The Power of Propaganda in the Music Industry

Ardriana Solitro and Leighton Landroche

Professor Renee Hobbs

COM416: Propaganda

The University of Rhode Island

7 November 2017
 When discussing propaganda, one tends to think of print advertisements, political

campaigns and television commercials. However, music has been used to spread

messages and ideas for decades. From songs written about the racial tension in the

1980s, to more modern music written about police brutality and other race issues that are

occurring in the modern United States; artists have used lyrics and melodies to bring

attention to important issues and their stances on them. While music does not typically

provide a visual in the way that most propaganda does, the messages that become

powerful through the lyrics, melody and the artist themselves. The artist that delivers the

music, and how the music is delivered, can be just as important as the message within the

song in some cases. Music videos have also been an important part of the impact that

these propaganda songs have on audiences. Music videos provide the visual aspect of

propaganda that is missing when one simply hears a song. Music plays an important role

in both the past and present movements and serves as a form of propaganda that seems to

becoming a more and more popular and effective way to send a message to an audience.

Flashback to the 1980s. Madonna, or the Queen of Pop, is an American singer,

active in the music industry since 1979. She has been instrumental in her songs through

the lyrical content and the visual images in her music videos. Madonna is considered to

be one of the most influential women of the past century, and a revolutionary figure in

music. She has maintained her self-standard and message throughout her musical career,

though having to reinvent her images and her music. Having her mentor, David Bowie,

who helped her start, rise, and gave her support and advice during the beginning, she

quickly realized they had different perspective and she opted to share her music and

message with the world her own way.

 Madonna is one of the first female artists who has had her music advocate and

preach on equality and feminism. She changed the way women are seen in the music

industry, workforce and everyday life, through provocation and scandal. Madonna

utilized propaganda to break down walls and barriers between men and women. We see

in most of her performances, speeches, and music videos and lyrics representing this

movement. She made her name for performances like her panty-baring performance

of Like a Virgin, at the 1984 MTV's Video Music Awards.

In 1989, Like a Prayer was a number one hit, and the music video, which featured

burning crosses and an eroticized black Jesus (Madonna Biography, n.d.) launched

Madonna's scandalous and controversial reputation. The song was censured by the

Vatican and with the public's reaction, influenced Pepsi to revoke Madonnas

endorsement deal. Having a black saint was shocking to society, and during the 1980s

was extremely controversial. The music video depicts a Ku Klux Klan-like burning

cross. The director, Mary Lambert, knew that this song was going to be a religious and

racial controversy; she stated in an interview with Rolling Stone The most important

thing was to force people to reimagine their visual references and really root out their

prejudices (Weingarten, 2015). Madonna became a revolutionary icon in music, and

instantly had the spotlight for her rebellious style.

One of her musical projects that clearly illustrated her advocacy to young women

on equality and her message as a feminist was her single hit that was released in 1989,

Express Yourself, from Madonnas, Like a Prayer album. This song was ranked on the

top 10 in the world charts and sent a clear message to the audience. Express Yourself

encourages women in relationships to express themselves and aim to get what they
want. The song is also about women not settling for men that dont demonstrate their

love to them. It encourages women to test their mans love for them in order to show if it

is real. Moreover, women need to make clear, conscious, and careful decisions regarding

men they date and not to settle for those who do not meet their expectation and what they

want. This totally relates to the feminist ideology that men and women should be equals,

and in turn have equal decision making during the dating period.

Madonna tries to serve as a storyteller in this video to teach women to have

control and decision over the direction of the relationship. This can be well shown by the

scenes in the video, one of the scenes is where Madonna is holding a cat, which is a

metaphor. A cat is often considered a feminine and is also referred to as a pussy, which

is a slang term for a woman, which normally quite lessening a womans value. With this

symbolism of the cat, she adds the element that the pussy has control. But all in all,

Madonna wasnt afraid to talk about sex and be provocative. She paved her way through

the music industry to promote her music and style.

We also see a scene in Express Yourself where she is chained by the neck in bed. The

main message of the song being that if you dont say what you want, you wont get

it. And as a result you are chained down by your ability to say what you feel and go after

what you want. There is a scene where she is crawling under the table like a cat. This

scene is shown through a clear globe held up by three men statues. We see this as she

sings To lift you to your higher ground. This signifies that men are her support system,

which should apply in relationship and everyday life. Men should be a support system

for but not act as if they are better than them.

