Favorite Protest Songs

[HuskyHawk]

This is an odd topic that happened to pop into my head last week. By Protest Songs, I mean songs like CS&N's Ohio, which was in direct response to the Kent State shootings. Arlo Guthrie's Opus Alice's Restaurant certainly also qualifies. Hot for Teacher does not. Midnight Oil's Beds are Burning would qualify. You get the gist. You don't need to agree with the message, just love the tune. I don't want this to turn political. Looking for your Top 6 (because I couldn't choose between 5-6), here are mine.

1. For What its Worth - Buffalo Springfield.
2. Signs - Five Man Electrical Band.
3. Zombie - The Cranberries
4. Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
5. I'd Love to Change the World - Ten Years After
6. Redemption Song - Bob Marley [Bob has several that are deserving]

Obviously Vietnam and civil rights era drove a lot of great protest songs, but the N. Ireland "Troubles" land two spots on my list. If you are looking for inspiration, evidently there is a Hall of Fame for this.

 

[Husky Alien]

1. What's Goin' On - Marvin Gaye
2. Give Peace A Chance - John Lennon
3. Revolution - The Beatles
4. Biko - Peter Gabriel
5. Iron Sky - Paulo Nutini


6. White Man - The Clash

 

[Waquoit]

First thing that came to mind. And it rocks!

 

[8893]

I don’t want to repeat some of the good calls above, which are among my faves; that will free me up to go with another ten favorites (I don’t like six):


”Wake Up Everybody,” Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes

“Clampdown,” The Clash

“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Gil-Scott Heron

“Political Science,” Randy Newman

“Fight the Power,” Public Enemy

”Strange Fruit,” Billie Holiday

“You Haven’t Done Nothin’,” Stevie Wonder

”They Call it Democracy,” Bruce Cockburn

“Masters of War,” Bob Dylan

”Imagine,” John Lennon

 

[Waquoit]

Love "Clampdown"

 

[storrsroars]

The original name for the song was simply "Revolution", but the Beatles took that for themselves a few months before recording.

The only surviving member of the original recording band, bassist Bijou Drains, had a pretty good other career.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

 

[HuskyHawk]

Some good ones I expected to see, and some I didn’t.

Since @8893 expanded to ten I’ll add 4 more

Fortunate Son - CCR
Get Up Stand Up - Bob Marley
Monkey Gone to Heaven - Pixies
Another Brick in the Wall (part 2) - Pink Floyd

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

this one as well:

 

[Husky Alien]

 

[Husky Alien]

Ignoreland - REM

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

 

[storrsroars]

To fill out the other five spots of my 6, with no repeats from above:

2. Monster, Steppenwolf
3. Ball of Confusion (also worth noting the Temptations did the original version of "War")
4. Time to Go, Black 47
5. Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag, Country Joe & the Fish (if you were a teen in '69, it was an essential singalong)
6. Anarchy in the UK, Sex Pistols

 

[CL82]

 

[Kaizen]

Sunday Bloody Sunday, U2

 

[Kaizen]

"Mississippi Goddam" by Nina Simone Recording session: Live in Antibes, July 24-25, 1965.

 

[HuskyHawk]

To fill out the other five spots of my 6, with no repeats from above:

2. Monster, Steppenwolf
3. Ball of Confusion (also worth noting the Temptations did the original version of "War")
4. Time to Go, Black 47
5. Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag, Country Joe & the Fish (if you were a teen in '69, it was an essential singalong)
6. Anarchy in the UK, Sex Pistols

I have been waiting for somebody to list Country Joe & Fish. When I was a kid we had fun with the Woodstock edition of that song.

 

[Palatine]

They will still be playing this song a couple of centuries from now.

 

[Kolumbo]

Wow so many great tunes in this thread!!

Street Fighting Man

 

[Kolumbo]

I'm Free

 

[Kolumbo]

Down Under

 

[Kolumbo]

The aforementioned Beds Are Burning - I saw these guys in Springfield back in the day