Rabz’ Radio Show Rocktober 2023 – Protest Songs


The big problem with protest songs, Cats, is if they refer too explicitly to a cause du jour, they will date. Badly.

See just about every Midnight Oil song, ever – with the possible exception of Wedding Cake Island, given it’s an instrumental.

That’s why the best protest songs are not obviously hitched to a fleeting cause. They will stubbornly transcend fleeting causes if they essay more universal themes.

Musicians have always regarded themselves as social commentators, as they think they’ve been granted a megaphone with which they might lecture the poor ignorant easily swayed and very sweaty masses.

There’s no point in trying to over analyse this. Some of my favourite songs of all time are apparently, protest songs.

Did a search this arvo for the greatest protest songs and below is a small sample of some of my favourites – all of which I’ve posted here previously.

Sex Pistols – Anarchy In The UK (1976)

Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes (1984)

Marvin Gaye – What’s Goin’ On (1971)

Anyway, Cats, here’s the two tasters for this evening:

Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1971)

Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel – White lines (don’t do it) (1991)

So get those tacky homemade signs out protesting the cause du jour and let’s have some fun, baybee!


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lotocoti
lotocoti
October 7, 2023 8:08 pm

Perhaps more a lament than a protest song, but still.

Crossie
Crossie
October 7, 2023 8:17 pm

Alright then let’s hear from Kari Lake:

81 Million Votes, My Ass

calli
calli
October 7, 2023 8:18 pm

Now here’s a protest song!

P
P
October 7, 2023 8:19 pm

Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North Of Richmond

I am unable to past a link.

Crossie
Crossie
October 7, 2023 8:20 pm

I always thought that this is a low key protest song:

Last Train To Clarksville

calli
calli
October 7, 2023 8:21 pm

Okay, since Rabz is going all 60’s…

The tradie’s protest song.

Crossie
Crossie
October 7, 2023 8:22 pm

P, here it is for you:

Rich Men North Of Richmond

calli
calli
October 7, 2023 8:24 pm

Now here’s one that’s only played when the class enemy is in power.

C.L.
C.L.
October 7, 2023 8:27 pm

Let’s not beat around the bush…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUt0dZXPFoU

Crossie
Crossie
October 7, 2023 8:27 pm

Let’s not forget this one

I Was Only 19

Alamak!
Alamak!
October 7, 2023 8:28 pm

Bob D protesting a false imprisonment

Bob in full flow with great musicians.

eric hinton
eric hinton
October 7, 2023 8:29 pm

The Beatles – Revolution

You say you want a revolution
ISnip}
Don’t you know that you can count me out
[Snip]
You say you’ll change the Constitution
[Snip]
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow

Crossie
Crossie
October 7, 2023 8:30 pm

As far as I’m concerned this is the ultimate protest song:

Pub With No Beer

mc
mc
October 7, 2023 8:31 pm

Revolution (not number 9)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JZpKhjQh6rw

mc
mc
October 7, 2023 8:32 pm

Snap eric

132andBush
132andBush
October 7, 2023 8:32 pm
Alamak!
Alamak!
October 7, 2023 8:33 pm

protesting conscription policies of the vietnam war – fortunate son

vr
vr
October 7, 2023 8:34 pm

Roberta Flack’s cover of the Les McCann classic “Compared to What“.

eric hinton
eric hinton
October 7, 2023 8:35 pm

Bob Dylan – Talkin’ World War III Blues

I was feeling kind of lonesome and blue
I needed somebody to talk to
So I called up the operator of time
Just to hear a voice of some kind
“When you hear the beep it will be 3 o’clock”
She said that for over an hour
And I hung up

Crossie
Crossie
October 7, 2023 8:39 pm

Does anyone remember this one?

Smiley

Crossie
Crossie
October 7, 2023 8:45 pm

Someone is really displeased with most of our suggestions, thumbs down galore.

P
P
October 7, 2023 8:46 pm
Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 7, 2023 8:46 pm

I think this is a protest song. I checked and the wiki agrees!

Another Brick in The Wall – Pink Floyd (live 2019)

Alamak!
Alamak!
October 7, 2023 8:48 pm

Crossie> Possibly one of the resident trolls having a bad day?

like the cats site – its like a jungle sometimes

Roger
Roger
October 7, 2023 8:55 pm
P
P
October 7, 2023 8:57 pm
Alamak!
Alamak!
October 7, 2023 9:02 pm

Welcome to a new kind of tension all across the alien nation
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay

american idiot

132andBush
132andBush
October 7, 2023 9:05 pm
Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 7, 2023 9:05 pm

An apartheid era song.

