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Protest music and its impact
History grade 12 essay civil rights movement
Protest music and its impact
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Book Review “To Everything there is a Season”
In this book, Allan M. Winkler writes about Pete Seeger’s fascinating life and how his music helped improve the conditions of the less fortunate people during many protest movements throughout the twentieth century.
Winker begins by telling about Pete's early days as an activist, singing union songs and hanging out with Woody Guthrie and the Almanac Singers. Times changed, but Pete didn't. He remained true to his commitment to the people and his belief in the power of song to change the world. Pete used this power to strive for civil rights. Until today, his anti-war message and in his later years to spread his environmental message. It tells of his work on the Hudson Schooner and helping to
During a 1941 performance, Almanac member Pete Seeger sang “Talking Union.” The song had a serious and angry tone to it and he also spoke the lyrics, thus putting attention on the union movement rather than the songs melody. The Miner Strike during 1931 gained support from their song “Which Side Are You On?” The group continued using music as a protest element during the Labor Movements in the 1930s with, “Roll the Union On.” The Weavers similarly, wrote many well-known anti-war such as,” Wasn’t That a Time?” and “If I Had a Hammer.” As well as influencing people with their music, both groups were created in Greenwich Village, New York City. Greenwich was the birthplace of the singers who raised political and social changes. Likewise, both groups used it as a place to perform, listen to other folk musicians and discuss political events. This made them both surrounded by the same style of music.
When the music group Radiohead first burst on to the music scene seven years ago, it became immediately evident through information means such as music articles, album covers, and an extensive website, that this particular band was not just another long-haired, head-bobbing grunge group only out to sell as many albums as they could. This band had a much greater mission than that. It was to inform as many people as they could of their political, social and economic convictions through their personal website. While dozens of other websites have cropped up about Radiohead, this website remains uniquely their own because of its direct listing name and multi-faceted page within a page of personal comentaries, many written in a barely legible free-hand style, of such issues as upcoming protest rallies, animal testing, predictions on Middle East genocides, wrongful government spending, and barely sqeezed in daily journal entries on their current music progress. With Radiohead's political accusations constantly being updated in oversized bold print, their political cartoons of talking teddy bears appearing on a vast amount of web pages, and an often rushed-looking hand-written on their musical progress, it becomes evident that this website was created more as a world news commentary than a self-indulgent display case of itself.
John Lennon’s Imagine walks us through life with lyrics of peaceful protest, helping us imagine a world unity much less division.
Most rock records aren’t hard to understand. They draw on commonplaces of community and adolescence: easy listening, good dancing, simple emotions, and sharp images… But [Beggar’s Banquet’s] cleverness makes the difference.
I think he clearly explained how capitalist societies, like here in the USA, hurt and continue to hurt the musicians and song writers in the music industry by referring to what they did to him and bands and musicians he knew and using examples of when what he’d experienced and noticed since being a little boy. I mean, Iggy is 70 years old now and has only been receiving royalties for about 4 years now, from selling out in the sixties so that his music could and would be produced and marketed. And to further prove that it’s the capitalist society, Iggy has money now, and the same stuff that happened in the sixties as far as sales is still happening today, he says, maybe even a little worse. The powerful, emotional effect of his speech was felt throughout the crowd and the audiences watching from
Throughout time, music has been an influential part of society. As a form of entertainment and expression, its impact has always been felt both economically and emotionally. During the Vietnam war, music evolved into more a form of expression rather than pure entertainment. Emotionally charged songs became a method to oppose the war, and vent frustrations. While many songs opposed the war, numerous others focused on peace and happiness. They provided a positive perspective in an otherwise depressing time. Along with incorporating passion into music, cultural diversity increased in music greatly. Black artists became progressively more popular and accepted in the musical scene. This respect carried over to society slowly but surely. During the Vietnam war, music played a crucial role in the societal evolution into a state where emotions fueled actions, more emphasis was put on equality, all opinions counted.
