Protestmusic

By River

  • Negro Spirituals

    Time: 1700 - 1865
    Protestmovement: Negro Spirituals
    Artist: Slaves
    Musical Project: Wade In The Water
    Location: Slave plantations in America
    Goal: Instruct ways to escape the plantation
    Reach: Slaves within the plantation (circa 30 slaves per plantation)
    Effect: Circa 100,000 slaves found freedom via the Underground Railroad.
    Medium: Group singing
    Slogans:
    Visual Style:
  • Period: to

    Jubilee Fisk Singers

    Time: 1871 - 1878
    Protestmovement: Negro Spirituals
    Artist: Jubilee Fisk Singers
    Musical project: Swing Low Sweet Chariot
    Location: Podiums in America and Europe
    Goal: Spread the story of slaves across the world
    Reach: White Audiences across America and Europe
    Effect: Awareness of the struggle of former slaves
    Medium: Live Performances (Tour)
    Slogans: n.v.t.
    Visual Style: Suit & Tie and Dresses

  • Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps

    Time: 1941
    Protestmovement: Negro Spirituals
    Artist: Olivier Messiaen
    Musical piece: Quatuor pour la fin du temps
    Location: Silezisch camp
    Goal: Represent the struggle within concentration camps.
    Reach: 5000 prisoners
    Effect: Relieve from the struggle
    Medium: Live Performance (later Vinyl recording)
    Slogans:
    Visual Style:

  • Civil Rights

    Time: 1954–1968
    Protestmovement: Civil Rights
    Artist: Protesters
    Musicalpiece: We Shall Overcome
    Location: Marches in America (Washington, Selma, California). Later adapted over the world; farmer-strike in Spain, Anti-Apartheid Protests in South-Africa.
    Goal: Voting rights for black people
    Reach: 500,000+ marchers and politicians
    Effect: Voting rights for black people
    Medium: Protest chant, Group signing
    Slogans: We Shall Overcome, Power To The People
    Visual Style: Signs, black power fist

  • Eve of Destruction

    Protestmovement: Anti War Movement
    Artist: Barry McGuire (writer: P.F. Sloan)
    Location: Los Angeles radio station KFWB
    Inspired by: The assassination of JFK Kennedy
    Goal: "Hope to open a dialogue with Congress and the people." Taking on racism, hypocrisy and injustice at a volatile time in American history.
    Effect: The lyric galvanized the debate over voting rights in America. In 1971, the US Constitution was amended, lowering the voting age to 18.
    Medium: LP Sales (Radio ban)

  • Blowin' In The Wind

    Time: 1963
    Protestmovement: Anti War Movement, Civil Rights Movement
    Artist: Bob Dylan
    Musical piece: Blowin' In The Wind
    Location: Voter Registration, Missisipi. Selma march. Lincoln Memorial, Washington.
    Goal: Expression of emotion "Just another song"
    Reach: 1,000,000+ singles sold, Washington March: 200,000 protesters. Selma: 55,000 protesters. Greenwood Voter registration: Circa 100 Voters
    Effect: Unity
    Medium: Performances, Marches
    Slogans: We Shall Overcome, I Have a Dream
    Visual Style:

  • A Change Is Gonna Come

    Protestmovement: Civil War Movement
    Artist: Sam Cooke
    Location: RCA Studio, California
    Inspired by: Blowin In The Wind, being turned away from a whites-only motel
    Goal: speak to his struggle and of those around him, and that pertained to the Civil Rights Movement & African Americans.
    Reach: Thousands of marchers, Peaked at Nr. 9 on the R&B charts, preservated in the Library of Congress
    Effect: Became an anthem for the civil rights movement.
    Medium: Performed on 'The Tonight Show', Radio release

  • 7'0 Clock News/Silent Night

    Time: 1966
    Protestmovement: Vietnam Protest Movement
    Artist: Simon and Garfunkel
    Musical piece: 7 O' Clock News/Silent Night
    Location: UK
    Goal: Awareness of the Vietnamese war
    Reach: 3,000,000 Album Units sold
    Effect: Movement towards ending the Vietnamese war
    Medium: LP's
    Slogans: Peace & Love, Flower Power, Make Love, Not War
    Visual Style: Pastelle colors, Peace signs, Flower Pattern

