http://www.resistinc.

org/newsletters/articles/popular-and-protest-music-post%E2%80%93911
Popular and Protest usic Post!9/11
usic "ndustr# a$es it %ard to &esist
From the newsletter:
Art and Activism (July/August 2006)
From the blandness of in !an Alley "o" to the rebelliousness of early roc# $n% roll& "o"ular music
sets a tone for what is im"ortant in a given era' As such& it "rovides us with something of a
soundtrac# of "ublic o"inion' (n )*6+,66& when the nation was sorely divided on the war in
-ietnam& both the ./ve of 0estruction1 by 2arry 3c4uire and .he 2allad of the 4reen 2erets1 by
2arry 5adler hit number one within months of each other' As the war dragged on& "ublic o"inion
began to turn against it' !o"ular music became more identified with the anti6war movement' (n the
eighties and nineties& a series of mega fundraising concerts and "olitici7ed roc# and ra" songs too#
on a range of social issues that included hunger and starvation in Africa& a"artheid& the deteriorating
environment& homelessness& child abuse& racism& A(05& industrial "lant closings& and 85
intervention in 9entral America'
he terrorist attac#s of 5e"tember ))& 200) changed the role of contem"orary "o"ular music
dramatically' his new "olitical conte:t included decisive legislation and e:ecutive "ractices that
"rivileged national security over civil liberties& and concentration and consolidation in the music
industry that narrowed the diversity of voices in the musical mar#et"lace' he dissent ; and in
"articular the anti6war "rotest music ; which hel"ed "rovide the basis for a national debate on
-ietnam was nowhere to be found on mainstream media during the invasions of Afghanistan and
(ra<' (f anything& country anthems that favored government "olicy seemed more li#ely to ca"ture
the "o"ular imagination'
"nitial &esponses
he music industry was among the first to mount an institutional res"onse to the tragic events of
*/))' (n addition to individual contributions ; 0r' 0re& for e:am"le& "ersonally donated one
million dollars to the victim relief effort and countless others earmar#ed "roceeds from tour dates
; res"onses from the music community tended to ta#e the form of the ensemble benefit concerts
and all star recordings that had become tried and true fundraising strategies since =ive Aid and .>e
Are he >orld'1
A com"arison between America: A ribute to ?eroes ("roduced @ust ten days after the attac#) and
the 9oncert for Aew Bor# 9ity ; "roduced one month later ; reveals the tra@ectory of the new
social role for "o"ular music in the "ost6*/)) conte:t' (n the month that se"arated these two events&
the 8nited 5tates invaded Afghanistan' he character of these two events thus mar#ed the transition
from the initial shoc# of horror immediately following */))& when the nation was "lunged into grief&
to the more calculated& and often vengeful& search for those res"onsible'
America: A ribute to ?eroes was an understated& reverential event& with a diversity of "erformers
including 2ruce 5"ringsteen& 2on Jovi& 3ariah 9arey& Alicia Ceys& Faith ?ill& the 0i:ie 9hic#s&
5ting& !aul 5imon& =im" 2i7#it& 5heryl 9rowe& and >yclef Jean& among others' !un#& ra"& and
metal& as "erformance styles& were e:cluded& des"ite their "o"ularity among youth' he only overtly
conservative commentary was offered by 9lint /astwood& who referred to */)) as .the twenty6first
centuryDs day of infamy'1 (f om !ettyDs toned down& but still somewhat aggressive& rendition of .(
>onDt 2ac# 0own1 was a call to arms for the nationalist "ro@ect that was about to get underway& it
was offset by Aeil BoungDs stirring "erformance of John =ennonDs .(magine&1 which con@ured u"
visions of a world with neither religions nor countries and .nothing to fight or die for'1
he 9oncert for Aew Bor# 9ity& in contrast& was a grand& commerciali7ed& "ublic e:travagan7a
staged at 3adison 5<uare 4arden that announced to the world& as host 2illy 9rystal said in his
o"ening remar#s& .that weDre not afraid to go out'1 ?e further set the "olitical tone for the event in
his introductory comment that E>eDre showing everybody that we donDt hide in caves li#e cowards'1
3usically& with few e:ce"tions the concert was a tribute to white& male& guitar6based roc# in both its
line6u" and "erformance styles (2illy Joel& 2on Jovi& John 3ellencam"& 0avid 2owie& /ric 9la"ton&
he >ho& 3ic# Jagger and Ceith Fichard& /lton John& and !aul 3c9artney)' he increased
testosterone level of the music was a clear indicator of the change in mood& emotional tone& and
"olitical will that was ta#ing "lace in the 8nited 5tates' Gf all the s"ea#ers and "erformers who
a""eared at the concert& only actor Fichard 4ere attem"ted to deliver a message of moderation
when he tal#ed about .the "ossibility of ta#ing H all this horrendous energy that weDre feeling H
and turnIingJ it into com"assion and to love and to understanding'1 ?e was roundly booed for his
