The Ongoing History of Protest Music

80 Years of Protest Songs Part 2: 1959-1978

80 Years of Protest Songs Part 3: 1979-1998

80 Years of Protest Songs Part 4: 1999-2018

Music is the ultimate time capsule. You can learn a lot about a time period based on the music that it produced. Art is often a reflection of political realities.

In connection with this I decided to engage in an exercise to help chart the historical development of protest songs. I decided to select one song a year for the last 80 years (1939-2018).

Choosing only one tune a year does have obvious limitations. There were several classic compositions excluded. Unfortunately, there were also influential socially conscious artists who failed to make the cut.

To begin with we will look at 1939-1958. The protest music of this period covered issues such as living in the Jim Crow south, labor rights, immigration and the threat of the atomic bomb.

Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday (1939)

Abel Meeropol wrote “Strange Fruit” as a poem under the pseudonym Lewis Allan. He wrote it because of being appalled by the news reports of public lynchings taken place in the Southern United States. He also eventually set the poem to music.

The song became most associated with Billie Holiday. You can sense the very real pain in her voice as she delivers the painful imagery of the tune.

Holiday had to battle to record the song due to reluctance from record companies and producers. They were fearful of potential controversy coming from the Southern States.

Because Holiday would fight for her convictions, the tune became one of her biggest hits. This anti-lynching anthem is now one of the most essential songs connected with the civil rights movement.

This Land Is Your Land – Woody Guthrie (1940)

Often mistaken as a patriotic tune, Guthrie composed “This Land Is Your Land” as a scathing indictment of the Irving Berlin penned “God Bless America.”

One of the songs most potent lines often gets excluded “There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me / Sign was painted, it said private property /
But on the back side it didn’t say nothing / This land was made for you and me.” When the song was first released it was cut, but there is a 1944 recording which includes those lyrics (the video posted below includes these lyrics).

Guthrie’s original version also included: “Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway / Nobody living can ever make me turn back / This land was made for you and me / In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple / By the relief office, I’d seen my people / As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking / Is this land made for you and me?”

Variance of these lost verses have been included in subsequent covers by artists such as Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and My Morning Jacket.

The lyrics which encourage open borders and rallies against class distinctions, resonates more than ever.

Which Side Are You On? – The Almanac Singers (1941)

The song was written by Florence Reece in 1931 in response to a miner’s strike in Harlan County, Kentucky (commonly referred to as the Harlan County War). Her husband Sam Reece was a union organizer for the United Mine Workers.

The Almanac Singers recorded their version for their classic 1941 album Talking Union. The Almanac Singers was a collective of socially conscious folk singers. This album featured Lee Hays, Millard Lampell, Sam Gary, Carol White, Bess Lomax Hawes, Pete Seeger and Josh White.

The tune ended up becoming a beloved protest standard.

John Henry – Josh White (1942)

In folklore, John Henry was an African-American steel-driver. His steel-driving prowess was tested by racing against a steam-powered drill. Even though he was victorious, he died with hammer in hand because his heart gave out due to stress.

There is dispute over the accuracy of the stories about John Henry, but he did become a frequent subject of song. These tunes included ballads and work songs (quite often titled “John Henry’s Hammer”).

Josh White’s version is a ballad which draws attention to exploitative labor practices which in this instance literally worked the worker to death. The lyrics also shows how Henry was dismissed as just a lowly steel-worker, which makes poignant statements on class distinctions.

Josh White was an influential figure in the development of protest songs. As a black man living during segregation, many of his tunes deals with these struggles.

Ration Blues – Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (1943)

Often referred to as “the Father of Rhythm & Blues,” this tune was Jordan’s first to achieve crossover success during a time that the music charts were heavily segregated. His music often dealt with the challenges of being black in America. “Ration Blues” discussed the rationing of food and other supplies that took place during the second World War. Not necessary a direct protest song, but it does draw attention to the civilian challenges faced during war-time.

Down By The Riverside – Sister Rosetta Sharpe (1944)

“Down By The Riverside” is what is commonly referred to as a Negro spiritual and its lineage can be traced back to the American Civil War. The song is alternately titled “Ain’t Gonna Study War No More,” which is referenced in the song’s chorus. The song employs Biblical allusions to convey an anti-war and anti-slavery message.

Sister Rosetta Sharpe was an influential gospel artist whose electric guitar playing and energetic performing style is considered an important precursor to rock and roll.

Atomic Cocktail – Slim Gaillard Quartette (1945)

This tune released shortly after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was one of the first songs to deal with the subject of atomic warfare. The lyrics compare the atomic bomb to a toxic cocktail that “you don’t pour/ Now when you’ve taken one sip you won’t need anymore.”

Atom And Evil – Golden Gate Quartet (1946)

The Golden Gate Quartet are considered pioneers of the jubilee style of gospel singing. “Atom And Evil” is a play on Adam and Eve and it serves as a warning of how evil political forces could lead to the destructive use of atomic energy. The lyrics also highlight that this potential threat is compounded by “prejudice and hate.”

We Shall Overcome – Pete Seeger (1947)

Like many traditional tunes there is much debate over the origins of “We Shall Overcome.” It is generally accepted that it is at least partly based on the 1901 gospel song “I’ll Overcome Someday,” written by Reverend Charles Albert Tindley.

When Pete Seeger first learned and performed the tune in 1947, it already went through several incarnations. Seeger did further modify it by adding additional lyrics. He is also often credited with changing the lyrical reference of “I” to “We” and renaming the title to “We Shall Overcome.”

