Protest Songs Essay

1759 Words4 Pages

When looking at songs that are considered protest songs, we must look at the topical issue or the broad movements that they are discussing in their song or how they portray society since it contributes toward the image that audiences envision when listening to the songs. Protest songs are an important historical feature that can show the impact of a movement or counterculture in a certain era and the lyrics, when examined can show the opinion of the artist and what they wanted audiences to take from their song. These types of songs can become important to the movement they are talking about or simply display the changes toward mainstream cultural practices. When the Dixie Chicks fell out of favor in the United States due to their comments …show more content…

By 2006 the band was able to work together and write a new album with a new rock influence that told fans that the Dixie Chicks were no longer going to take the hate from both fans and the media over the situation, and would fight back. In the song “Not Ready to Make Nice,” the band led by Natalie Maines, sings about being unapologetic about their previous actions now, that they were still angry and no longer be meek and apologetic but say that they would not forget about it and how it effected them. This is a protest song about their treatment, about remaining angry over the situation and no longer being sorry for what happened and they’re moving past it. Though this song is not publically calling out anyone or talks about anything specifically it does elude to the situation more in the music video for the song, as well as when the song is taken in the context of their history as a group. The song shows one of the more present ways that bands are making protests songs, that by looking at the history of the band and current events, the controversy over their joke about President Bush, and the song meaning and its reception, songs can have power over audiences to help educate them and lead them to protest

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