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Robbie Millsaps

Professor Malcolm Campbell

WRDS 1104

11 April 2022

Protest Music and its Influence on Social and Political Movements

Lately, I have been pondering the question on how protest music impacts the fights

against social and political movements. I didn’t just want to focus on how protest music

impacted the United States, but I wanted to also focus on the protest music that affects different

countries throughout time. From the American Revolutionary War to the Black Lives Matter

movements, protest music has become a staple in our lives and that way that people stand up for

what is right.

The United States of America was created with the help of protest music. Songs like

Yankee Doodle were created during the American Revolutionary War by the Patriots living in

the area which would soon be known as the USA. Yankee Doodle was used by the military

which would help motivate the army in fighting for their rights. This song would help the United

States of America in becoming a country and officially break away from Great Britain.

Nowadays, Yankee Doodle is used as a nursery rhyme for young children. (NBC LX)

Most notably, protest music began a huge part of the music industry during the Vietnam

War. In the 1960s, it was debated if the USA should or shouldn’t enter the Vietnam War.

Protests began to rise which started the Youth Movement which were mostly college students
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who were protesting the US entering the Vietnam War. The popularity of folk music formed into

rock n roll which would change the music industry forever. (BBC News) Musicians and lyricists

began to make music about the Vietnam War and against the US government. Creedence

Clearwater Revival and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young were some of the groups that dedicated

their music to the Vietnam War. The song “Ohio” released by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

was a massive hit which pertained to the four Kent State students who were killed by the Ohio

National Guard. It can be said that this start of turmoil and pressure toward President Richard

Nixon could have been the spark to Nixon in resigning from office in 1974. (Esquire)

It can be said that racism against African Americans has been prevalent in American

society. African American male and females have been subject to racism from civilians to even

those in the police force. In 1988, N.W.A released a big hit in “Fuck Tha Police” which lyrically

talked about how African Americans have been mistreated by police officers because of the color

of their skin. This song has been a direct motivation to the police brutality protest movements

like the Black Lives Matter movement. This song was used heavily for the aftermath of the

George Floyd killing by the Minneapolis Police. (Rolling Stone)

In 1989, a youth protest movement in China was building up in an attempt to convert

China from a communist country into a democratic country. One performer that was very

influential towards the youth during this time was Cui Jian. “A Piece of Red Cloth” was by far

the driving song behind the protests at Tiananmen Square which goes into the terrors of China’s

communist rule. His motivation towards the youth was crucial in making their voices heard.

Despite all this, Chinese troops decided to kill these unarmed protesters at Tiananmen Square

which resulted in many deaths that cannot be determined since China has said denied the event

has taken place all together. (The Washington Post)

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In 2002, Serj Tankian and Tom Morello formed a non-profit organization called the Axis

of Justice. Serj Tankian is a singer and songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer of

System of a Down and Tom Morello is an electric guitar player who is best known for his work

with the bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Both musicians dedicated their lives

to creating music that has been mostly politically charged. Their organization Axis of Justice

focused on uniting many popular musicians and brought up issues against different social

injustices. They communicated their information and their message on radio stations and through

concerts. (Comparative American Studies An Academic Journal, vol. 18, no. 3, 2021, pp. 302-

21)

In response to George W. Bush winning the 2000 US presidential election, Mike Burkett

of the punk band NOFX formed an organization called the Punk Voter. The Punk Voter’s goal

was to spread political messages that are told in punk music and to share them to the youth

listeners of punk music. Punk Voter dedicated their time in protesting against George W. Bush

and tried to get John Kerry elected for president in 2004. This organization was largely

Democratic and raised 1 million dollars which would be donated to John Kerry’s 2004

presidential campaign. Punk Voter also dedicated their time in encouraging young eligible voters

to register to vote. Despite their efforts in the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush would

win the reelection for president and would stay in office until the 2008 presidential election. For

years, Punk Voter would support the democratic candidate in the 2008 presidential election

which was Barack Obama. Their efforts were successful this time around and Barack Obama

would serve two terms in the presidential office. (Comparative American Studies An Academic

Journal, vol. 18, no. 3, 2021, pp. 302-21)

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In 2007, Serj Tankian released his debut solo album, Elect the Dead. This album focused

heavily on politics and the Iraq War. In his song “Empty Walls” it states, “Don’t you see their

bodies burning/desolate and full of yearning/dying from anticipation/choking from intoxication.”

