Whenever we hear a catchy beat or enjoyable tune, we tend not to associate it with our political climate. Often times, it doesn’t need to be. After all, why would we think about something that causes us stress when we’re trying to relax with a good song? Well, whether we notice or not, music has become increasingly focused on politicians and divisive issues, especially with those two things becoming infused into more and more aspects of daily life.
Now more than ever, musicians and celebrities have been shamelessly vocal about their stances on elections and politics as a whole. It’s difficult to ignore these kind of endorsements when they come from some of the most famous and influential artists of our generation–Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga, to name a few–but fame isn’t the only reason the political beliefs of celebrities have been ingrained into the public. It is the very nature of music that allows musicians to start movements and challenge societal norms.
Nothing is more uniting than having a common enemy. That enemy has not always taken the form of a widely controversial president, who has generated more celebrity backlash than possibly ever before. Although protest in the musical sense has gone back to our country’s beginning, we’ll start with the struggle of the black community during and following slavery. Songs sung about liberty and freedom were a way for the enslaved to convey, at least among each other, the immense discrimination and cruelty they could not escape. Billie Holiday continued to hold a voice for the oppressed through her widely popular commentary on the dismal state of the American south for African-Americans, “Strange Fruit,” recently sampled in Kanye West’s “Blood on the Leaves.” The content and delivery in this song still strike the public as particularly disturbing, which allows it to still serve as a reminder of the rampant lynching in the mid-twentieth century and racial issues today.
The folk revolution began to take shape following World War II, as artists like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger took the stage. Guthrie was known for the motto plastered on his guitar, “This machine kills fascists,” and protest songs from “This Land is Your Land” to “Deportee.” Seeger provided a voice to the civil rights movement with “We Shall Overcome” in the 1960s, and Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” became representative of civil rights and anti-war protest.
The eighties brought Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” and N.W.A.’s “Fuck tha Police” as a response to police brutality and abuse to power in general. The latter, an anthem for anyone profiled and targeted in the streets by law enforcement, displays the power music gives to groups who are usually silenced. The controversial rap group was even told not to perform the song on their first tour. Even when music can give a voice to a marginalized people, it can then be encouraged not to, emphasizing the issue of discrimination even further.
The tension brought on by protest music can be between any disagreeing groups, but it tends to be focused toward large entities like the government and those only invested in furthering their own power, often stepping on minority groups along the way. Green Day exposed the greedy nature of government officials in “Holiday” when lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, compared President Bush to Hitler and mocked the president’s involvement in Iraq. Lady Gaga pushed queer acceptance in “Born This Way,” Childish Gambino referenced a plethora of discriminatory forces toward the black community in “This is America,” and Beyonce gave millions a political show with her Super Bowl halftime performance, complete with backup dancers highly reminiscent of Black Panthers and “Formation,” a song celebrating black culture and touching on the worsened state for the economically disadvantaged in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Although celebrities can unofficially and officially endorse a particular candidate who may embody the principles they promote in their music, the effect of their political association has not been proven to have substantial impact on the behavior and mindset of voters. Much of the younger generation have said social media has been too dominated by political content, to the point where users are almost resentful toward the constant push for a certain politician by major celebrities and influencers. Compared to the chaotic digital environment, the musical atmosphere is a sort of haven, where political expression does not feel overwhelming due to its fusion with creativity and melody.
The bold acts, lyrics, and performances of musicians are what have allowed social movements to rally behind a unifying tune and election campaigns like Hillary Clinton’s to spread their respective messages. Repetitive and emphatic phrases, unique delivery, and controversial diction have stuck the dissent of protest music into the minds of listeners. It is without this dissent that democracy crumbles, lacking the voices of groups that can be overpowered by large factions. So, for the sake of keeping the United States “united,” turn up your radios and listen a little harder next time.
Featured Image via GIPHY