trouble'
'ountr# usic atters
>hile roc# has always been associated with a loud aggressive stance& it has most often been
de"loyed in the service of o""osition to the status <uo' 9ountry music& in contrast& has always been
coded as conservative and "atriotic' 5o it was "erha"s not sur"rising to see lyric content su""orting
administration "olicy in "ost6*/)) country music' From the */)) attac#s through the war in
Afghanistan to the invasion of (ra<& "o"ular country hits followed a rough tra@ectory from
thoughtful reflection (Alan Jac#son%s .>here >ere BouK1) to conservative "atriotism (=ee
4reenwood%s .4od 2less the 85A1) to strident fight songs (oby Ceith%s .9ourtesy of the Fed&
>hite and 2lue1)'
he fact that most of these songs delivered a conservative message was not a "roblem in itself' he
"roblem was that there did not seem to be any s"ace in country music for an alternative "ers"ective'
5teve /arle was a case in "oint' As concerned and confused as anyone about the events of */))&
/arle attem"ted a com"le: consideration of the issues at a time when country music was moving
toward a more strident "atriotism' Gn .John >al#er%s 2lues1 ; about John >al#er =indh& the
.American aliban1 ; from Jerusalem (2002)& he attem"ted to get inside John >al#er%s head to
e:"lore from >al#er =indh%s "oint of view what might have led an American youth searching for
truth in (slam to ta#e u" arms with the aliban' /arle was routinely denounced as a traitor by
conservative commentators for his trouble'
he boycott of the 0i:ie 9hic#s was even more dramatic' >hile on tour in =ondon in 5"ring 200L&
lead singer Aatalie 3aines told her audience: .>e%re ashamed the "resident of the 8nited 5tates is
from e:as&1 an obvious reference to her dissatisfaction with the >ar in (ra<' For this& the 0i:ie
9hic#s were banned on some MN country radio stations in the 8nited 5tates' (ntended to silence the
9hic#s& instead this action emboldened them' Gn tour& they addressed the controversy head on with
the "erformance of .ruth O2&1 a song about standing u" for one%s beliefs& during which they
showed video footage of civil rights and gay rights events and "ro6choice demonstrations& in
con@unction with slogans li#e .freedom1 and .truth1 "ro@ected on the screen' 3aines also held her
own trading barbs with oby Ceith& and a""earing on the 9ountry 3usic Awards telecast wearing
an F'8''C' 65hirt' (n 3arch 2006 they re#indled the struggle with the release of .Aot Feady to
3a#e Aice'1
'orporate &adio (ti)les *issent
(t was curious to many observers that while "ro6war anthems emerged as yearend best6sellers& there
was virtually no "rotest music heard on radio' 3any "eace activists began to wonder aloud if
"rotest music had died' (n fact& there was "lenty of "rotest music being "roducedP it sim"ly wasn%t
being "layed on radio' he reasons why involved a new level of consolidation in the radio industry
resulting from the "rovisions of the )**6 elecommunications Act& a "eriod of su""ression and self6
censorshi" following the "assage of the 200) !atriot Act& and a new activist role for cor"orate radio
deriving from a more conservative "olitical climate and e:"licit ties to the 2ush administration'
Gne "rovision of the )**6 elecommunications Act re"ealed crossownershi" laws for radio' As a
result& by the early 2000s& consolidation in radio reached the "oint where four com"anies controlled
*0 "ercent of the ad revenue' his level of concentration had serious im"lications for "rogramming'
hough there were about L0&000 90s released in the 8nited 5tates in 200)& each of which
contained on average more than a do7en songs& national radio hardly noticed' .(n one recent wee#&1
re"orted Folling 5tone in August 200)& .the forty to" modern6roc# stations added a total of si:teen
new songs& and the biggest forty6five o" Forty stations added a total of twenty'1
9lear 9hannel& the largest radio chain in the 8nited 5tates& was the "oster cor"oration for these
develo"ments' (n )**+& "rior to the "assage of the elecom Act& 9lear 9hannel owned NL radio
stations' 2y the early 2000s it had ac<uired more than )200 stations in the 8nited 5tates& which
too# in more than QL billion& or 20 "er cent of the industry dollar volume& in 200)' (n total& the
cor"oration "osted annual revenues in e:cess of QR billion in 2002' 2y this time the music industry
was rife with stories of record com"anies decrying the difficulty of brea#ing new artists on the
centrally "rogrammed chain and artists com"laining that if they chose not to "erform at a 9lear
9hannel concert venue& they would "ay the "rice in radio "lay'
/ven without any "olitical intent& then& it was clear that the .natural1 commercial tendencies of
cor"orate radio in the "ost6 */)) conte:t "layed a ma@or role in narrowing the range of cultural
e:"ression that might s"ea# to to"ical issues of concern' Aoting that "o"ular hits li#e 9rosby& 5tills&