To some, December 6, 1969 may not hold any particular significance. To Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger, however, it’s remembered as the day the sixties suffered a tragic death. Irrational bikers and terrified fans were not a part of Jagger’s vision when him and his bandmates organized a free concert at California’s Altamont Speedway. Despite incessant warnings that a concert of such a large magnitude was not the best idea, the Stones went ahead with it in light of criticism they’d received regarding their ticket prices being too high. They’d performed for overflow audiences without incident in major cities before, but this crowd of 300,000 was different. A total of four births and four deaths were the result of that evening, one of which was a homicide. The stabbing of Meredith Hunter by Hell’s Angel Alan Passaro happened to be captured on film, and is now the climax of the legendary rock n’ roll documentary Gimme Shelter. Larger cultural discourses shape the way non-fiction narratives are told, and the only entity larger than the notion of disaster within the film is the notion of Jagger as a celebrity. In the words of Amanda Howell, “Jagger's ‘double self’ literally takes center stage in Gimme Shelter. On the one hand, Jagger embodies the freedom, expressivity and hedonism of the countercultural movement, while on the other he appears adept in his relation to "straight" society.” In addition to this “double self,” Jagger can also be described as a commodity in the eyes of his adoring fans. What happened at Altamont was, in a sense, an explosion of tensions that had built up over the sixties; an explosion which Gimme Shelter depicts Mick Jagger to have been shielded from as a result of his three façades.
Music can be traced back into human history to prehistoric eras. To this day archeologists uncover fragments of ancient instruments as well as tablets with carved lyrics buried alongside prominent leaders and highly influential people. This serves as a testament to the importance and power of music, as well as its influence in society. Over its many years of existence, music’s powerful invocation of feelings has allowed it to evolve and serve many purposes, one being inspiring change. American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel.” This fuel is the very things that powers the influence of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society, that author Glenn C. Altschuler writes about in his book, “All Shook Up – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America.” Between 1945 and 1965 Rock ‘n’ Roll transformed American society and culture by helping to ease racial integration and launch a sexual revolution while most importantly developing an intergenerational identity.
The Grammy Awards ceremony in 1991 was not all that different from those which preceded it. A crowded auditorium littered with the beautiful people of Hollywood and the music industry once again gathered in Los Angeles to honor the year's most popular recording artists. However, at the time of this year's awards the country was in the midst of its first significant military action since the Vietnam conflict. The threat of a full-scale ground attack loomed on the horizon and the nation seemed overwhelmingly united in favor of war. At one point in the evening the wily Jack Nicholson rose and made his way to the podium to present the year's lifetime achievement award. This year's recipient was somewhat of a sharp contrast to the high profile event that the Grammys had become. The 1991 Lifetime Achievement Award for music went to none other than Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan, a musician whose monumental contribution to contemporary music had occurred nearly thirty years prior to this evening. After a brief introduction the lights were dimmed and all attention was directed to a slight, haggard-looking gentleman dressed in black. He faced the audience solemnly holding a guitar, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Behind him a band began whaling a tantric and ferocious melody, yet not an eye shifted from the prophet who stood before them.
The 1960s was the era of rebellion. It was a time when views of many people started to change dramatically as unexpected things were happening from the Cold War to the assassinations of nation’s leaders. So within this disturbed era, many citizens started to rebel and question the authorities saying that they were ruining the country. The younger generation, especially, stood firmly in front to lead the action to change the ideas of the older generation. One of the main methods they used to speak their opinions was through music and we can see the power it had on the people through one of the main protest anthems called “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969. The song speaks out to the elite controlled America and becomes one of many instances of the younger generation questioning and rebelling against the authority in the late 1960s. They send people a message that the citizens of United States do not live in a fair world and the authorities are not doing their jobs. By creating images through the comparative and descriptive lyrics such as who “waves the flag” , and “some folks are born with silver spoons in hand”, its repetition of the chorus “it ain’t me” and the instrumentation of the song which sounds like the cry of the working class to signify that the Vietnam War is a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight, this song by the Creedence Clearwater Revival shouts to the world that the elite-controlled America is unfair as it can get; and becomes a big part of the counterculture movement. However, contrary to the message of the song, challenges to authority and privilege did not come exclusively from the working class. Rather, members of the upper class were also involved in opposition movements, for instance vi...
