Ongoing History of New Music: A Brief History of Protest Music – Part 2

Host: Alan Cross
Release Date: February 18, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Alan Cross continues his exploration of protest music, tracing its evolution from the mid-1980s through to the present day. The episode examines how protest music responded to major global and political events, shifted in form and message across generations, and why its impact and visibility seem different today, even though protest music remains alive and well.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Endurance and Role of Protest Songs

• [00:33] Alan frames protest music as a powerful tool for rallying people and expressing discontent, emphasizing that protest music hasn’t disappeared, but remains ever-present in new forms and contexts.

The Troubles and Irish Protest Music

• [02:01] Focus on U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (1983) about the Bloody Sunday massacre during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
  • Alan details the historical context, the violence, and the inspiration for protest in music.
  • Notable quote from U2’s Larry Mullen Jr.:

    “We're into the politics of people. We're not into politics. You talk about Northern Ireland... that's not what the song is about. That's an incident, the most famous incident in Northern Ireland... I don't care who's who. Catholics, Protestants, whatever. People are dying every single day through the bitterness and hate. And we're saying, why? What's the point?” ([05:18])

• Highlights other Irish protest songs: Stiff Little Fingers’ “Alternative Ulster,” Simple Minds’ “Belfast Child,” Paul McCartney’s “Give Ireland Back to the Irish,” Sinead O’Connor’s “Rebel Song,” and the Cranberries’ “Zombie,” underscoring the wealth of music generated by sectarian conflict.

The 1980s: Cold War, Nuclear Anxiety, and Political Anthems

• [06:23] The 1980s saw artists respond to escalating Cold War tensions and near-nuclear disasters.
  • Songs cited: The Fixx’s “Red Skies,” OMD’s “Enola Gay,” Pink Floyd’s “Two Suns in the Sunset,” Nena’s “99 Luftballons,” Rush’s “Distant Early Warning.”
• Alan singles out Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Two Tribes” as a chilling anti-war anthem, referencing its 1984 video that satirized Reagan and Chernenko.
• Music also protested political leaders:
  • Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher faced musical opposition through songs like the Ramones’ “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg,” Genesis’ “Land of Confusion,” Heaven 17’s “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang,” The Beat’s “Stand Down Margaret,” and Morrissey’s “Margaret on the Guillotine.”
• Anti–poll tax protests in the UK resulted in songs by The Jam, Billy Bragg, and The Exploited.

Global Struggles and the Emergence of New Voices

• [09:35] Protest music addressed international conflicts and injustices:
  • Bruce Cockburn’s “If I Had a Rocket Launcher” (Guatemala),
  • U2’s “Bullet the Blue Sky” (Nicaragua, El Salvador),
  • The Specials’ “Free Nelson Mandela” (South Africa).
• [10:55] Australian band Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning” brought indigenous rights to the fore after witnessing the treatment of Aboriginal communities.

The 1990s: Generation X, Fragmented Rage, and Expanding Themes

• [12:08] With a new decade came new issues:
  • Gen X faced economic recession, underemployment, the Gulf War, civil rights unrest, globalization, and the AIDS crisis.
  • Notable protests: The Rodney King beating and LA riots (1992), Tiananmen Square, post–Berlin Wall Europe.
• Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” stands as a blunt protest against police brutality and racism:
  • “Still, one of the great angry rock and roll protest songs of all time” ([13:27]).
• Protest music diversified: no singular movement like Vietnam, but instead anger at institutional distrust, income inequality, identity politics, environmentalism, mass incarceration, and gender rights.

Riot Grrrl and Third Wave Feminism

• [15:00] Riot Grrrl punk bands emerge, pushing feminist issues and safe spaces in music.
  • Key bands: Bikini Kill (“Rebel Girl”), Bratmobile, Team Dresh, Sleater-Kinney, Huggy Bear.
  • Riot Grrrl culture included activism beyond music: zines, art, manifestos, and an ethos of inclusivity and sex-positivity.
  • Notable quote:

    “If we have to focus on just one group, my vote might be for Sleater Kinney.” ([16:17])

  • Fun anecdote: Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna inspired Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with an offhand comment to Kurt Cobain.
• Protest themes in the 90s became more confrontational and cynical, fusing personal struggles with societal critiques.

