My parents came of age in the 1960s. Thus, our house was full of music from that era. I heard a lot of The Beatles, Crosby, Stills, & Nash (and sometimes Young), The Rolling Stones, and everything else pop, rock, and soul had to offer.
This music served as a great background for that time in history as I learned about the Vietnam War, Watergate, the JFK and RFK assassinations, and the widespread protests. There was no shortage of songs to reflect what was happening.
Pop culture also chimed in with shows like The Wonder Years, which I watched every week. It was a mix of teenage hormones with a backdrop of news clips and references to world events. Oh, and I had a crush on Winnie Cooper (shocking for a teenage boy, right?) 🥰 But I digress.
Agree with them or not, those protest songs told a story and conveyed a sentiment felt by at least some young people. I took them to heart and still listen to this day.
At the same time, I listened to modern acts like Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine. You might say that each group’s catalog was nothing but protest songs.
It still amazes me that either of the above bands got on the radio and/or MTV. They were “radical” in that they were about more than stardom. They had a message and never backed down from calling it as they saw it.
That leads me to today, a confusing and frustrating time in our world. And I ask: Where the hell are the modern protest songs?
Artists have often channeled troubled times into something we can sing along to. They capture moments and galvanize people. So many musicians, in particular, have provided sounds we can rally around.
Do artists no longer care about what’s going on out there? I find that hard to believe when browsing social media. Several continue to speak out on everything from ICE (I hear you, Bad Bunny) to the Epstein files (you’re going the distance, Cake).
Those feelings don’t appear to have infiltrated the mainstream media, however. My uneducated guess is that corporately-owned radio stations aren’t looking for the next “For What it’s Worth” or “Give Peace a Chance”.
It seems to me that wealthy shareholders have no desire to rock either the boat or the vote. Instead, they’ll play it safe and pretend the world isn’t on fire. Maybe Green Day’s “American Idiot” was the last gasp of a message of protest dominating the airwaves.
That’s a shame, because this chaotic era deserves a proper soundtrack. And people on the right side of history (now and in the future) need some good vibrations to help us remember what was at stake.
Perhaps it’s my age. Maybe an influencer ranting on YouTube is all the kids need. Still, I’ll hold out for more.
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