Music and Social Advocacy highlights anthems of civil unrest

Music is a reflection of the society and culture which produces it but is also a response to that very culture. This complex, cyclical relationship between society and music was the basis for Music and Social Advocacy this past Friday.

Professor Elizabeth Webb and Drs. Jason Munsell and Benjamin Triana spoke about how music and music videos address social issues in America.

Munsell began the event by discussing folk musician, and notable anti-fascist, Woody Guthrie. Guthrie wrote—among other things—a satire of America during the great depression called “This Land Is Your Land.”

This song is still widely recognized, though much of its modern usage is as an authentic expression of patriotism rather than as the satire Guthrie intended.

Triana took the stage next to discuss “The Ballad of Tom Joad” by Bruce Springsteen and the cover of that song by Rage Against the Machine.

John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” heavily inspired Springsteen to write “The Ballad of Tom Joad”. Tom Joad was the main character of Steinbeck’s novel. Both the song and book are critiques of the relationship between the working class and the owning class in America.

Springsteen’s original version is somber, matching the content of the lyrics. The Rage Against the Machine cover is much angrier, reflecting their feelings toward the lack of social progress since the song’s original release.

Finally, Webb brought A Tribe Called Quest’s “We The People,” a response to the hateful rhetoric espoused by President Donald Trump during the 2016 election.

The hook of the song explicitly references the anti-minority statements made and encouraged by our president since he began his presidential campaign.

This song is from their 2016 album “We Got It from Here … Thank You 4 Your Service,” which was released just 3 days after the 2016 election.

The songs discussed at this event were protest anthems that reflect the eras from whence they released. Furthermore, these songs have each had a measurable impact on protest culture since their release.

This event highlighted the integral relationship between social advocacy and music found throughout musical history.