Collection of anti-war songs that were created (or revived) between 2000 and 2010. It was inspired by a backstage conversation the singer had with a fan who had served in Iraq and was haunted by what he’d had to do, even though “there’s no denying it was in self-defense.”, Peacemongering lyrics: “That man I shot / I was in his homeland / I was there to help him / but he didn’t want me there.”. 2006 Dixie Chicks — “Not Ready To Make Nice”. Los Angeles, California. Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger sang for the rights of workers and immigrants (Ballads of Sacco and Vanzetti was one of the first-ever concept albums in 1947). 50 Songs From The 2000s That Will Instantly Put You In A Good Mood By Rob Fee Updated May 7, 2018. Some anti-war songs lament some aspects of war, while others satirize war. East Bay: Spots to hear live music in Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda for Feb. 17 & 18, 2012. "And the battle's just begun. Most promote … One takeaway is that subversiveness in our modern era is only attained and accepted by first becoming a household name. (Photo by Paras Griffin/BET/Getty Images for BET). Your email address will not be published. In a twisted parody of a military cadence, Waits barks about the horrors of war in his gravely, apocalyptic voice. The video makes references to Hurricane Katrina, police brutality and racism; features Beyoncé lying on top of a police car in a flooded street; and ends with images of Martin Luther King, and a graffitied wall with the words "stop shooting us.". By Rob Fee Updated May 7, 2018. Chanted at protests across the country, the song has had incredible cultural relevance, capped by an invitation from President Obama to perform "Alright" at the White House. Adding, “This war that's going on in Iraq is basically to build a pipeline and put up a [expletive] Wal-Mart." Peacemongering lyrics: “Crying all alone under the stands / was a piccolo player in the marching band / and one name read but nobody really cared / but a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair.”. 9 on the FORBES Hip-Hop Cash Kings 2016 list, earning $18.5 million last year. The single went platinum and won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and is still their biggest hit. Some anti-war songs lament some aspects of war, while others satirize war. The album, To Pimp a Butterfly, won the Grammy for Best Rap Album, sold more than a million copies, and has over 575 million Spotify plays. (Photo by Paras Griffin/BET/Getty Images for BET), EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change. Rolling Stone Peacemongering lyrics: “When the president talks to God / do they drink near beer and go play golf / while they pick which countries to invade / which Muslim souls still can be saved?”. ", Alien Stash Tin – Also covered by Betty Swallaux (2011), "The Holidays Are Here (And We're Still at War)", "The Cruel War" – Made famous in its current form by, This page was last edited on 11 November 2020, at 19:26. The Los Angeles Times described "FDT" as "the most prophetic, wrathful and unifying protest song of 2016.". Peacemongering lyrics: “Let the president answer a higher anarchy / strap him with an AK-47, let him go fight his own war.”. When the songs on this list aren’t expressing anger at the president, they’re expressing sympathy for the troops. Peacemongering lyrics: “How is it that the only ones responsible for making this mess / got their sorry asses stapled to a goddamn desk?”, T4aTFxG8Z0w1 Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” became hallmarks of the civil rights movement (my personal favorite is Nina Simone’s “Mississippi God Damn”). "Formation" became the highest-debuting single of her career; the album Lemonade sold 1.52 million copies in the U.S.; and The Formation Tour grossed $256 million, one of the top 20 highest grossing tours of all time. Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar during the 2016 BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2016 in... [+] Los Angeles, California. The backlash was severe, and the band experienced death threats and a country radio ban. Billie Holiday – “Strange Fruit” (1939) Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” is a protest song with enduring relevance. 8: “Here I Dreamt I was an Architect”, Who’s Where? In 2003, while the Iraq War was still largely supported, superstar country singers the Dixie Chicks defied their base of southern conservatives by denouncing the war on stage. 2003: Black Eyed Peas ft. Justin Timberlake — “Where Is The Love?”