  • For What It's Worth

    Protestmovement: Anti War Movement
    Artist: Buffalo Springfield
    Location: Columbia Studios, California
    Inspired by: Sunset Curfew Riots in Hollywood.
    Goal: The song was made as a response to the Curfew Riots in California but was adapted by the anti war movement
    Reach: No. 7 on Hot 100 Billboard
    Effect: Became an anthem for the anti war movement.
    Medium: Radio, LP Sales
    Slogans:
    Visual Style:

  • The Meeting

    Time: 1969
    Protestmovement: Black Panther Movement
    Artist: Elaine Brown
    Musical piece: The Meeting
    Location: America
    Goal: Unity and Pride within the Black Community

    Reach: 10,000+ Black Panther members
    Effect: Unity and Recognizability

    Medium: Live Performance, Chant
    Slogans: Black Power, Say it Loud, I'm Black & Proud, Power To The People
    Visual Style: Black Fist, Leather and Barre's

  • Woodstock

    Time: 1969
    Protestmovement: Anti-Vietnam Protest
    Artist: Jimi Hindrix
    Musical piece: National Anthem
    Location: Woodstock Festival, America
    Goal: Express dissatisfaction
    Reach: 400,000+ Audience at Woodstock
    Effect: Unity

    Medium: Live Performance
    Slogans: Peace & Love, Flower Power
    Visual Style: Flower patterns, peace signs, pastel colors

  • Bed Peace

    Time: 1969
    Protestmovement: Anti War Movement
    Artist: John Lennon & Yoko Ono

    Musical piece: Bed Peace

    Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Goal: Promote a Peaceful Mindset
    Reach:
    Effect: Conversation about Peace
    Medium: Media Coverage, Documentary, LP release
    Slogans: Give Peace A Chance

    Visual Style: Flower patterns, peace signs, pastelle colors

  • What's Going On

    Time: 1971
    Protestmovement: Anti Vietnam Movement
    Artist: Marvin Gaye

    Musical piece: What's Going On

    Location: Detroit
    Goal: Show the point of view of a Vietnam Veteran returning to his country and seeing only hatred, suffering and injustice.
    Reach: 3,00,000+ Albums Sold
    Effect: Promoting awareness of drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War and global warming.
    Medium: LP release

    Slogans: Peace & Love, What's Going On
    Visual Style: Flower patterns, peace signs, pastelle colors

  • Venceremos

    Time: 1973
    Protestmovement: Chile Revolution
    Artist: Victor Jara

    Musical piece: Venceremos

    Location: Chile

    Goal: Promote Revolution through Political Left Party
    Reach:

    Effect: Unity
    Medium: Live Performances, Marches

    Slogans: Venceremos, "There can be no revolution without song"
    Visual Style:

  • The Plastic People Of The Universe

    Time: 1978
    Protestmovement: Prague Underground Culture, Unti-Communism

    Artist: The Plastic People of the Universe
    Musical piece: Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned
    Location: Underground Prague podiums
    Goal: Express disinterest with the Communist Regime

    Reach: Couple Hundred supporters
    Effect: Unity, Rebellious spirit
    Medium: Underground Performance
    Slogans:
    Visual Style: Inspired by The Beatles, Velvet Underground & Frank Zappa

  • Walk In Africa

    Time: 1980
    Protestmovement: Anti-Apartheid

    Artist: National Wake

    Musical piece: Walk in Africa

    Location: South-Africa

    Goal: Promote Racial Unity and Equality
    Reach: 700 Albums Sold, Underground Cassette traders
    Effect: Increase in Racial Unity
    Medium: Live Performances, Underground Cassette Trading
    Slogans:

    Visual Style: Bright Colorful Paint

  • Sing Our Own Song

    Time: 1986
    Protestmovement: Anti Apartheid Movement
    Artist: UB40
    Musical piece: Sing Our Own Song

