Music as a Medium of Social Protest in America - Research Paper Example

Music as a Medium of Social Protest in America Music may be a form of art and, therefore, has been recognized as a means of entertainment or amusement. Like all other art forms though, it is a reflection of the artist’s view of the world, of his perspectives regarding the events and things that he encounters. The musician may have a creative mind but his ideas are still heavily shaped by his environment. Because of this, it is only natural that his music turns out to be a reflection of his viewpoint and standpoint of the issues confronting him. For the socially conscious musician, his songs are not just reflections though. He employs these to explicitly express his negative or positive reactions to the issues plaguing society. In a country that professes deep respect for the right to expression, it is only expected that America constantly produces such musicians. It is during a worsening social crisis though that these musicians create more protest songs or music. This is understandable, considering that it is when the people experience worse oppression, injustice, and inequality that the inspiration to create protest music becomes very compelling. The most convenient method of determining a protest song is through words or lyrics. However, there have been many musical compositions that do not lyrics that explicitly express opposition to state policies and yet the musicians themselves claim these to belong to the protest music genre. It may therefore be appropriate to adhere to the idea that “protest songs are defined as such by virtue of their words but many make their impact in tandem with their sonic elements, the emotionality of the music, the strength and confidence of the vocals, or their simplicity and repetitive phrases, which allow the audience to sing along” (Weinstein 4) With such definition, it is clear that protest songs are not just means of expression by the artists but also as an instrument for political mobilization. The purpose of ordinary pop music is to make people listen and be entertained. Protest music is a means to gain the support of audiences for the movement opposing perceived injustices and inequalities in society. It even serves as a call to action. Before, protest songs usually fell under the folk music genre (Sayre & King 393). Recently, however, such songs have been created under a variety of musical styles or genres. This has made the songs even more effective in gaining the sympathy of people, regardless of musical tastes, toward certain social issues. Despite the fact that the United States is considered as one of the strongest democracies in the world, the emergence of protest music is a proof that there injustice and inequality still pervade in its society. Throughout its history, the Jim Crow era in the South can be considered as the most glaring example that the country did have period in which its respect for human rights was selective according to race. The segregationist policies and the oppression of African Americans, in general, led to various forms of resistance. One of the most effective means of expressing opposition to segregation is through music. At first, it was about identity. Segregated, the blacks would naturally learn to cherish more their identity as a distinct race. Since they are not allowed to mingle with the whites and, consequently, assimilate their culture, the African Americans were prompted to develop their own kind of music, one that carries the distinct sounds of their Caribbean or African origins. There were European influences, courtesy of the whites, but they were able to deviate from these not just to insist on their identity as a race but also in protest to the unjust treatment that they are getting from the whites. Soon the music that the African American artists produced during the Jim Crow era no longer dealt with identity only; it became an open expression of protest. This became very obvious with the emergence of jazz and its meteoric rise in popularity at that time. Brown and Stentiford point out that “jazz is an American musical art form whose sociological features have been significantly shaped by Jim Crow segregation and ideology” (405). The jazz artist is one who does not comply with the traditional rules of music which the white musicians are very rigid about. The jazz artist is spontaneous; he does not follow a formula or when he plays. In fact, the jazz artist completely disregards the need to make use of music sheets as guide. When African American musicians began to play jazz during the Jim Crow era, they were basically expressing rebellion. At first, they might seem to merely proving to people, especially the whites that African Americans can be very good musicians too. However, they were actually telling the whites that they cannot be deprived of their artistic freedoms. The warm acceptance and the popularity of jazz even among the whites only encouraged the African Americans to struggle for freedom in other fields, a prelude to the Civil Rights Movement. Jazz, therefore, played a very important role in preparing the mindset of African Americans for the actual struggle for civil rights. It must be noted that, while there may be some songs under the jazz genre that had lyrics with explicit messages protesting against racial segregation and racism in general, many works associated with it are mainly instrumental. However, this does to mean that such musical works failed to deliver the message. Jazz’s means of protest is in the manner that the musicians express themselves through manner that the play their instruments. Jazz music helped in making the grounds fertile for growth of the Civil Rights Movement. It was during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement that protest music became more explicit. At this point, the songs became more direct in their criticism of the institutional oppression and other unjust practices against the African Americans. One distinctive feature of the protest songs that emerged during the period is that these were mostly inspired by the Christian religion. This was due to the fact that, even as the issue being confronted is secular, the most prominent leaders of the movement were mostly ministers of churches in the southern states. Apparently, religion served as the point of departure in displaying resistance toward racial discrimination. Christian principles were laid down as the bases for asserting that African Americans should be treated equally. It is these circumstances that also led to the creation of protest songs with melodies and lyrics that were obviously inspired by the gospel songs. This was not a difficult process though since using gospel music as form of expression not just for purely religious convictions had been a tradition among African Americans. Like jazz, gospel music possessed African American distinctiveness, which, in the midst of racism, was already a form protest. With the principal role of the churches in the Civil Rights movement, it was expected that the method applied to achieve its goals was active non-violence. The tactics that are employed under this are those that definitely required raising the political consciousness of all members of the black community, while at the same time, gathering support and sympathy from the enlightened and progressive whites. In this case, it is clear that propaganda and other activities meant to raise the awareness of the people are very important. Protest songs serve this purpose in a very effective manner. While they may be dealing with the issue of racial segregation and discrimination from a religious point of view, these are able to