Other Notable 90s Protest Voices

• Hip hop’s role was “the most vocal,” notably NWA, Public Enemy, Tupac, KRS-One, Ice-T.
• Angry hardcore and metal: Bad Religion, Propagandhi, Fugazi, Ministry.
• Singer-songwriters like Ani DiFranco addressed feminism and LGBTQ rights.
• The 90s presaged the modern merging of personal and political struggles.

21st Century Protest: Pessimism and Personalization

• [19:43] Themes continue: war, racism, economic despair, LGBTQ and women’s rights, mental health, pervasive institutional mistrust.
  • The post-9/11 period, “forever wars,” the rise of oligarchs, social media fragmentation, and constant crisis mode (“Every time we wake up, we automatically wonder what fresh hell we’ll be confronted with today.”)
• Protest music now has a “lot more I in the songs and a little less us;” storytelling and journalism blur with lyricism.
• Hip hop continues to lead: Kendrick Lamar, Run the Jewels, Killer Mike, Little Simz, Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” as a modern indictment of systemic issues.

Modern Rock Protest

• [21:31] Rock bands continue political critique, e.g. System of a Down’s “B.Y.O.B.” referencing the Iraq War.
• Newer artists: The Linda Lindas, a young all-female band, wrote “Racist, Sexist Boy” in response to COVID-era racism and personal experiences.
  • “The song began as Idiotic Boy, but after some work it became Racist, Sexist Boy.” ([22:48])

Why Modern Protest Music Feels Different

• [23:40] Alan addresses why people ask, “Where is all the protest music today?”
  • The digital age fragments outrage; news cycles are “ultra short,” and issues come from all over the globe faster than ever.
  • The experience of the past: events like Kent State (1970) would “fester over weeks” (see the creation of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Ohio”). Today, crises are replaced almost hourly.
  • There are now “100,000 new songs... uploaded every day.” Protest songs exist, but it’s much harder for any single song to gain cultural traction.
• Final reflection:
  • “As long as there’s injustice in the world, people will write songs about it.” ([24:45])

Notable Segment Timestamps

• [02:01] U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and The Troubles
• [05:18] Larry Mullen Jr. on writing about Northern Ireland
• [06:23] Cold War nuclear anxiety, anti-nuke songs
• [10:55] Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning” and indigenous rights
• [12:08] Gen X, 1990s protest music themes
• [13:27] Rage Against the Machine, Rodney King, LA Riots
• [15:00–17:00] Riot Grrrl movement, Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill
• [19:43] 21st century, rise of personalized protest
• [21:31] System of a Down’s “B.Y.O.B.”—and Iraq War
• [22:48] The Linda Lindas and “Racist, Sexist Boy”
• [23:40] Why protest songs seem less visible today
• [24:45] Closing thoughts on the ongoing role of protest music

Memorable Quotes

• Alan Cross [00:33]:
  “We wish to protest. Protest songs help coalesce thoughts and feelings about things like social, political and labor injustice... But make no mistake, this music is us against them—and the them needs to be addressed.”

• Larry Mullen Jr. (quoted by Alan) [05:18]:
  “We're into the politics of people. We're not into politics... I don't care who's who. Catholics, Protestants, whatever. People are dying every single day through the bitterness and hate. And we're saying, why? What's the point?”

• Alan Cross [13:27]:
  “Still, one of the great angry rock and roll protest songs of all time: Rage Against the Machine, and Killing in the Name of.”

• Alan Cross [22:48]: “The song began as Idiotic Boy, but after some work it became Racist, Sexist Boy.”

• Alan Cross [23:40]:
  “Our rage has been fragmented and individualized. Because access to information is instant, we process injustice differently... All you have to do is look at your phone. By the time you even started to process one crisis, the world has moved on in a hundred different directions.”

• Alan Cross [24:45]:
  “As long as there’s injustice in the world, people will write songs about it.”

Episode Tone & Style

Alan Cross delivers the episode in a straightforward, informative, and occasionally wry tone, weaving personal anecdotes, historical context, and direct quotes into an engaging narrative. He maintains a balanced perspective—acknowledging disillusionment, but always circling back to the enduring power and necessity of protest music.

Summary Takeaway

Protest music is as vital and prolific as ever, even if it’s harder for any individual anthem to rise above the noise of today’s fragmented, hyper-speed media environment. The forms, faces, and stories may have changed, but as Alan Cross underscores, as long as injustice exists, protest songs will, too.