Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

[bulldogtragic]

The great thing about music is that it can encapsulate the mood of people and/or make observations that others with power don't want to. Be it peace, anti-war, racism, society/government failings, corporate greed (yes Peter Garrett, I'm talking about you) and a vast number of societies issues or raise awareness. Slow, quick, loud or soft or pop, all music can do it well. In some cases they can become anthems for an entire movement. In Bob Dylan case, his song (...eventually...) had an innocent man freed from prison with the attention a Bob Dylan song can generate. So what's your favourites and why?

So, I'll go first. As a much younger me when idealism wasn't a negative slander at someone I listened almost exclusively to heavy music. Metallica's 'One' film clip has always stuck with me in its hauntingness (anti-war) and Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name' (violence/racism). An older personal favourite is John Lennon's 'Working Class Hero'. On the Australian front there's just so much great stuff, Midnight Oil have a handful of equally strong comments of modern Australia.

I don't think modern musicians or song writers do it anymore, so sorry if this threads rules out any young uns.

[AndrewP6]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

Whilst "Hurricane" was and is a great song, Dylan exercised a fair degree of artistic licence in its writing, embellishing facts and in an early version, flat out making them up. So I'm not convinced his song led to Carter's release, 12 years later. Anyhoo, he's written countless songs that fit this thread. One of his I like is "Masters of War".... "I'll stand over your grave, till I'm sure that you're dead"...I always liked "Oliver's Army" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions, too.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

Good calls, Don't disagree on Hurricane, but without the song I hazard a guess that no one would've thought twice to legally represent an African American convicted of murder at any stage. There's an awful lot of convicted murderers in the US claiming innocence who don't get a look in for a decent appeal. But that's all for a different form I dare say.

[AndrewP6]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

I could be on this thread for a month! Dylan wrote a song called "Only A Hobo"... only released on bootlegs (including his official "Bootleg Series"!), it's about seeing a deceased homeless person on the street, and everyone hurrying past, thinking the man is beneath them. Basically saying that the man's life should be valued as much as any -"He was only a hobo, but one more is gone, leavin' nobody to sing his sad song".... Great tune.

[azabob]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

Intersting topic. For me the one that springs straight to my mind is Michael Franti 'Oh My God' from 2001.

He touches on a range of issues from politics, racisim, crime, corruption and 'The Man' in general.

[Twodogs]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

A good one to get us through the election campaign could be Bob Dylan's advice in Rainy Day Women #12 # 35.

The Clash had a way of cutting straight to the heart of a social issue.

[The Underdog]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

The great thing about music is that it can encapsulate the mood of people and/or make observations that others with power don't want to. Be it peace, anti-war, racism, society/government failings, corporate greed (yes Peter Garrett, I'm talking about you) and a vast number of societies issues or raise awareness. Slow, quick, loud or soft or pop, all music can do it well. In some cases they can become anthems for an entire movement. In Bob Dylan case, his song (...eventually...) had an innocent man freed from prison with the attention a Bob Dylan song can generate. So what's your favourites and why?

So, I'll go first. As a much younger me when idealism wasn't a negative slander at someone I listened almost exclusively to heavy music. Metallica's 'One' film clip has always stuck with me in its hauntingness (anti-war) and Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name' (violence/racism). An older personal favourite is John Lennon's 'Working Class Hero'. On the Australian front there's just so much great stuff, Midnight Oil have a handful of equally strong comments of modern Australia.

I don't think modern musicians or song writers do it anymore, so sorry if this threads rules out any young uns.

That last line is pretty patronising. To say that there aren't any political songwriters or artists in music currently probably says more about your tastes than current music trends. Radio or chart music may not feature much in the way of political music but that's more about the corporate culture that controls these things created by previous generations. One of the strongest aspects of 80's and 90's pop was it's willingness to sell out to corporate money at the drop of a hat. This continues to a large degree.

It basically writes off Hip Hop which may be the most political art form left, particularly, in a class and race sense. Acts like Run The Jewels & Kendrick Lamar are overtly political and hugely popular. There's plenty of bands playing a form of political music around if you look for it. Local bands like The Drones have a strong societal aspect to their music, not to mention the Smith St Band's Tony Abbott ode "Wipe That Shit Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face"

On a personal level I've both been incredibly affected by political music over the years and been aware of much of the empty sloganeering that it can produce (especially punk songs) and it's ability to lend succour to the chattering class so they can sing along, punch the air and then ignore the issues in their favourite song while they go about daily life (guilty your honour).

