Itâs not just punk. Music has been used as a form of rebellion against oppression for a hell of a long time. Fuck, centuries even. The people who donât get this have most likely never been oppressed in their life.
A few protest/âpoliticalâ songs, and some about specific tragedies, from recent history, that arenât just punk:
Beds Are Burning, Midnight Oil
I Was Only Nineteen, Redgum
Eve of Destruction, Barry McGuire
We Are The World, USA for Africa
Say It Loud (Iâm Black and Iâm Proud), James Brown
Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell (or more recently, Counting Crows)
Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen
Know Your Rights, The Clash
Holiday in Cambodia, Dead Kennedys
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Gil Scott Heron
Weâve been doing this shit forever, itâs not new. War, racism, fascism, homophobia⌠if itâs harmed people, itâs been put into music. Itâs an incredibly powerful medium that has changed the world before, and to say that politics, hatred, and tragedy shouldnât be featured is, honestly, simply ignorant.