Aash& and Boung%s .Ghio1 had ."layed a crucial role in the national debate over the -ietnam >ar&1
2rent 5ta"les argued in the Aew Bor# imes that& .A com"arable song about 4eorge >' 2ush%s rush
to war in (ra< would have no chance at all today' here are "lenty of angry "eo"le& many with "rime
music6buying demogra"hics' 2ut inde"endent radio stations that once would have "layed edgy&
"olitical music have been gobbled u" by cor"orations that control hundreds of stations and have no
wish to roc# the boat'1 ?e might as well have been tal#ing about 9lear 9hannel e:"licitly'
&eal Patriots *on+t *issent
he climate of fear that lead to the "assage of the !atriot Act fostered an intolerance for o""osing
view"oints and caused many artists to censor themselves' .>e%ve seen do7ens of acts <uietly bury
their edgier songs&1 com"lained Jeff 9hang in 2002' .he 5tro#es "ulled a song called $Aew Bor#
9o"s% from their album and 0ave 3atthews decided not to release $>hen the >orld /nds% as a
single'1 >hen artists "erformed controversial "rotest material during this "eriod& they often "aid a
"rice& even if in small& obscure ways' 2ruce 5"ringsteen was bold enough to "erform .N) 5hots1 at
one of his Aew Bor# dates& but it cost him his customary after6concert "olice escort to the air"ort'
Gn the tour su""orting the release of Fiot Act& !earl Jam was accused of .im"aling1 a mas# of the
"resident on a micro"hone stand while "erforming .2ush =eaguer'1 hey didn%t "lay the song again
for three wee#s and removed it from the "laylists of all but 6 of 60 scheduled tour dates' (n 200L
3adonna re"ortedly withdrew a com"leted video for her .American =ife1 single because it
"ortrayed her wearing Army fatigues& tossing a grenade at !resident 2ush6li#e figure' Jethro ull
was banned .forever1 from classic roc#er >9?F6F3 in Aew Jersey for com"laining that drivers
who hung American Flags from their cars and 58-s were confusing nationalism with "atriotism'
(n such an unfriendly "olitical climate and the absence of radio "lay& many artists turned to the
(nternet& often "osting "rotest songs as 3!Ls available for free download' 5ee the bo: on this "age
for a sam"ling of "rotest songs that were "osted on the >orld >ide >eb between 5"ring 2002 and
5"ring 200L'
2ecause the (nternet offered only limited "ossibilities for disseminating "rotest music& however&
dissenting voices were often effectively silenced'
hroughout the "ost6*/)) "eriod& the most radical anti6administration statements came from artists
located in the more "rogressive sectors of "un# and ra"' /ven before the 85 invaded Afghanistan&
Anti6 Flag released .*)) for !eace'1 AoFS re"rised the (ra< >ar with .he (diot 5on of an
Asshole'1 Although ra" had been roundly critici7ed for its violence& misogyny& and unabashed
materialism throughout the )**0s and beyond& it was also the music that delivered the fullest&
dee"est& and most radical criti<ue of 85 foreign "olicy'
2oston%s 3r' =if began .?ome of the 2rave1 with a s"eech by one of the Cennedys which
establishes thoughtful "olitical "rotest as .the basis of all human morality'1 hen he tears into his
sub@ect& accusing 2ush of stealing the "residency& asserting the com"licity of the media& and
suggesting that the war diverted "eo"le%s attention from other "ressing issues& such as a recession at
home'
here were hints of this dissatisfaction within the ra" community among higher "rofile artists as
well' Gn .Fule1 from 5tillmatic (2002)& Aas as#ed 2ush to .call a truce& world "eace& sto" acting
li#e savages'1 9learly there were a variety of o"inions being e:"ressed about the 2ush
administration and its >ar on errorism' 3any of these ra" songs were released within the chart life
of the country singles that dominated the national airwaves' hey could have contributed to a
national debate on the to"ic' (nstead most received only the most limited e:"osure'
2y now there is enough distance on and dissatisfaction with the war that a number of more
mainstream artists;from !in# (.0ear 3r' !resident1) to !earl Jam (.>orld >ide 5uicide1);are
feeling comfortable critici7ing the war' 3ost "rominent among them is Aeil Boung whose sur"rise
album =iving with >ar (recorded in three days) includes the single .=et%s (m"each the !resident'1
2ruce 5"ringsteen has weighed in with >e 5hall Gvercome& a tribute album of "rogressive !ete
5eeger songs' /s"ecially noteworthy in the current conte:t is one song not included on the album
that 5"ringsteen has added to the tour;.((f Bou =ove Bour 8ncle 5am) 2ring %/m ?ome'1
Feebee 4arofalo is a "rofessor at the 9ollege of !ublic and 9ommunity 5ervice at 8 3ass 2oston'
his article is an abridged version of a forthcoming cha"ter in J' 3artin 0aughtry and Jonathan
Fitter& /ds'& (magining error =ocally: 3usic in the !ost6*/)) >orld (Foutledge)' 5ections of this
research
have a""eared in Feebee 4arofalo& Foc#in% Gut& Lrd ed (!rentice ?all)' Andrew Fyan hel"ed
conduct research'