avoid the usual tendency of becoming very preachy or being on the verge of sloganeering because these are creatively done. The lyrics are well written, to the point of being poetic, and the melodies are captivating. Protest music during the peak period of the struggle for civil rights was as moving as the speeches made by the eloquent leaders and speakers of the movement. However, the relationship between the protest songs and the Civil Rights movement was basically dialectical. While it helped in unifying and mobilizing the African Americans, it was also affected by developments that took place in the movement. When the movement advanced, it was also very inspiring in terms of substance and its number also grew, with more black musicians contributing. However, it also reflected the pain and suffering that the blacks experienced during instances when the reaction of the forces favoring segregation and practicing discrimination became worst. Protest music maintained its initial purpose as “means of identification, but added other communicative functions as the boycott took its tool and patience waned… (It) served as a source and sign of strength, solidarity, and commitment” (Eyerman & Jamison 98). Protest music, therefore, was like food for the spirit of the struggle for civil rights. At the same time, the Civil Rights movement was its inspiration. It was during the Vietnam War that the country witnessed once again the resurgence of protest music. As in the Jim Crow era, the protest songs that became very popular during the height of the American intervention in Vietnam were ‘re-ax’ in nature. This means that the music were essentially reactive; it was a response to the policies of the Johnson Administration’s in Vietnam which had negative effects not just on the Vietnamese but also on the tens of thousands of young Americans who were subject to the draft. Most of the artists that wrote and performed the protest songs during this period had backgrounds in folk music. Unlike the gospel musicians and singers in the Civil Rights movement who were mostly African Americans, they were whites. However, there many of such white protest singers and musicians who also participated in the Civil Rights movement. The transition from handling one issue to another was easy. According to Auslander, “it was neither difficult nor unexpected, then, for such artists to shift the emphasis of their messages from ‘Stop oppressing our black brothers,’ to ‘stop oppressing our yellow brothers,’ and from ‘Ban the bomb,’ to ‘Stop the in war in which well probably use the bomb,’ as the American involvement in Southeast Asia intensified” (179). At this point, American protest music no longer just dealt with an issue as domestic as racial discrimination but one that involves the other countries and peoples as well. Among the artists who became prominent for performing in mass demonstrations against the war were Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Don McLean. There were bands that also joined the protest music scene, such as Peter, Paul, and Mary, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and The Doors. With the entry of popular solo artists and bands in the protest music scene during the time of the Vietnam War, more people had the opportunity to listen to such songs. The popularity of the artists in the mainstream music industry was very instrumental. Since they were already famous even before they started making protest music, they already had their own fan base. Because of this, protest music at this particular part of the American music history already had a captive audience. The anti-Vietnam War protest music ended up as triumphant as the movement of which it was a part. The United States government eventually withdrew its forces and left Vietnam altogether. However, due to the great number of American servicemen who died in the war, many of the protest songs continued to be played even after the war as a reminder of the folly of the country’s leaders. Interestingly, in the 1980’s, when the Reagan Administration took a more belligerent stance against what it perceives as enemies of the country, songs that dealt with the subject of the Vietnam War again emerged, particularly those by the band Dead Kennedys. The next time that American protest music once again became prominent was during the administration of President George W. Bush. The Bush Administration ushered another period in which the U.S. military was again engaged in a war in another country. The country was at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Aside from the men and women sent to these countries, the Bush government was also spending a huge amount of the country’s resources for the said wars. However, what made the people very discontented is the fact that it was becoming clear that the said wars served the interests of the giant oil corporations, of which the Bush family also had stakes. Even after 9/11, it soon became apparent that the reasons for the war in Iraq were not exactly related achieving justice for the victims of the terror attacks. With the growing discontent among the citizens of the country, progressive-minded musicians and artists once again began to express their opinions against the wars that the U.S. was engaged in. Among the famous artists who came out with protest songs were Pink, Lenny Kravitz, The Decembrists, Green Day, Pearl Jam, and Eminem. At first, especially after 9/11, there were sectors in American society that were highly critical of the artists that wrote such music. However, as the intentions of the Bush Administration in the Middle East became suspect, the public began to realize also that valid points were being raised by the musicians. Again, it helped that the musicians and singers who came up with new protest songs were already established in the mainstream music industry. They already had their respective fan bases and this means that they had audiences who were already eager to listen to what they would sing or say. A review of the contemporary history of protest music in the United States shows that this is not just a product of the musician’s or the songwriter’s imagination. There are objective conditions that favor its emergence. The musician, whose inspiration could only come from his surroundings, may have the option to ignore them and instead wallow in escapism. However, there are musicians whose appreciation of their craft is different from most of those in the mainstream music industry. They prefer to sing about social realities in order to effect change. It is true though that engaging in protest music can be a risky proposition for those who are established names in the mainstream music industry. However, when the objective conditions necessitate such songs, musicians who actually heed to it also become socially relevant. Works Cited Auslander, H. Ben. “If Ya Wanna End War and Stuff, You Gotta Sing Loud - A Survey of Vietnam-Related Protest Music.” American Popular Music: The Age of Rock. Ed. Timothy Scheurer. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1989. Brown, Nikki and Barry Stentiford. “Jim Crow.” The American Mosaic: The African American Experience. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 3 Sept. 2010. . Eyerman, Ron and Andrew Jamison. Music and Social Movements: Mobilizing Traditions in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Sayre, Shay and Cynthia King. Entertainment and Society: Influences, Impacts, and Innovations. New York, NY: 2010. Weinstein, Deena. “Rock Protest Songs: So Many and So Few.” The Resisting Muse: Popular Music and Social Protest. Ed. Ian Peddie. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2006. Read More