Message & Protest Music

DuranDuran

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List or post your favorite message songs here. Some of mine are:

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) ~ Marvin Gaye
War ~ Edwin Starr
A Change Is Gonna Come ~ Sam Cooke
Assault And Battery ~ Howard Jones
Public Enemy (Part 1 & 2) ~ James Brown
The Message ~ Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Lady Madonna ~ The Beatles
Big Brother ~ Stevie Wonder
A Real Mother For Ya ~ Johnny "Guitar" Watson
People Are People ~ Depeche Mode
Nothin' Comes To Sleepers ~ Gap Band
Strength Of One Man ~ The Jacksons
For The Love Of Money ~ O'Jays
White Horse ~ Laid Back
Black Maybe ~ Syreeta
Strange Fruit ~ Billie Holiday
I Like To Teach The World To Sing ~ New Seekers
Take A Stand ~ Voices Of East Harlem
Wake Up Everybody ~ Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
In The Ghetto ~ Elvis Presley
The World Is A Ghetto ~ War
 
Been digging deep into the Philly soul movement recently. Masters of socially conscious output.
 
on3 more excuse to discover Jacksons music i never heard, and hear the soulful voice of MIchael making a lyrical difference. thanks for that. i've heard a lot of philly sound music..but again, Michael makes it stand out special and magic.
 
heal the world.

the earth song

we are the world

natalia- pretty like me. (song about bullying).

elvis presley- in the getto.

anything about children in need, comic relief or any of those types of things.
 
I think my favourite song with a message is "The Trees" by Rush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZiDME3bajU

Read the lyrics. A message about the oppressiveness of legislated equality put so perfectly into a very poetic song.

Rush - The Trees

There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleads

The trouble with the maples
And they're quite convinced they're right
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade

There is trouble in the forest,
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream "Oppression!"
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
"The oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw
 
Tears For Fears ft. Oleta Adams - Woman In Chains

 
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Terence Trent D'Arby - Billy Don't Fall

 
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[video=youtube;VHadAHiWtf0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHadAHiWtf0[/video]

Aznavour's "Earth Song".

I couldn't find English translation unfortunately, but the in-built translator of Chrome gives an acceptable result.

LA TERRE MEURT

Les océans sont des poubelles
Et les fronts de mer sont souillés
Des Tchernobyls en ribambelle
Voient naître des foetus mort-nés
Dans cinquante ans, qu'allons-nous faire
De ces millions de détritus ?
Et ces déchets du nucléaire
Dont les pays ne veulent plus

Sous nos pieds, la terre promise
Patrimoine de nos enfants
Petit à petit, agonise
Nul ne s'en soucie
Et pourtant des espèces devenues rares
Sont en voie de disparition
Et la laideur chante victoire
Sous le plastique et le béton

REFRAIN:
La terre meurt
L'homme s'en fout
Il vit sa vie
Un point c'est tout
Il met à son gré, à son goût
Le monde sens dessus dessous
La Terre meurt
Où allons-nous ?

Dans la finance et les affaires
Le pétrole est le maître mot
Il mène à tout, même à la guerre
Et nul ne s'inquiète de l'eau
Où en sont la flore et la faune
Et qu'advient-il du firmament
Privé de la couche d'ozone
Gardien de l'environnement

Sous le ciel, le sol se révolte
Car l'homme trompe la nature
Quand il trafique les récoltes
Il hypothèque son futur
Sous le soleil, les forêts brûlent
Et l'on gave les champs d'engrais
Dans la boulimie majuscule
Du rendement et du progrès

REFRAIN

Il est temps de prendre conscience
Que l'homme ne respecte rien
Il se fiche de l'existence
Des baleines et des dauphins
L'éléphant meurt pour son ivoire
La bête rare pour sa peau
Et dans les grandes marées noires
Le mazout englue les oiseaux

La société consommatrice
Avance impunément ses pions
Tandis que les arbres pourrissent
Dans les villes et leurs environs
La sècheresse se déchaîne
Effaçant tout signe de vie
Et certaines races humaines
Crèvent d'abandon et d'oubli

REFRAIN

La Terre meurt
Réveillons-nous
 
Hong Kong band Beyond's song ???? Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies (lit. "sea wide sky empty") is originally about artistic and personal freedom, but it gained a more universal meaning of freedom during the years. It became part of the collective memory of Hong Kong people, and one the unofficial anthems of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.



 


Terry Hall, died Dec 18 2022. RIP

He was the singer in Fun Boy Three but before that he was with The Specials. 'Ghost Town' is their most iconic song. Bleak but brilliant. Bit like Terry himself.

images
 


Bob Dylan / The Death of Emmett Till

7m 8s - the actual song is 5m 20s, the rest is a conversation with Cynthia Gooding on a radio show called Folksingers' Choice. March 11th 1962

Posting this to mark the release of the film about Emmett Till's short life and sad end.
 
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young / Ohio

3m 3s

Written by Neil Young - the lines towards the end of the song - 'How many more?' and 'Why?' - are sung by David Crosby.

R.I.P. David Crosby

 
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