Not only is “We Shall Overcome” one of Seeger’s most well-known tunes, but it is also a timeless standard of the civil rights movement. A notable moment occurred when Joan Baez led a crowd of approximately 300,000 in a sing along during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.

Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) – Woody Guthrie (1948)

Woody Guthrie originally wrote “Deportee” as a poem in response to the January 28, 1948 plane crash near Los Gatos Canyon. The crash killed 32 people, 28 of them being migrant farm workers who were being deported back to Mexico. Guthrie was struck by the fact that news report referred to those being killed as simply deportees instead of giving their names.

In 1958, school teacher Martin Hoffman wrote music for it. Shortly after that, Pete Seeger and others started to perform it. The song has since become an endearing protest anthem. In light of current anti-immigration sentiments, the lyrics sadly resonate more than ever.

The video below is performed by Woody’s son. Arlo Guthrie.

No More Auction Block – Paul Robeson (1949)

“No More Auction Block” is an anti-slavery song which dates back to the US Civil War. Bob Dylan cited the tune as an influence on the composing of his 1963 classic, “Blowin’ In The Wind.” The song is now considered a standard.

Paul Robeson was an influential figure in the development of protest music. He popularized Negro spirituals and he helped break down racial barriers at a time when music and entertainment was heavily segregated.

The Hammer Song – The Weavers (1950)

In 1949, Pete Seeger and Lee Hayes wrote this timeless protest tune in support of The United States Progressive Party. They were both part of the folk quartet The Weavers who released it as a single in 1950. This anthem of universal brotherhood gained wider commercial attention when Peter, Paul and Mary scored a top 10 hit in 1962, under the title “If I Had a Hammer.”

Black, Brown And White – Big Bill Broonzy (1951)

This tune by the influential folk blues artist deals with the challenges of being a black man during the Jim Crow era. It deals with issues such as wage inequality and different businesses refusing him service just because of the color of his skin.

I’m No Communist – Carson Robison (1952) 

This quirky country tune refers to the House Un-American Activities Committee which resulted in the blacklisting of many prominent Americans due to suspected communist activities. Not sure if it is supposed to be satirical, but either way it effectively highlights the paranoid hysteria of McCarthyism. The song also concludes with the lyric “The Communists may win the fight and never fire a shot,” which is a reference that the US if not careful could implode from within. That line is even more poignant today considering the current divisive political landscape.

Atomic Sermon – Billy Hughes And His Buckaroos (1953)

Yet another tune from the Cold War era dealing with the threat of atomic warfare. This Western swing tune includes the following plea to those in power: “You better stop them scientists from re-searchin’ / ‘Cause they done gone too far.”

Eisenhower Blues – J.B. Lenoir (1954)

Lenoir, who was mentored by Big Bill Broonzy, was known to be one of the more political blues artists. “Eisenhower Blues” protested the social injustices that took place under then US president Dwight Eisenhower. The lyrics address issues of systemic poverty and how a supposed trickle-down economy never filters down to those in need. At the time the tune was considered controversial. The record company ended up withdrawing the first pressing and they had Lenoir re-record the song as “Tax Paying Blues.”

Sixteen Tons – Tennessee Ernie Ford (1955)

“Sixteen Tons” was written and originally released in 1947 by Merle Travis. The country standard was a labor protest song which examine the challenges of working in coal mines.

The tune features the well-known lyric “I can’t afford to die. I owe my soul to the company store.” This was a reference to the truck system where workers instead of being paid in cash were paid in credit to the company store. Eventually multiple Union strikes brought an end to this exploitative practice.

The most well-known version of the song was recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford, which was a number one hit on both the US Billboard country and pop charts.

Spiritual Trilogy: (Oh, Freedom, Come and Go With Me, I’m on My Way) – Odetta (1956)

Odetta’s music had an indelible impact on the civil rights movement. Both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King cited her music has an influence. Bob Dylan was also a huge fan and he credits her landmark 1956 album, Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues has a catalyst in beginning his music career. That album also featured her “Spiritual Trilogy.”

Traditional spirituals played an important role in the development of the civil rights movement. One of the three songs featured on “Spiritual Trilogy” is “Oh Freedom,” which is a timeless standard that is also widely associated with Joan Baez.

Haitian Fight Song – Charles Mingus (1957)

This epic 12 minute jazz tune is off Mingus 1957 album, The Clown. The composition is based on the Haitian revolution that took place between 1791-1804, but that struggle to end slavery and oppression transcends beyond just Haiti. The album notes sum it up best: “Haitian Fight Song, to begin with, could just as well be called Afro-American Fight Song… I’d say this song has a contemporary folk feeling. My solo in it is a deeply concentrated one. I can’t play it right unless I’m thinking about prejudice and hate and persecution, and how unfair it is. There’s sadness and cries in it, but also determination…”

Cotton Fields – Harry Belafonte (1958)

“Cotton Fields” was originally written and recorded by Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter) back in 1940. Not necessary a direct protest, but it does draw awareness to harsh working conditions. Ledbetter was born on a cotton plantation. Even though this was after slavery was abolished, the lyric “But, you didn’t make very much money / In them old cotton fields at home,” highlights that working the cotton fields involved hard work for little money.

Harry Belafonte’s version appeared on his 1958 album, Belafonte Sings the Blues. Belafonte is well-known for his social activism, including his involvement of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.