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How much politics do you like in your music?
Do you want your live music experience free of political messages in the between song banter or do you want a full on protest music? Can you listen to an artist that you disagree with politically if there are no politics in his/her music? Can you think of instances where artists you usually enjoy incorporate political motives to poor artistic ends?
Views: 2
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Truersound on -
If the music is good, I don't care either way. I posted this on another website earlier this week, but I will say it here too. I would hate to live in a world where one could only listen to music within one's political safe zones.
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Permalink Reply by JC Shepard on -
I like as much politics in my music as music in my politics. I would sooner ask Newt to sing "Georgia on my Mind" as ask Nat & the Dixie Chicks what they thought about foreign policy. Nat can say whatever she wants, and Newt can sing karaoke all day long if that was his thing, but that doesn't mean I want to waste my time on either one.
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Permalink Reply by The Muckrakes on -
Shut up and play.
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Permalink Reply by Keith Drummond on -
I'm a grown-up and don't want to be preached at. The sixties are gone and they ain't comin' back.
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Permalink Reply by CCRShevy on -
I don't mind listening to songs with a political message. There are many artists that incorporate social or political ideology into their songs. I do have a problem when artists such as Bruce Springsteen, u2, CSN try to shove it down your throat at a concert, although they only do it when a republican is in office because we all know that a democrat would never create a cause for concern in anyway at all. I am a huge fan of John Fogerty. John has always written some political songs, & they are great. At his concerts he would take literally 10 seconds & mention something political. I can deal with that, but I don't want to hear someone ie; Bono, pontificating about what we as americans should be doing with our money & how bad a job we are doing overall.
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Permalink Reply by RP N10 on -
If the performer has something to say and says it well then politics is as valid a subject for an artist as anything else.
Political art - of all all forms - has a long tradition and at its best transcends the art form and informs the politics.
Personally, I would rather artists added to political debate than didn't. Sometimes I'd rather they would Shut Up and Sing Out but never shut up & sing.
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Permalink Reply by Rudyjeep on
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To paraphrase the Band "I can take the way they sing, but I hate to hear them talk". Sing all you want about any subject - I even chuckled at Steven Lynch's song parody "Kill a Kitten" and I have three cats - but I'm not a fan of artists talking about politics. Even if I agree with them, they tend to do it badly. It's tough to discuss complicated nuanced issues at a concert or in a sound bite. If you try to, you end up saying things like "Because in 1985, blind faith in your leaders....or anything....will get you killed" (Bruce Springsteen). I've never thought he competed with Ben Franklin when it came to memorable quotes. Play the music and the crowd can make their own minds up.
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Permalink Reply by David Brewbaker on
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One only had to to see the U2 concert at the Rose Bowl on Sunday night--either in person or streaming online across the world to realize that there is a need to speak out against injustice in the world and raise the global consciousness in order to reverse the trend and shame those who perpetrate it. Those who have the stage should do it if they can.
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Permalink Reply by W. Coastal Eddie on
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I've had concerts that should have been terrific ruined by the artist who decided to lecture about one thing or another rather than singing the songs that I paid good money to hear. These lectures have been from all sides of the political spectrum- Kris Kristofferson one night, Bocephus another, etc. In my view, if you can work your political rants into a song, well then I'll listen to you. I may not agree with your views, but at least it's the medium for which I respect you. But, in the end, I want to hear a musician's diatribe regarding their position on Bush, Obama, Iraq, Iran, Health Care, Climate Change, or the Price of Tea in China about as much as the Romanian fans enjoyed hearing Madonna's thoughts on Gypsies.
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Permalink Reply by Brendan McCloud on
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Where would we be if there had been no Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger ? Or Steve Earle for that matter? Bob Dylan comes to mind as well for some reason. One of the first songs I learned after my first conversion to folk music was "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night"
The rules of good song writing should apply however. John Ascrofts' "Let the Eagle Soar" is a case in point for that. Politicians should not enage in this craft perhaps... I d0 agree its better to sing than talk and yes, maybe Bono needs to straighten out Ireland first, but if rich rock stars want to speak out for the downtrodden and can also carry a tune I'm all for it.
Good protest songs like "Masters of War" still get my blood going. Eddie Vedder did a great verison of this live.
By the way does anyone know of any conservative protest songwriters? Something on the inheritance tax, or fighting more wars or not letting our people go? Hmmm, "I Dreamed I Saw Ronald Reagan Last Night"?
What I'm hinting at here is that, in my opinion, almost all the good political or protest music comes from the left.
OK, "Oakie from Muskogee" was powerful and popular (even if I disagreed with it) and then more recently there is that pesky yet catchy tune "How Bout You?" But these are exceptions I believe.
I welcome any other examples of good protest music from the right. Barry Sadler does not count and "Redneck Girl Like Me," which I really like, may be a protest song but only against non-redneck girls or guys. Toby Keith doesn't count because he's just annoying.
Yes I like music about something and that even includes the afore mentioned "How bout You?" The dang thing is catchy.
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Permalink Reply by Truersound on
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just off the top of my head:
Steve Earle - Good Ole Boy (Gettin' Tough)
Chris Knight - House and 90 Acres
Fred Eaglesmith - Time To Get A Gun
Billy Joe Shaver - People and Their Problems
Johnny Cash - Ragged Old Flag
Hank Williams Jr. - I've Got Rights
not as rare as you think, and not all about "hording money" and listening to Glen Beck the same way all "liberal" songs aren't about abortions and raising taxes. This is getting to be pretty black and white though.....there is more to a person than whether they are "liberal" or "conservative", and some like me and Johnny Cash aren't either.
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Hey thanks for the list,
I'll look some of those up. I tend to view old Steve as a bit of a lefty though "Copperhead Road" confused the issue for me. I think Steve was saying something about the revenuers there. But he blew me away with "Rich Man's War," especially when he got to the part about Ali:
"Ali was the second son of a second son " and so on... He did this song at a time that was not necessarily open to seeing all sides of things and how a "rich man's war" can happen on all sides.
Steve is one of the better song writers who injects politics into his music.
I have to say one thing I like about straight Country music is that most of it is about real things, whether political or hard times or good times. I don't see an equivalent in most popular music today, which is why I like alt country.
I was looking about for the relevancy of Dylan in this day and age & it paid off, not so much about Dylan but about Ryan Bingham and his new album. I love this guy. Tipping his hat to the past while creating something new like "Dylan's Hard Rain." His other songs are great too, some with with more than a hint of politics thrown in.
This is the kind of new music that I keep looking for that has a bit of an edge but is melodic and sees things from a number of perspectives.
One of my beloved aunts is as far to the right as you can get and the other one is just as far to the left. I love them both the same. I talk very carefully to both of them usually not interjecting my own views...
My dad used to say don't talk to people about religion and politics and then he did it anyway. I guess I learned too much from him.
I agree about black and white. I grew up with musical roots like Johhny Cash but also Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. I'd like to think there is room for both even though I am naturally inclined to root for the same underdogs as Woody and Pete.
By the way Johhny had Bob Dylan on his show back in the day, they were pretty good friends.
Here's the url on youtube showing them doing a duet. Bob got Johnny to the Newport Folk Festival as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1JZly_jHeQ
Those were the days.
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