Ongoing History of New Music – "Songs of Protest"

Host: Alan Cross
Date: August 27, 2025

Episode Theme and Overview

Alan Cross explores the rich legacy of protest songs, particularly from the world of alternative rock, tracing how music has encouraged political and social change from classical beginnings to the present day. The episode examines different waves of protest music, its shifting tactics and targets over decades, and speculates on the current lull in protest-driven alt-rock.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is a Protest Song?

• Definition: Music intended to encourage political/social change—can inspire, mobilize, or unsettle authorities.
• Genres: Protest music spans classical, folk, reggae, pop, hip hop, rock.
• "If done right, and if circumstances are correct, the song can mobilize people to take action, it can lift spirits, and it can annoy or even scare authorities of the establishment." (Alan Cross, 02:21)

2. Historical Roots of Protest Songs

• Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy": The finale of his Ninth Symphony, inspired by Friedrich Schiller’s idea of universal brotherhood, has become a recurring protest anthem.
  • "Even today, that last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is often used as a protest anthem." (Alan Cross, 04:19)
• Early American Protest: Joe Hill—labor activist, songwriter, and martyr, executed in 1915 after conviction widely viewed as politically motivated.
• Folk as Protest: Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan—folk music as a megaphone for radical ideas, often at great personal risk.

3. The 1960s: Protest in Rock

• Vietnam War, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights: Rock becomes a primary vehicle for dissent.
• Creedence Clearwater Revival – "Fortunate Son" (Dropkick Murphys cover): Classic anti-war anthem focusing on class privilege during the draft.
  • "The message was, hey, it's easy to support the war if you never have to pay any of the costs for it." (Alan Cross, 03:55)
• Kent State Shooting: Neil Young’s "Ohio" written and released within a month as direct protest following student deaths at hands of National Guard.
  • Sample lyric: "Tin soldiers and Nixon comin’ / We're finally on our own..." (07:23)

4. Punk, Hardcore and British Protest (1970s–80s)

UK Punk:

• "The music wasn't so much a protest against something as it was a protest against everything." (Alan Cross, 08:50)
• Punk as a response to economic crisis, entrenched class system, and generational hopelessness.
• The Clash – "Guns of Brixton": Protest against police brutality and wider societal issues.
• MC5: Proto-punk, radical politics, active affiliation with the Black Panther and White Panther parties.

Hardcore (North America):

• Born as a response to rightward political shifts in the Reagan era.
• D.O.A. (Canada): Early adopters, possibly coinage of the term "hardcore."
• Hardcore Values: Anti-establishment, anti-commercial, strict authenticity, often targeted environmental and social causes.

Thatcher-era UK:

• Auntie Thatcher Songs:
  • "Kick Out the Tories," "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie, Out, Out, Out," Morrissey’s "Margaret on the Guillotine," Elvis Costello’s "Tramp the Dirt Down"
• Red Wedge: Musicians’ collective (Billy Bragg, Paul Weller, The Smiths) aiming to engage youth, ultimately unsuccessful in shifting power away from Conservatives.
• Crass' "Thatchergate" Tape: Punk collective assembled fake phone call between Thatcher and Reagan, fooling the CIA and MI6—legendary for subversion.
  • Andy Palmer: "We did the tape to show that [governments are] also small-minded, petty and stupid." (16:57)

Anti-Monarchy Sentiment:

• The Smiths – "The Queen Is Dead" lampoons the monarchy, echoing a long tradition of musical dissent.

5. Protest in the 1980s

• Several high-profile subjects:
  • Apartheid (Peter Gabriel’s "Biko", Artists United Against Apartheid)
  • Anti-Nuclear War (Nena’s "99 Red Balloons", Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Two Tribes", Metallica’s "Blackened")
  • Racism (Lenny Kravitz’s "Mr. Cab Driver", Sinead O'Connor’s "Black Boys on Mopeds")
  • Opposition to Reagan (Countless songs)