 Madonna produced Human Nature, which was released in 1994. The song

lyrics contain sarcastic backing vocals with her asking rhetorical questions based on her

real-life actions, the lyrics are more of defensiveness. We see some of the lyrics where

she says, Did I say something wrong? Oops, I didnt know I couldnt talk about sex. I

must have been crazy, also the line what was I thinking?. These lyrics show that the

society regulate her as a female on what to talk about and what she can do and what she

cannot do, putting her in a cage. And in this song she expresses herself that no one should

limit you on what to talk about, do what you feel is right. Follow your self- belief, not

societal safety rules. This song was an answer song to her past actions on her sex book

and her records but in a sarcastic way.

What It Feels Like for a Girl, released in 2000, showed one of the strongest

feminist messages. Where Madonna says girls can wear jeans, cut their hair short, wear

shorts, shirts, and boots because it is okay to be a boy. This song was a direct promotion

for the girls but for boy to look like a girl is degrading according to boys, because they

secretly believe being a girl is degrading. Women and femininity are often linked to

being weak or powerless. Madonna has faced challenges trying to help society

understand that we are all equal. Madonna also took part in criticizing the decision to jail

the two gay men in Malawi because they celebrated their union with a ceremony. She

believed that the two men took a bold and moving forward step in this 21 century. As a
st

matter of principle, I believe in equal rights for all people, no matter what their gender,

race, color, religion, or sexual orientation", Madonna stated. She encourages everyone in

Malawi to contest this decision in the name for equal rights for all.
 Madonna made it a point to take control of your own body, and own your

femininity and masculinity. In many performances, such as Express Yourself (1989) and

Vogue (1990), Madonna is seen wearing a suit, which represents masculinity and

power. Not only has Madonnas music been revolutionary in history, but she has also

become a fashion icon for the 80s and years to come. In an article written by Katya

Foreman for BBC Culture, Madonnas personal stylist, Arianne Phillips, described

Madonnas 1984 MTV performance of Like a Virgin as one of the most shocking,

liberating and influential moments in pop culture/fashion history, stating that fashion

has never been the same (Foreman, K., 2015). She is a global icon has played a vital

role suppressing the urge for equality for all and making her feminism ideology clear to

all. Madonna utilized clothes and music as a tool for rebellion throughout her career.

An example of a modern song that uses the popularity of music to send a

message, would be Formation performed by Beyonc. The single was released in

February of 2016 has been associated with the Black Lives Matter movement and aligns

with the many of the messages that the group stands for, that are important in our society

today. This song emphasizes the importance of black women standing beside each other,

embracing your own race and the power one gains when they succeed beyond the

expectation of society. These are all important messages and become even more

powerful when it is delivered by someone as influential as Beyonc. Many praised

Formation and its accompanying music video because it depicts African Americans in

a way that we do not typically see in our popular culture or anywhere else. The song was

released during an ongoing time period when our country had been and still is

experiencing racial tension and the organization of communities to combat and speak out
against the many forms of racism that we see in our society. With Formation, Beyonc

is sending an important message by giving a voice to the black community and by telling

others that the black community is an important and significant part of our society and

will prevail despite prejudice and hatefulness.

Sheryl Rosss article, The Propaganda Power of Protest Songs: The Case of

Madisons Solidarity Sing-Along discusses peaceful protests and how throughout

history, music has played a role in making those who protest feel that their voices and

messages are being heard. Ross states, From sister suffragettes to civil rights marchers,

those organizing protests have recognized the power of a group of people lifting their

voices in song (Ross, 2013). A song like Formation connects with many people

within the black community, specifically black women. Ross talks about songs like

Formation that unite people with a hope for a future that is better than our past and

present. Music has the power to bring people together with a shared vision and its

messages tend to make the bond over hope even stronger. While Rosss article argues

more about how the act of singing these songs at protests alone creates change, her

argument applies to the importance of these types of songs, including

Formation. People responded to this song and it has created a conversation in our

culture. This song serves as a form of propaganda because it has created change and

presented all races and genders with a powerful statement.

