Western Protest Music

America is composed of a mixture of different people with different ethnicities, cultures, languages, and history. Although, as a country, we may have certain things such as a national anthem and a pledge of allegiance, we certainly don’t have a national dance, music style, song, or instrument which defines our country even though we do have a national flower. Because the American population is so rich and diverse, this can often lead to great differences in opinion. As we have seen in class throughout the second half of the quarter, it is not uncommon for us to see artists and bands in other regions of the world to use their music as a political tool for raising public awareness on sensitive issues. As much as people like to bash different genres of Western music for their lack of originality or depth of meaning, I would like to shed some light on artists from different music genres who have influenced me and many other individuals in throughout U.S. history.

My lecture will focus on relatively modern artists from the genres of folk, pop, and country music. I am assuming that this lecture will take place under a college setting so I would like to keep in mind the relevance of this music for the audience, which will most likely be college students between the ages of 18-24. The types of songs I want to explore are most widely known as protest songs. According to Wikipedia, a protest song “is a song which protests problems in society such as injustice, racial discrimination, war, globalization, inflation, social inequalities, incarceration, and global warming.” Protest songs in America gained popularity during the mid-20^th century and largely originated from folk music. The first artist I’d like to speak about is Bob Dylan.

I. Bob Dylan (Folk)

The 1960s was an extremely sensitive time within U.S. history. The Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War gave the public much to talk about. Bob Dylan was a very controversial artist when we first broke into the music scene. Many people didn’t even consider his songs to be real music. While people of the counterculture adored him, many of his critics disliked the verboseness of his songs simply because it sounded as though he was talking rather than singing. His style of songwriting was very rich in lyrical content. When you look at the full lyrics to one of his songs, they very much take the shape and form of a poem. This idea can be applied to any one of his songs. While the instrumentation to his songs are very simple, usually his guitar with an occasional line of the harmonica, it is his lyrics that carry the weight of the song. When he sings, it’s almost as if his lyrics are the melody while his guitar strumming is only a mere accompaniment. Despite what critics say, there is no doubt that the salience of his music struck a chord with the counterculture of the 60s and became anthems for those troubled times.

Songs: “The Times They Are a-Changin” and “Blowin’ in the Wind”

II. Madonna (Pop)

Madonna became an instant controversial hit in the 80’s. She often sang out about topics which were very taboo for society at the time. She sang about very mature material such as virginity, sex, homosexuality, women’s rights. Although probably most likely known for her homosexual-related content such as her dance moves in “Vogue” and music videos such as “Justify My Love,” she has become an inspirational female figure to so many women. Famous pop singer Britney Spears often attributes Madonna as being one of her early musical influences.

Songs: “Vogue,” “Like a Prayer,” and “Justify My Love” (Note: “Justify My Love” was immediately banned from television once it originally aired. For a few days, MTV allowed it to air at late-night but it was ultimately pulled altogether.)

III. Dixie Chicks (Country)

The Dixie Chicks are three Texas natives who have become a massively popular country band in a relatively short time. The content of their early work was not political. In fact, none of their songs really were. The band was more known for their political comments made to the media. The song “Wide Open Spaces” brought them into popularity with the American public in the late 90’s. Ten days following the 9-11 attacks, lead singer Natalie Maines publicly spoke out against George W. Bush. This caused a national boycott against the Dixie Chicks. They came back however in 2006 with their new album sweetly named Shut Up and Sing which garnered them a 5 category sweep at the Grammys.

Songs: “Wide Open Spaces” and “Not Ready to Make Nice”

In conclusion, all these artists make up for a very enriching music experience. Although these artists are technically Western, they are still doing the same thing as other artists and bands around the world through the medium of music.