(Comparative American Studies An Academic Journal, vol. 18, no. 3, 2021, pp. 302-21) This

song is a way to communicate Serj Tankian’s message to the general public about the War on

Terror. In a 2008 tour in Boston, Tom Morello said to the crowd, “to send a message that we

won’t stand for torture. We demand Guantanamo be torn down!” (Comparative American

Studies An Academic Journal, vol. 18, no. 3, 2021, pp. 302-21) This was an attempt to launch a

text message movement which fought against the detention centers in Guantanamo Bay.

For years, African Americans have been the subject in being killed by white police

officers. In 2020, George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police while being restrained in an

unjust way. Minneapolis Police Officers had their knee on George Floyd’s neck which was the

direct cause of George Floyd’s death. This incident was caught on camera and shown all over the

United States. Since the video was shown to the general public, protests and riots were formed to

show their support for George Floyd. This movement inspired songwriters in writing songs about

George Floyd and songs against police brutality. The song “Fuck tha Police” was streamed

heavily on Pandora and Spotify during the protests and was a huge motivation towards the

protests and riots. For a song that was created in 1988, it shows that some music can still hold up

in today’s society. (Rolling Stone)

From the information that I have found, I have learned that protest music has

shown to have both positive and negative impacts on our society. The positives being that protest

music in the past has allowed for the United States to form an increase in voting rights and has

allowed for the spread of information pertaining to the social injustices to the general public. The
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negatives being that protest music in the past has resulted in riots that have destroyed cities, the

mass killing of the innocent people who were at Tiananmen Square by the Chinese Military, and

it has caused tension and division to the United States. From these answers that I have found, I

can safely say that my findings are satisfactory, but it raises many additional questions. These

questions include what other forms of communication can spread a political message and how

political leaders react to musicians who write against their social and political views. Hopefully,

I can continue my path on finding out the answers to my questions and to see if there are any

patterns or if the results are subject to change.

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Works Cited

Fisher, Max. “This is the song of Tiananmen. ‘Blindfold my eyes and cover the sky’.” The

Washington Post, The Washington Post. 4 June 2013,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/06/04/this-is-the-song-of-

tiananmen-blindfold-my-eyes-and-cover-the-sky/. Accessed 10 April 2022.

Fouraker, Clark and Eric, Rodriguez. “Music of the Movement: Protest Music Has Long Been a

Messenger of Resistance.” NBC LX, NBC. 2 Sept. 2020,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUCGefm30XY. Accessed 16 Mar. 2022.

Friedman, Jon. “50 Years Ago Neil Young Wrote a Song That Changed a Generation of Protest

Music.” Esquire, Esquire. 27 June 2020,

www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a32981855/neil-young-ohio-meaning-analysis-

essay-history-50th-anniversary/. Accessed 10 April 2022.

Grow, Kory. “How N.W.A’s ‘Fuck tha Police’ Became the ‘Perfect Protest Song’.” Rolling

Stone, Rolling Stone. 9 June 2020,

www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/nwa-fuck-tha-police-protest-song-

1010355/. Accessed 10 April 2022.

Qual, Ben. “American Idiots: Charting Protests and Activism in the Alternative Music Scene

During George W. Bush’s Presidency.” Comparative American Studies An Academic

Journal, vol. 18, no. 3, 2021, pp. 302-21. Taylor & Francis Online,

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14775700.2021.2015219?scroll=top&needAccess

=true. Accessed 21 Mar. 2022.

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Schifferes, Steve. “Vietnam, The music of protest.” BBC News, BBC. 1 May 2005,

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/Americas/4498011.stm. Accessed 16 Mar. 2022.