25 Comments
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Stephen's avatar

Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World

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The Girl Can't Help It's avatar

Give us all the Ry you got!

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Greg Mitchell's avatar

and I got a lot to give....

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HP's avatar

I can think of plenty.

Golden Country -REO

Rebel Jesus and There are lives in the balance-Jackson Browne

War Pigs-Black Sabbath

Still in Saigon- CDB

Walking On A Thin Line- Huey Lewis

Fortunate Son- CCR

Southern Man- Neil Young

All pre 2000.

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Greg Mitchell's avatar

Still need more post-2000. Or post-2024.

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HP's avatar

Look into Jesse Welles.

I don't listen to country.

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Richard's avatar

Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder! I bought Taj's 2nd album soon after it was released. So good. Ry Cooder's Paris, Texas and Crossroads soundtracks are quite good. Neil!

Very good selection of cartoons, doing what political cartoons are supposed to do.

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Mfaith2's avatar

Re: Protest Songs

I wrote these songs 1998-2002, played them with the band but never promoted them.

These recordings are live from our rehearsals. I have used them to post political videos on YouTube relevant to each election cycle since then. I like these links because each one takes you to a page for that song that shows you the lyrics and background info.

Powerful People

https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=4808966

Who Gave You the Right?

https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=5458329

It’s the Money

https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=5457676

and for 2024

https://youtu.be/i_ZxR_g16fw?si=_2KPrRgeJlpcRZAr

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Mick Cavanaugh's avatar

Eliza Gilkyson’s song “Highway 9” was among the few, and one of the best indictments of Bush’s phony “War on Terror”. From the album Land of Milk and Honey - (the title song is also a beautiful and sad tribute to a world gone mad).

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Karen Bonaudi's avatar

There are places for laments and for fight songs. Different places in our future.

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Karen Bonaudi's avatar

Has anyone said Muse’s “Uprising” and The Decemberists’ “This Is Why We Fight”? Gut pounding.

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David Getman Jr's avatar

“Looking for a Leader” seems to have even more meaning this term

Even more folk are rather uneducated as time goes on and don't seem to be able to

think for themselves

I believe we are in crisis mode or rapidly approaching it

Perhaps the Mid-Terms are the last chance to take back America as we know it

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Greg Mitchell's avatar

yes, sadly true...

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Craig Schindler's avatar

I think you could include some of Green Day’s songs as protest songs.

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Greg Mitchell's avatar

They certainly were prescient with American Idiot. Though wasn't Charlie Pierce way ahead of that with his book "Idiot America"?

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Craig Schindler's avatar

As I understand it American Idiot was published in 2009 and Green Day’s album came out in 2004. I didn’t know about Pierce’s book and I think I’m going to get a copy. Thanks for the info.

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HP's avatar

Fall of the peacemakers (a Favorite of mine)-Molly Hatchet

I got mine- Glen Frey

That's just the way it is- Bruce Hornsby

Another day in Paradise- Phil Collins

Cuttin' Heads and Days Of Farewell- John Mellencamp

Drowning- Hootie and the Blowfish

Livin' on the edge -Aerosmith

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Greg Mitchell's avatar

I have to ask (at my age) how many of these are post-2000.

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HP's avatar

Zero

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Greg Mitchell's avatar

took oldster Ry Cooder to write best (only?) financial collapse/Occupy Wall St anthem in 2011 https://youtu.be/ZXHckAFMzaw?si=mLgI_lNr-XQZqIKV

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Mark Stricherz's avatar

Greg, Springsteen's "Rainmaker" is a poignant comment on the Bush years, but could be applied to the current Trump presidency. Released in 2020, but may have been recorded in 2007.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2APM75augo (5:11)

partial lyrics:

Rainmaker says white's black and black's white

Says night's day and day's night

Says close your eyes and go to sleep now

I'm in a burning field unloading buckshot into low clouds

Rainmaker, a little faith for hire

Rainmaker, the house is on fire

Rainmaker, take everything you have

Sometimes folks need to believe in something

So bad, so bad, so bad

They'll hire a rainmaker

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Greg Mitchell's avatar

yes, I recall it on that from album about 5 years back, good album, half of it great, half so-so....

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Marilyn Kellner's avatar

YOU ROCK!!!!🎶 in many ways

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Ed Davis's avatar

Thanks for the Lucinda! Didn't know about that one. The Canadian power pop band Sloan came out with their own special kind of protest song a while back. https://youtu.be/DorF5qxbCxc?si=M97XIwVKz0xjqY0V

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