Paul Simon – The Boy In The Bubble (1987)

P
P
October 7, 2023 9:10 pm
eric hinton
eric hinton
October 7, 2023 9:10 pm

No Fixed Address

We Have Survived

Pigs

Dragnet
Dragnet
October 7, 2023 9:13 pm

Tracey Chapman’s Fast Car only seems to get a radio run when there’s a Republican Prez.

Roger
Roger
October 7, 2023 9:15 pm
Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 7, 2023 9:15 pm
Roger
Roger
October 7, 2023 9:21 pm

Marvin Gaye – What’s Goin’ On (1971)

Iirc, that was co-written by one of the Four Tops.

He offered it to them, but they didn’t want to touch it because it was too political.

Alamak!
Alamak!
October 7, 2023 9:25 pm

Johnny Too Bad

Protesting jamaican street gangsters never sounded so good.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 7, 2023 9:27 pm

Some serious Jefferson Airplane.

Volunteers (1969)

Steve trickler
Steve trickler
October 7, 2023 9:33 pm
Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 7, 2023 9:33 pm

The Marley.

Get Up, Stand Up (1973) – Bob Marley & The Wailers

P
P
October 7, 2023 9:47 pm
Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 7, 2023 9:54 pm

A bit more Saffie protest music:

Peter Gabriel – Biko (1980)

Has not turned out well, but the song is excellent.

Alamak!
Alamak!
October 7, 2023 9:56 pm
Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 7, 2023 10:18 pm

Straits, dire ones.

Dire Straits – Industrial Disease (1982)

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 7, 2023 11:19 pm

I Was Only 19

I served with an ouen who had served in 6RAR at the time that song was set. He remembered the incident – ‘ it came over the radio net that the Yanks had landed on the moon, the boss said ‘oh, fvck the yanks” then there was an explosion and the sh!t really hit the fan…

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 7, 2023 11:40 pm

Has not turned out well, but the song is excellent.

“I am telling you, my old china, that Mandela made a speech “You won’t be driving a B.M.W, the year after Blak Majority Rule, it won’t be two years after Blak Majority Rule, it may take five years, but I promise you, you will be driving a B.M.W. under Blak Majority Rule.”

It is now fourteen years since Blak Majority Rule, and the symbols of our once mighty South Africa, are a squatters shack and a toilet bucket……..

Alamak!
Alamak!
October 8, 2023 1:55 am

Bozo travelled to Nicaragua and El Salvador and saw first-hand the distress of the peasants, yet his pompousness was unaffected …

Bozo’s ego was greater, by far, than any small country such as these.

Here is an irish band covering an aussie song protesting against war

Tom
Tom
October 8, 2023 4:36 am
duncanm
duncanm
October 8, 2023 9:12 am

As with lotocoti’s pick, more of a lament, but one of my favourite Marvin Gaye songs.

the world is rated X

ArgyBargy
ArgyBargy
October 8, 2023 9:47 am

How about a counter protest song

Universal Coward – Jan and Dean

https://youtu.be/Vb6tnpFuUa8?si=jyO-NjwkAV3qZlyX

Bear Necessities
Bear Necessities
October 8, 2023 12:12 pm

Orange Crush

Protest about the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Bar Beach Swimmer
October 8, 2023 4:06 pm

Late to the party, as usual.
Elvis…Costello

https://youtu.be/LrjHz5hrupA?si=O3G02jc7DoNwPeoO

Bar Beach Swimmer
October 8, 2023 4:07 pm

I loved the Kari Lake!

Bar Beach Swimmer
October 8, 2023 4:47 pm

Any song that protests people wanting to eat bugs and not bacon, among other things, must be great!

https://youtu.be/czAe3L7utTs?si=KS5XZsVSlX0mxskP

Bar Beach Swimmer
October 8, 2023 4:56 pm

Trump and Rich Men North of Richmond

https://youtu.be/nu6kfj188jo?si=wwRvXSSqEE_5X8lV

Bar Beach Swimmer
October 8, 2023 5:00 pm

Protest starts with an individual…

Tom Petty

https://youtu.be/nvlTJrNJ5lA?si=pSkiX_Aqc1VHU2h_

JC
JC
October 8, 2023 5:02 pm

Okay, it is The Conversation, but this survey matches hunches.

Since the revolution, literacy rates have risen sharply and the urban population has grown substantially. Levels of internet penetration in Iran are comparable to those in Italy, with around 60 million users and the number grows relentlessly: 70% of adults are members of at least one social media platform.

