I’m a guy approaching 60, so I’ll start by saying my perception may be wrong. That could be because the protest songs from the late 60’s and early 70’s weren’t the songs I heard live on the radio but because they were the successful ones that got replayed. More likely, it’s because music is much more fractured than what I was exposed to on the radio growing up. Thus, today, I’m simply not exposed to the same type of protest songs that still exist.
Whatever the reason, I feel that the zeitgeist of protest music is very different from the first decade of my life compared to the last.
I’m curious to know why. My conspiratorial thoughts say that it’s down to the money behind music promotion being very different over those intervening decades, but I suspect it’s much more nuanced.
So, why are there fewer protest songs? Alternatively, why I am not aware of recent ones?
Definitely not fewer protest songs. Lots of “new” protest genres exist now (punk, rock, rap, hiphop, reggae, still folk, etc.). Radio and television are way less relevant for reaching « protest » audiences (generally younger). Without the risk of conscription into a foreign war, the anti classist/racist/authoritarian protest likely sounds different.
The times, they are a-changing(but not much)
I listen to a lot of punk music and about a quarter of my library happens to be anti-war songs just because I like punk rock
Honestly reading this thread I just had the song White People For Peace by Against Me! pop into my head. Another good one to note is Survivor Guilt by Rise Against
A quick stroll down a single playlist:
Anti-Flag, Kendrick Lamar, Rage Against the Machine, Nas, The Casualties, Veil of Maya, Lil Nas X, Nirvana, MIA, Childish Gambino, The Vandals, JayZ, J Cole, Mdou Moctar, Juiceworld…
That’s not even getting into the stuff Im aging out of(and still quietly loving).
Man, the kids are alright.
Survivor guilt is a good one, that whole album gets me.
“Make it stop” is another that just punches me in the gut.