This is the second video posted to the recently launched Ongoing History of Protest Songs YouTube channel. I’ll be posting at least one video a week. The first video focused on the best protest tunes of the 2010s, and subsequent videos will focus on the 90s, 80s, 70s, and 60s. These videos were based on articles that I wrote for […]
Learn more →The following Spotify playlist includes 2019 released socially conscious tunes which have been featured on this site. The playlist will continue to be updated as new songs are added. Also, feel free to check out the previously posted Protest Songs of 2018 playlist.
Learn more →Over his two-decade career, Josh Ritter established himself as a well-respected singer-songwriter who is known for his narrative lyrics. Even though Ritter isn’t specifically known for being political, at times his lyrics possess a social awareness. Notable examples include “Girl in the War” and “Thin Blue Flame”, two tunes off his 2006 album The Animal Years which used the Iraq […]
Learn more →Mark Erelli is a veteran singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who released eleven albums as a solo folk artist and as served as a side musician for Josh Ritter and Lori McKenna. He enlisted the help of Ritter and McKenna, along with Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow and Anais Mitchell on his latest composition, “By Degrees.” Rosanne Cash, a longtime advocate for gun […]
Learn more →80 Years of Protest Songs Part 1: 1939-1958 80 Years of Protest Songs Part 2: 1959-1978 80 Years of Protest Songs Part 3: 1979-1998 The aftermath of 9/11 ushered in a new chapter for protest music. The Iraq war and George W. Bush became the Vietnam & the Nixon for the 2000s. The 2010s brought in a renewed emphasis in […]
Learn more →For close to two decades, Josh Ritter has established himself as a well-respected singer-songwriter. Recently he had the distinction of writing two tunes (“Be of Good Heart” and “Silver Blade) specifically for Joan Baez latest album Whistle Down The Wind. Ritter isn’t necessarily known as a protest singer, but he has written and recorded a handful of topical songs. For […]
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