. It seems today that marriage equality was predestined to become law of the land. Your email address will not be published. While it lacks the name recognition and smash-hit status of the entries above, "FDT" is gradually becoming an anthem chanted at political protests in 2017. America’s greatest advocate for nonviolent protest, actually under investigation by the Secret Service, the last surviving English soldier to have served in the trenches of World War I. Gaye’s What’s Going On album went gold, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan went platinum, and CSNY’s So Far went six-times platinum. You may opt-out by. As the shock and pain of 9/11 evolved into military strategy and the 24-hour cable news cycle, the Black Eyed Peas entered into pop culture to make a political statement with the help of superstar Justin Timberlake. Although the song was recorded before the attacks and originally intended to promote AIDS awareness, it was quickly adopted for healing the nation and proceeds went toward the American Red Cross' September 11th fund. Eminem’s vitriol against Bush reached the point that the Detroit rapper was actually under investigation by the Secret Service for threatening the president. In its typically over-the-top fashion, the English rock band declares that some unnamed, corrupt leader will “burn in hell for your sins.” Yowza. The song won two 2016 Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. To help answer these questions, let’s take a look at examples of protest songs from the dawn of the 21st century that were both culturally and commercially successful. The Dixie Chicks famously got in trouble for daring to speak out during the run-up to the war in Iraq, but the country superstars had made their views on the subject clear months before by cutting a version of Bruce Robison‘s sad ballad for the return-to-roots album Home. By 2006, American opinion had turned sharply against the war. The trench is … I was talking to some folks at a party this weekend when a subject that’s been on my mind came up: the perception that “they just don’t write protest songs like they used to.” I maintained that there have been several powerful protest songs written in the last decade, and, in fact, I had been working on assembling a playlist of a few choice examples. Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” spoke of racial divisions in the war-torn ‘70s… It appeared on the album Elephunk, which went on to sell 9 million copies worldwide. Meanwhile, independent artists and under-the-radar musicians haven't been able to meaningfully break through with protest songs of their own (like Steve Earle's excellent The Revolution Starts Now). Even if this generation hasn’t quite found its “Give Peace a Chance” yet, a couple of the songs that follow were made by platinum-selling artists at the peak of their popularity. Do you think protest music of today (late 20th and 21st century) is genuine and effective, or just a cash grab the music industry sees an opportunity in? Is there evidence that independent artists should enter this arena? Back in 2005, you couldn’t read about Connor Oberst without seeing the indie singer-songwriter being compared to a young Bob Dylan, so it’s only fitting that he penned an acoustic protest song, one directed squarely at George W. Bush and his religious convictions. As you’ve likely noticed on your Facebook feed, or from looking out the window, a wave of protests has emerged in response to the early actions of the Trump administration. Required fields are marked *. The Women’s March, with an estimated 3 million participants, is the largest protest in American history. As long as protests have been a civic action in American life, music has been a key component. The Creedence Clearwater Revival singer is no stranger to protest songs, but it sounds like he’s unleashing years of frustration at the ultimate Fortunate Son with this two-chord punk tune. As of this writing, the video has over 14 million YouTube views and 5 million Spotify plays. Many of these songs are considered protest songs, and some have been embraced by war-weary people, various peace movements, and peace activists. Peacemongering lyrics: “Our freedom’s consuming itself / what we’ve become / is contrary to what we want.”, Updating his classic 1965 song “Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation,” the veteran folksinger bemoaned The Surge and its promise to “save Iraq from Iraqis.”, Peacemongering lyrics: “I got a letter from old George W. / it said, ‘Son, I hate to trouble ya / but this war of mine is going bad / it’s time for me to roll the dice/ I know you’ve already been there twice / but I am sending you back to Baghdad.'”. Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” spoke of racial divisions in the war-torn ‘70s. It rose to No. Peacemongering lyrics: “Give your leaders each a gun and then let them fight it out themselves.”. The Annotated Decemberists No. Not only did these songs influence the culture, but they also made money. The peculiar spelling of “loose” in the title is evidently a reference to Jeffrey Lucey, a 23-year-old marine with post-traumatic stress disorder who commited suicide in 2005. So on this day in which we honor America’s greatest advocate for nonviolent protest—and in honor of the recent withdrawal of troops from Iraq—I present 14 Anti-War Songs for the 21st Century for your listening enjoyment/outrage. Some of these include: Gulf War(s), Iraq, 9/11, and the War on Terror.