Another View: Does Politics Have A Place in Music?
“Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too. Imagine all the people, living life in peace”.
If I think about a song that was written with the aim of making a difference, the aim of talking to people during troubled times, John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ is always the first one that comes to my mind. Written in 1971, it is clear how the former Beatle used this song to preach for a peaceful world, to the point that the song earned the title, recognised by many, of “peace anthem”.
Music is one of the strongest forms of communication. Do you know that feeling of listening to a song finding yourself completely in tune with the piece? And how many times did you dedicate a song to someone special, just because you could not find better words to communicate your feelings? I did this a thousand times, and I still do. Songs can highlight sadness, express love, and can certainly also be used to promote political views and opinion, and to shed light on inequities in societies. The connection between music and politics seems to have always been there, and we can date it back to ancient Egypt. But, as I do not want to turn this into a history lesson, I would like to keep a closer look at contemporary examples of politics finding its place in music.
And what a better way to start if not with the iconic Sex Pistols? Singing “I am an antichrist, I am an anarchist” in their controversial ‘Anarchy in the UK’, the Pistols are surely one of the major exponents of punk rock music, which exploded in the UK in the 1970s. Recalling punk’s first manifesto, we can see how the major principle of this genre consisted of advocating for an anti-establishment attitude towards mainstream politics back in the day. Punk is clearly an example of politics finding its way through music, with names like The Clash, Tom Robinson Band, The Ruts, The Slits, and many more, getting involved in socio-political movements, even as the iconic genre started to move towards the creation of different political factions.
If punk music is surely associated with political ideologies, such as anarchy, hip-hop music is probably the most associable when it comes to the ideology of fighting power. In the 1980s the hip-hop genre found its way through two notable groups of the time: Public Enemy and NWA (Niggaz with Attitudes), and they aimed to describe the experience of being an African American in the US. Through songs like “Fuck tha police” (NWA) and “Fight the Power” (Public Enemy), the two groups sang against police enforcement towards black people, and against racism in general. So, it is fair to say that hip-hop artists, in most cases, give voice to underrepresented groups, using their music to speak-up about socio-political issues important to their culture. And by doing this, they have the power of bringing people together, enlightening the economic, social, and political struggles that still affect vulnerable communities.
However, politics does not just find its way in music in the form of protests and artists giving voice to their followers. In fact, political figures are well aware of the impact music can have on the masses. Getting a closer look at the 2020 USA presidential elections it is pretty interesting to see how both Donald Trump and Joe Biden have used music to reach and, also, gain voters. Trump’s music choices tended to be more national-focused, with songs hymning patriotism indeed. Lee Greenwood’s “God bless the USA” has been massively played at his rallies, together with classical singalongs aiming at entertaining his voters. Biden took a different approach, highlighting both black and white artists in his music choices. The new President of America also relied on modern pop pieces in an attempt to reach younger voters. His campaign song, Jojo’s “The Change”, speaks for itself: a hymn to a necessary change after Trump’s presidency. The song was also translated into Spanish, bringing Joe Biden a step closer to those minorities in the USA, whose voices were almost shut by Donald Trump.
If we think about the major eras and events of our history, we would probably be able to find artists and songs connected to that certain time. Most of us, most of the time, do not find it easy to give voice to our views, ideas and beliefs, and that is when we get closer to music, to songs that give us a voice and that make us feel a little less lonely in our everyday struggles. At the same time, artists use their songs and music to express their feelings, to make them, and us, heard, to help and encourage changes, whereas they believe our society needs them. And I believe music never gets old really. Even today, if we skim back through past songs and artists performances, we will surely find those words that seem to be tailored for our political and social thinking. As we have seen in the example of the last USA elections, music can also be used by those actively involved in politics to convey messages, as music is, indeed, one of the strongest forms of expression and communication.
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you will join us, and the world will live as one”.
Written by Alessia Solipaca
I am a teaching assistant for autistic children and a journalism and media student. Still trying to find my place in the world. Usually found on the side of those who fight injustice.