For our survey on religious belief in Iran, we targeted diverse digital channels after analysing which groups showed lower participation rates in our previous large-scale surveys. The link to the survey was shared by Kurdish, Arab, Sufi and other networks. And our research assistant successfully convinced Shia pro-regime channels to spread it among their followers, too. We reached mass audiences by sharing the survey on Instagram pages and Telegram channels, some of which had a few million followers.

After cleaning our data, we were left with a sample of almost 40,000 Iranians living in Iran. The sample was weighted and balanced to the target population of literate Iranians aged above 19, using five demographic variables and voting behaviour in the 2017 presidential elections.
A secular and diverse Iran

Our results reveal dramatic changes in Iranian religiosity, with an increase in secularisation and a diversity of faiths and beliefs. Compared with Iran’s 99.5% census figure, we found that only 40% identified as Muslim.

In contrast with state propaganda that portrays Iran as a Shia nation, only 32% explicitly identified as such, while 5% said they were Sunni Muslim and 3% Sufi Muslim. Another 9% said they were atheists, along with 7% who prefer the label of spirituality. Among the other selected religions, 8% said they were Zoroastrians – which we interpret as a reflection of Persian nationalism and a desire for an alternative to Islam, rather than strict adherence to the Zoroastrian faith – while 1.5% said they were Christian.
GAMAAN Religion in Iran 2020 – identifications.

Most Iranians, 78%, believe in God, but only 37% believe in life after death and only 30% believe in heaven and hell. In line with other anthropological research, a quarter of our respondents said they believed in jinns or genies. Around 20% said they did not believe in any of the options, including God.
GAMAAN Religion in Iran 2020 – beliefs.

These numbers demonstrate that a general process of secularisation, known to encourage religious diversity, is taking place in Iran. An overwhelming majority, 90%, described themselves as hailing from believing or practising religious families. Yet 47% reported losing their religion in their lifetime, and 6% said they changed from one religious orientation to another. Younger people reported higher levels of irreligiosity and conversion to Christianity than older respondents.
GAMAAN religion in Iran 2020 – changing orientations.

A third said they occasionally drank alcohol in a country that legally enforces temperance. Over 60% said they did not perform the obligatory Muslim daily prayers, synchronous with a 2020 state-backed poll in which 60% reported not observing the fast during Ramadan (the majority due to being “sick”). In comparison, in a comprehensive survey conducted in 1975 before the Islamic Revolution, over 80% said they always prayed and observed the fast.
Religion and legislation

We found that societal secularisation was also linked to a critical view of the religious governance system: 68% agreed that religious prescriptions should be excluded from legislation, even if believers hold a parliamentary majority, and 72% opposed the law mandating all women wear the hijab, the Islamic veil.
GAMAAN Religion in Iran 2020 – hijab.

Iranians also harbour illiberal secularist opinions regarding religious diversity: 43% said that no religions should have the right to proselytise in public. However, 41% believed that every religion should be able to manifest in public.
Woman walking towards large archway in Tehran.
Tehran’s Azadi Tower was finished in 1971. Five decades later, Iranians increasingly embrace secular values. Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA

Four decades ago, the Islamic Revolution taught sociologists that European-style secularisation is not followed universally around the world. The subsequent secularisation of Iran confirmed by our survey demonstrates that Europe is not exceptional either, but rather part of complex, global interactions between religious and secular forces.

Other research on population growth, whose decline has been linked to higher levels of secularisation, also suggests a decline in religiosity in Iran. In 2020, Iran recorded its lowest population growth, below 1%.

Greater access to the world via the internet, but also through interactions with the global Iranian diaspora in the past 50 years, has generated new communities and forms of religious experience inside the country. A future disentangling of state power and religious authority would likely exacerbate these societal transformations. Iran as we think we know it is changing, in fundamental ways.

JC
JC
October 8, 2023 5:03 pm

Whoops, rong fred.

Alamak!
Alamak!
October 9, 2023 1:59 am

A third said they occasionally drank alcohol in a country that legally enforces temperance.

Having travelled there a few years back I can confirm that many Iranians do drink and in fact love the fruit of the vine. Usually in private with friends, supplied by the local drinks-provider that operates via SMS and delivers to the door. Even restaurants will find ways to enable drinking via BYO in teacups or buying from the friendly booze provider lurking nearby. Name-brand stuff is imported from azerbaijan and iraq, brought in over mountain trails used in smuggling for hundreds of years.

good people imho but not a good government. .

Pyrmonter
October 9, 2023 12:43 pm

Contrarian as ever – this sort of thing is still popular on both left and now on the ‘Right’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUoXtddNPAM

  1. Martha MacCallum Can’t Believe John Kirby’s Outrageous Response to Her Question: ‘Why Not Just Take One Down and Figure Out…

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