¶ … music is not always a vehicle for political or social commentary, it has become increasingly more so in the past several generations. Music serves often as a vehicle for community and cultural self-expression, or as a means to communicate social and political ideals as with the spirituals and blues songs of African-Americans bemoaning slavery and racism. Since the 1960s, however, music and its lyrical component has become a means by which to understand the zeitgeist of the historical epoch. Music in the 1960s was often directly and overtly political, particularly the songs of American folk musicians like Bob Dylan. It is almost easier to single out songs from the late 1960s that did not have political overtones versus those that did, because there were so many artists who used music to convey political messages. One of the most notable such songs is John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance." This song emerged during the peak of the American war in Vietnam, during which thousands of troops as well as civilians were dying in a pointless war. The late 1960s hippie movement was characterized by intense reactions to the political establishment that supported massive war efforts like that in Vietnam. As Gavish (2009) puts it, "Political music is meant to appeal not only to the oppressed, but to those compassionate to the cause as well, and popular acts realize the power they have to inspire people to action." Songs like "Give Peace a Chance" protested the military-industrial complex and offered hope that change was indeed possible. Lennon and Yoko Ono capitalized on their high profile presence in the music industry to draw attention to their causes. The 1970s was largely a decade of disillusionment in the United States. As the hippie era drew to a close, many idealists came to realize that the forces of political, economic, and social power were too powerful to change with peaceful songs. The political corruption evidenced in the Nixon administration, the drawn-out Vietnam War, and crises in the Middle East all converged to create a decade in which people might have lost all hope were it not for the inspiration of artists drawing attention to the ways individuals can empower themselves for change. In the 1970s, Jamaican...
The song "Small Axe," for example, refers to the power of grassroots political movements to overcome seemingly overwhelming political odds. Richardson (2005) notes, "The cruel hypocrisy of this colonial rule is a constant theme of Marley's work." Songs like "Small Axe" truly encapsulate the spirit of Marley's work. "So if you are the big tree," Marley sings, "We are the small axe / Ready to cut you down." The "big tree" refers to the big political muscle -- the governments and corporations in power. The "small axe" refers to the people. Although the mainstream media in the United States did not initially promote Bob Marley, his songs have endured and remain a mainstay of global political culture.
In his book Lynskey notes that during George W. Bush's administration, when Bush made anti-war people angry by invading Iraq, Neil Young sand "Let's Impeach the President." Earlier in his career Neil Young responded to the killing of four students (by the National Guard) in Kent State in 1970 by writing the protest song, "Ohio," which was performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Lynskey called it a "masterpiece" or
MUSIC & POLITICS: THE ARGENTINE TANGO Music Flamenco or Tango, Spain or Argentina Music & Politics: The Argentine Tango The tango is a form of dancing that originates in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a popular dance form that has spread internationally since its inception in the early nineteenth century. As with all cultural forms, there is a distinctive history and style that accompanies this form of expression. The very creation and performance of
Music Inspired by the Playing for Change movement, and especially the recording of the classic "Stand By Me," my group decided to focus on fusing Native American sounds with contemporary music. The motivation is clear: to keep indigenous themes relevant and respond continually to the social and political inspirations for creative expression. Using this approach to our music allowed us to transcend the concept of genre, which can be too limiting,
Drugs, Rock Music and Developing Countries Examining the effects of imported rock music on developing countries and its impact on violence and drug abuse is by no means a simple or straightforward task. One important factor is that this type of music overwhelmingly appeals to young people under age 30, and these are often the majority of the population in many developing nations, especially the Middle East and North Africa. To
Program Music Roles of The Program Music Program music refers to a form of music which tries to deliver an additional musical story musically. This story involved could be rendered to its audience as program notes, causing imaginative comparisons with its music. This concept of program music enjoys more fame and application in the European classical music world, especially during the height of romantic works in the 1800s. Program music was a very
In this regard, when wage levels fell in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, the standard of living for laborers and cottagers in England declined precipitously and they were compelled to use the majority of their cash, garden crops, and milk just to buy bread and clothing (Kulikoff 2000:19). Not surprisingly, many of these workers found it almost impossible in some cases to even survive, even with the
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