    Location: UK
    Goal: Call for Political and Economic Reforms
    Reach:

    Effect: Increase in Unity and Hope, Expression of Disinterest with Current State of Government
    Medium: Live Performance at Protests
    Slogans:

    Visual Style: Bright Colors

  • Nothing To My Name

    Time: 1989
    Protestmovement: Chinese Revolution
    Artist: Cui Jian
    Musical piece: Nothing to My Name

    Location: China, Tiananmen Square

    Goal: Call for Political and Economic Reforms
    Reach: 1,000,000+ protesters
    Effect: Increase in Unity and Hope, Expression of Disinterest with Current State of Government
    Medium: Live Performance at Protests
    Slogans:

    Visual Style: Blindfolded

  • Fight The Power

    Time: 1990
    Protestmovement: Sixties Protest Movement
    Artist: Public Enemy
    Musical piece: Fight The Power

    Location: New York, America

    Goal: Call for Uprising and Unity
    Reach: 1,300,000 Albums Sold
    Effect: Increase in Unity and Hope, Expression of Disinterest with Current State of Government
    Medium: Single release, Rally, Live Performances, Do the Right Thing Soundtrack
    Slogans:

    Visual Style:

  • Killing In The Name

    Time: 1991
    Protestmovement:
    Artist: Rage Against The Machine
    Musical piece: In The Name of Killing

    Location: LA, America

    Goal: Awareness of beating of Rodney King by LAPD
    Reach: 5,000,000 Albums Sold
    Effect: More Awareness and public outcry of the beating of Rodney King by LAPD
    Medium: MTV Broadcast, Europian Radio Airplay, Live Performances
    Slogans:

    Visual Style:

  • Los Aldeanos

    Time: 2003
    Protestmovement: Cuban Revolution
    Artist: Los Aldeanos
    Musical piece: Peace Without Borders

    Location: Cuba

    Goal: Call for Political and Economic Reforms
    Reach: Thousands festival goers from Cuba to Spain to Siberia.

    Effect: Increase in Unity and Hope, Expression of Disinterest with Current State of Government
    Medium: Live Performance at Festivals; Peace Without Borders, The Exit Fest Novi Sad, Interrapción
    Slogans:

    Visual Style:

  • Pussy Riot

    Time: 2012
    Protestmovement: Russian Revolution

    Artist: Pussy Riot
    Musical piece: Mother of God, Drive Putin Away

    Location: Moskou
    Goal: Awareness for Oppression of Free Speech, Imprisonment because of Race, Sexual Orientation, Religious and Political Views, Poor Prison Conditions
    Reach: 15,000,000 views online
    Effect: Increase in Unity and Hope, Expression of Disinterest with Current State of Government
    Medium: Guerilla Performances, Online Music Video's
    Slogans:

    Visual Style: Balaclava's

  • Alright

    Time: 2015
    Protestmovement: Black Lives Matter

    Artist: Kendrick Lamar
    Musical piece: Alright
    Location: Compton, America

    Goal: Spread a uplifting message
    Reach: 15,000,000 views on Youtube
    Effect: Unify and strenghting protesters at #BLM protest
    Medium: Guerilla Performances, Online Music Video's
    Slogans: We Gon Be Alright, Black Lives Matter, Hands Up Don't Shoot, I Can't Breath
    Visual Style: Black Power Fist, Signs

  • The Uncensored Playlist

    Protestmovement: Pro Journalistic Freedom

    Artist: Reporters Without Borders
    Musical piece: The Uncensored Playlist

    Location: China, Vietnam, Egypt, Uzbekistan & Thailand
    Goal: Giving Oppressed Journalists a Tool to Share their Stories
    Reach: 680 million people reached in over 300 international articles
    Effect: People in Journalistic Oppressed Countries now have to access to journalistic information
    Medium: Playlists on Streamingsites
    Slogans: #ThruthFindsAWay
    Visual Style: Poster textures