However I've always loved clever and passionate political music leading me to bands and artists like Dead Kennedy's, Black Flag, Bad Religion in their hey day, Fugazi, Kinks (whose mid 60's work was so heavily based around class), Billy Bragg, The Roots, Staples Singers, Marvin Gaye, Aretha, Nina Simone and Todd Snider among many others.
The band who've had the greatest impact on my life are the Canadian punk/thrash band Propagandhi, who've changed my eating habits and given me an awareness of societal issues that goes far beyond any other politics lesson I could have had. Their singer Chris Hannah is unquestionably one of the great lyricists I've ever come across. They also live their message.

However I'll shut this thread down here.
The greatest political song of all time is Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come"

[Twodogs]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

Some good noms there underdog. I particularly like Nina Simone and will nominate Young Gifted and Black as one of my favorite political, societal or just bloody best records ever.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

I don't think modern musicians or song writers do it anymore, so sorry if this threads rules out any young uns.

I think partly why so little "political/social" music makes it commercially is to do with the stranglehold the Establishment still has over the mediums through which it is disseminated to the public - radio, record companies, TV - they all live off a broader advertising/publicity bandwagon and the last thing they want is to get a potential customer offside so the music played is tame, bland and unoffensive.

In terms of Australian bands who have had a political message - The Whitlams - hard to miss the social message in songs like "Blow up the Pokies" and "Love this City"; Midnight Oil - obviously!

The sad fact is that bands with a social/political bias write great music, but to get airplay they need to sell out and once they have sold out, their political message is tarnished - viscious circle

[AndrewP6]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

I'll see your Sam Cooke (great song, great artist) and raise you Billie Holiday's version of "Strange Fruit".

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

Apologies to the mentioned bands for my patronising. To be fair to me, I don't listen to anything remotely close to resembling billboard music, nor listen to the radio anymore or too much new stuff really. I don't have a set taste, I like lyrics that are about something and not inane words coincidental to the noise. What I am is sick of having the BS marketed to me as music when it's anything but. Or that singers (who aren't musicians) need to go a reality TV show for .2 nano seconds of fame to just open theirs mouths to a backing track and only make money for whomever company owns the to show rights. My comments were a snipe re above, and not meant to be patronising. But I will give Propaghandi a go on that reference.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

I don't think modern musicians or song writers do it anymore, so sorry if this threads rules out any young uns.

I think partly why so little "political/social" music makes it commercially is to do with the stranglehold the Establishment still has over the mediums through which it is disseminated to the public - radio, record companies, TV - they all live off a broader advertising/publicity bandwagon and the last thing they want is to get a potential customer offside so the music played is tame, bland and unoffensive.

In terms of Australian bands who have had a political message - The Whitlams - hard to miss the social message in songs like "Blow up the Pokies" and "Love this City"; Midnight Oil - obviously!

The sad fact is that bands with a social/political bias write great music, but to get airplay they need to sell out and once they have sold out, their political message is tarnished - viscious circle

Bang on. God forbid musicians have an opinion. I loved Dave Grohl & Butch Vig's pisstake on modern music in the Foo Fighters official band announcement video. I've always respected his preparedness to get political against George W and FF to lend their support where they think it best in the last few US presidential campaigns.

[The Underdog]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

Apologies to the mentioned bands for my patronising. To be fair to me, I don't listen to anything remotely close to resembling billboard music, nor listen to the radio anymore or too much new stuff really. I don't have a set taste, I like lyrics that are about something and not inane words coincidental to the noise. What I am is sick of having the BS marketed to me as music when it's anything but. Or that singers (who aren't musicians) need to go a reality TV show for .2 nano seconds of fame to just open theirs mouths to a backing track and only make money for whomever company owns the to show rights. My comments were a snipe re above, and not meant to be patronising. But I will give Propaghandi a go on that reference.

That's fair enough, but there's always been a prevailing element of "dumb" pop music and if people want to take what they're being spoon fed then that's up to them. As long as there has been a way to market packaged pop to teenagers there's been packaged pop.

I'm also not recommending Propagandhi to all, it's certainly music to a particular and largely unpopular taste but if you check out the lyrics for a song like And We Thought Nation States Were A Bad Idea, Iteration, The State Lottery or Name and Address Withheld then there's political music at work.

[The Underdog]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

Some good noms there underdog. I particularly like Nina Simone and will nominate Young Gifted and Black as one of my favorite political, societal or just bloody best records ever.

It's also always been the way I'd like to respond to "name 3 words that describe you" (none do)

[The Underdog]

Re: Favourite song of a society/social awareness perspective.

I'll see your Sam Cooke (great song, great artist) and raise you Billie Holiday's version of "Strange Fruit".

Apparently there's no like button on this thread but that is an elite level choice sir