War opposers gathered around at Woodstock in 1969 to experience “3 days of peace and music.” Woodstock captured the American antiwar spirit. Jimi Hendrix played his famous rendition of the star spangled banner on his electric guitar. His interpretation captured the agony of war with the harrowing sound of bombs bursting and jets clashing within the song. Although Woodstock was a music festival, the event consisted of expressions of anti-war. Musicians such as Country Joe, chanted their anti-vietnam protest songs to the audience. The impact of the anti-war movement shaped artists’ music and changed the face of Rock and Roll
“Music is uniquely wonderful. It is incapable of being touched yet it touches everyone who is capable of hear sounds. It can seemingly evoke any emotion; we instinctively respond to happy tunes, mournful songs, beautiful melodies, inspiring anthems, stirring hymns, and majestic orchestrations.” (Doolan, Robert. 1985) There is no question that music is great part of society; it has been at civilization’s side whether it be the lyres and flutes of the ancient Greeks or how it calms or excites emotions and keeps armies in order during battle. Within society, there has also been social unrest and the desire for change. Protesting is the expression of a society’s concerns on current events of which they feel affected by whether it be through public rallies, picketing, riots or even bombings. Protest through music is one powerful medium for engaging people. Amidst what life throws at individuals, music has comforted the soul, provoked individualistic thought and opinion, and music draws people together through groups alike who have the same attachment or concerns with their surroundings. Whether it be rock, jazz, blues, rap, hip hop, dance, spiritual, or world, music has inspired artists to spill out their expression and views of society. Music is a universally effective tool of protest in generating social change and unrest as it continues to unite those with like ideas.
... I Wrote You a Song’: The Polictical Side of Bob Dylan.” Popular Music and Society 5
Confronted by a laughable government that promotes inequality, stealing from the poor to line the pockets of the wealthy among countless other offences, those with a microphone and an audience are provided with a once in a lifetime opportunity to invigorate change in society. Some of these stars like Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello of the band Rage Against the Machine choose to fight for what they believe in, polarizing a generation and inciting riots coast to coast, while others like the lead singer of the band Radiohead, Thom Yorke, think the issues of their generation are meaningless and search like rebels without a cause for their own Vietnam. On the contrary, artists like John Mayer express their discontent more passively, “waiting for
"All Nature is but Art: Woodstock Music and Art Fair." Vogue. December 1969:194-201. "Big Woodstock Rock Trip." Time. August 1969:14b-22. Ewen, David. All the Years of Popular Music. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.,1977. Fass, Don. "The Sixties." http://www.sixties.net (19 March 1999). Frike, David. "Minor Epiphanies and Momentary Bummers." Rolling Stone. August 1989:62-91. Grunwald, Henry. "Youth Trip." This Fabulous Century: 1960-1970. 1986 ed. Hertsgard, Mark. A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles. New York: Dell Publishing Groups Inc.,1995. Huges, Rupert. Music Lover’s Encyclopedia. New York: Doubleday Inc.,1984. "Rock Audience Moves to Dusk-to-Dawn Rhythms." New York Times. 18 August 1969:25. "Tired Rock Fans Begin Exodus From Music Fair." New York Times. 20 August 1969:1-3. "What Happened in the Sixties?." http://www.bbhq.com/sixties2.htm (19 March 1999). "Woodstock: Dawn of the Bigtime." Economist. August 1989:75. "Woodstock Music and Art Fair." Newsweek. August 1969:88. "Woodstock: Peace Mecca." Billboard. August 1969:1,10.