this from David Byrne

David Byrne Curates a Playlist of Great Protest Songs Written Over the Past 60 Years: Stream Them Online https://t.co/EvrCFrGEJr pic.twitter.com/4dWrY6i9kN

— Open Culture (@openculture) June 21, 2019

and this on #mcpop

NYTLN: Teaching With Protest Music