6. The 1990s: Alternative Protest

• Generation X's frustrations: recession, waning prospects, Middle East wars, AIDS discrimination, anti-globalization.
• Rise of "riot grrrl" and ultra-feminist punk, agitation against sexism, racism, war.
• Quintessential Example:
  • An "attack on racist cops and politicians and institutional racism" (explicitly referencing Rage Against the Machine – "Killing in the Name," though not played in full):
    • "I don't think I need to explain why that is one of the greatest protest songs of all time, do I? No, I didn't think so." (Alan Cross, 21:39)

7. 21st Century Protest in Alt Rock

• Shift After 9/11: New wave anti-war anthems, notably from Green Day's "American Idiot" (2004) as a response to George W. Bush era.
  • "The whole thing is basically one big FU at George Bush." (Alan Cross, 22:40)
  • "Wake Me Up When September Ends" became an anthem for Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina victims.
• Other 2000s Protest Highlights:
  • MIA's "Born Free" (anti-war)
  • PJ Harvey’s "Let England Shake" (A critique of British imperialism)
  • Radiohead’s "Idioteque" (climate crisis)
  • System of a Down (Armenian genocide, anti-war)
  • Rise Against, Against Me!, Conor Oberst’s "When the President Talks to God"

8. Why the Decline in Protest Songs in Modern Alt-Rock?

• Despite ongoing crises (wars, 2008 meltdown, student debt, climate, political corruption), fewer notable protest songs break through.
  1. Protest has moved to social media: "Why write a song when you can just comment on Facebook or Twitter?" (Alan Cross, 24:43)
  2. Rock isn’t the main cultural vehicle anymore: Hip hop and rap have taken over protest roles.
  3. Cultural pessimism: "Alt-rock fans just don't seem to feel that they can make any kind of difference, so why bother?" (24:55)
  4. Apathetic generational mood: Discusses "everybody gets a trophy" culture—less "fight."
• Contradicts historical trends: Protests were usually led by the young through music; now, legacy artists push more activism than newcomers.
  • "I find it fascinating that there's a lack of FU coming from the current alt rock generation. We really haven't seen this before." (Alan Cross, 26:40)
  • "To everything there is a season, and I'm sure there will come a time when young people will again raise their voice en masse in songs of protest. And I hope they do it loudly." (27:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the function of protest music:
  • "It's music that encourages political and social change… and if circumstances are correct, the song can mobilize people to take action..." (02:21)
• On punk’s attitude:
  • "The music wasn't so much a protest against something as it was a protest against everything. The whole idea of punk was to give society, the government and the economy one big FU. And there were no sacred cows, not even the Queen." (08:50)
• On the Thatchergate prank:
  • Andy Palmer (Crass): "People know that governments are corrupt. People know that governments are violent. We did the tape to show that they're also small minded, petty and stupid. For the CIA to issue that statement shows just how petty they are." (16:57)
• On generational change:
  • "In the 70s, 80s and 90s, adolescents were all about rebellion... now it’s the other way around." (26:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro/Ad Skips: [00:00–02:18]
• Protest Song Defined & Historical Roots: [02:21–05:40]
• 60s–70s Protest—Vietnam/Kent State/etc.: [05:40–07:36]
• UK Punk & The Clash: [08:00–09:55]
• Hardcore and Reagan/Thatcher Era: [11:59–14:40]
• Crass’ “Thatchergate”/Anti-Monarchy: [16:40–18:48]
• 80s Protest Songs/Apartheid, Nuclear War, Racism: [18:48–19:46]
• 90s Protest Songs/Gen X: [20:46–21:39]
• 2000s Alt-Rock Protest: [22:40–23:35]
• Contemporary Lull & Theories Why: [23:35–27:07]
• Outro/Reflection: [27:07–28:16]

Summary Takeaways

• Protest songs have a long, deeply rooted history—sometimes direct, other times masked by satire or subtlety.
• Different eras saw different forms and targets of musical protest, often rising in times of crisis or against powerful leaders.
• Alt rock has produced many of the best-known protest anthems, especially from the late 1960s to the early 2000s.
• In recent years, there’s a notable drop in prominent protest music within alt rock, while other genres (hip hop, for instance) have filled some of that gap.
• Alan Cross leaves open the question of when and how the protest song will return to prominence, urging future generations to "raise their voice en masse in songs of protest."

For a deeper dive into this and other themes, check Alan Cross’s ongoing work at ajournalofmusicalthings.com.