5 Top Activist Songs
every movement needs a soundtrack. What’s yours?
Art is radical activism. Self-expression, challenging the status quo, creating something that has never been done before and believing in it’s value - the foundations of creating art are key to effective activism.
I already talked about my top 5 activist movies, but every movement needs a soundtrack as well. Here are my top 5 activists songs. And yes, I’m drawn to the era which influenced me most as an activist, the 60’s. Having some history under my belt, musically and life-lived, my early exposure to activism and the changes I have seen make me even more confident that society can change.
I’ve been a Beatles fan forever, so #1 has to be Revolution, the title says it all.
Janis Ian’s Society’s Child, taking on racism and society’s judgement.
Age of Aquarius from the musical Hair, the whole soundtrack, but this song in particular, because positive change is coming.
Buffalo Springfield singing Stop Children What’s That Sound, could have been written right this minute.
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son, about how the elite win and the rest fight and die, always relevant given the U.S. has been at war for 93% of the time during it’s history.
Honorable mention to Rage Against The Machine’s Killing in the Name for covering racism, police brutality, and defiance. Not my favorite musical genre, but the fury is warranted and the message is clear.
For more options, here’s another compilation of songs to consider.