The music video to Formation serves as the visual partner to the message that

the song wants to send to its audience. The video alludes to issues that the African

American population have been struggling with in this country. In a way, the music video

not only supports the songs message but also confirms and adds to Beyoncs ideas that
she is presenting. The video contains references to police brutality, Hurricane Katrina,

racism, black pride and many more topics. Alexis Okeowo wrote an article for The New

Yorker where she interviews the director of the Formation music video, Melina

Matsoukas. The article states, The video for Formation would be an anthem of female

and black empowerment, set in Louisiana, where Beyoncs maternal grandparents are

from. We spoke about the South, New Orleans, her mothers history as well as her

fathers, Matsoukas recalled. The concept suited Matsoukas, who is known for videos

that retain contemporary hip-hops commercial glamour but feature black women as the

heroes. (Okeowo, 2017). Both Beyonc and her director are using this song and music

video to appeal to her audience through the ways described in Powerful Propaganda:

KONY 2012 by Renee Hobbs. Beyonc is very familiar with her audience and knows

what their needs are; and specifically she knows what their values are. She uses this to

her advantage by writing a song about a topic that is missing from popular music in our

society and therefore, creates a powerful connection with those who are touched by the

meaning behind this song.

In comparing and contrasting Madonna and Beyonc, past versus present, two

successful and influential artists, we must focus on the meaning of their music and the

steps they take to spread their messages. Their use of propaganda both seem to be for the

common good. Madonnas main focus in the 1980s, correlates with Beyoncs main

focus, today. Overall, both artists aim to support equality for all, regardless of race, sex

or cultural backgrounds.

Madonna set forth to break down barriers so generations of female artists to come,

like Beyonc, can express themselves freely through their music. Through music,
Madonna has made it more acceptable for women to talk about sex. Beyonc, along with

focusing on equal rights in Formation, mentions lyrics referring to sex. Through

fashion, Madonna made masculinity for women as something that can be

accepted. Often, Beyonc is seen wearing tuxedos or suits in performances or music

videos, much like we saw in Beyoncs performance of Love on Top for the 2011

MTV Video Music Awards. Both Madonna and Beyonc recognize that sex sells.

Both artists have utilized the power of public performances, such as the MTV

Video Music Awards, as well as music videos to reach their audiences. They recognized

the attention and publicity that music videos receive from the public. While the two

music videos are different in style and form, they both contain a story that best displays

the message that these songs send. They are both excellent aids in influencing their

audiences, and emphasizing what these artists want the audiences to take from the

songs. Beyonc uses her knowledge about her audience and herself to develop a message

that is meaningful to both her identity and her audiences identity. Madonna uses passion

and the power of action to make her audience feel a certain way about how their

society. Both of these artists have created persuasive and passionate pieces of both audio

and visual propaganda that have made a lasting impact on our culture, specifically the

African American and feminist communities.

Many people associate advertisements or political campaigns to be propaganda,

but we often forget what other mediums can be used for propaganda as well. Print media,

television shows, and even songs that you hear on the radio are forms of propaganda as

well. Both Madonna and Beyonc are known for their huge followings, and both artists

use that to their advantage. Due to this, their positions in society have helped to send
their messages viral. The two forms of propaganda are similar in many ways in that both

are musical pieces put out by influential people. One focuses on the African American

community while the other focuses on girl power. However, they both are trying to

achieve the same thing, awareness of a certain cause. Rosss article mentions that just by

listening to these theories and singing along it helps spread the word and make it become

a trending topic. Music continues to be one of the most influential forms of propaganda

because it has the ability to reach the most people the fastest and it has messages that go

along with a variety of forms of propaganda.

 Works Cited

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/madonna-condemns-jailing-of-

gay-malawi-couple-1979421.html

Beyonc, Elle Magazine, April 5, 2016

Foreman, K. (2015, March 10). Culture - Madonna: Material girl. Retrieved November

05, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150310-material-girl-

madonna

Madonna Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved November 05, 2017, from

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/madonna/biography

Okeowo, Alexis. (2017, March). The Provocateur Behind Beyonc, Rihanna, And Issa

Rae. The New Yorker. March 6, 2017 issue.

Ross, Sheryl Tuttle (2013). The Propaganda Power of Protest Songs. Contemporary

Aesthetics. Volume 11.

Weingarten, C. R., Ebiri, B., Newman, J., & Johnston, M. (2015, February 25). The

Making of Madonna's 20 Greatest Videos. Retrieved November 05, 2017, from

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/making-of-madonnas-20-best-music-

videos-20150225/like-a-prayer-1989-20150224