Folk Songs For Protest

As the new year arrives this month, we see that our national cultural and political environment is in a turbulent phase.  The divisions caused by economic and political strife are real.  Though the goal is to mend these divisions, there will be cause, for some, for a rise in protests.  And for folk music, the presence of protest songs as a tool for political movements has been, for centuries, a profound and powerful one.

From the Smithsonian:

As the civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1960s, folk music gave voice to a new generation longing for equality and justice. “We Shall Overcome” is particularly well-known as a civil rights anthem. Folk music also played an influential role in environmental political efforts and anti-war protests during the United States’ engagement in Vietnam.

No doubt you’ve been moved and even motivated by songs that fulfill a desire or passion of your heart and mind.  In the case of the protest song, the words typically reflect a desire for change in the cause of justice – to right some wrong, to express outrage towards an injustice and to call for action.  When the human heart and mind hears these strong feelings set to music, the passion is amplified; the subject of the injustice is shone a light on, framed in an artistic form that is surrounded by emotion and power.  Lyrics makes specific the subject, couched in poetic language.  The protest song lifts and inspires, bonding people in community toward a shared goal and purpose.

Read the Smithsonian page here

Wikipedia sites that protest songs in the twentieth century United States were numerous, siting causes such as the rise of labor unions, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights movement, as well as McCarthyism in the 1950s and the world wars all inspiring protests in song.

Protest songs in the United States are a tradition that dates back to the early 18th century and have persisted and evolved as an aspect of American culture through the present day. Many American social movements have inspired protest songs spanning a variety of musical genres including but not limited to rap, folk, rock, and pop music. Though early 18th century songs stemmed from the American colonial period as well as in response to the Revolutionary war, protest songs have and continue to cover a wide variety of subjects. Protest songs typically serve to address some social, political, or economic concern through the means of musical composition.  In the 19th century, American protest songs focused heavily on topics including slavery, poverty, and the Civil War while the 20th century saw an increased popularity in songs pertaining to women’s rights, economic injustice, and politics/ war.[2] In the 21st century, popular protest songs address police brutality, racism, and more.

Read the Wikipedia page on protest songs in the United States.

During the 1960s, Jean Ritchie was in New York City, awash in the environment of Vietnam war protests and songwriters such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and the Weavers who were bringing protest songs to the public.  Though she never intended to be a composer much less a protest songwriter, she penned one tune, “The Soldier,” which is one of the gentlest protest songs you’ll ever hear.  In it she outlines the inevitable slide towards perpetual war-making, and the loss of lives that go with it.

The Soldier
By Jean Ritchie

Oh they say that the war’s nearly won
And declare there’s a change in the wind
And my feet stumble on, and a year’s come and gone
And they say that the war’s nearly won.

Another day shall arise
Another red morning sun
My seasons are counted and marching away
A lone soldier and far from my home.

Sweet peace when will you come again?
You turn like a far star alone
Will I ever be blessed with your innocent rest
And be free and be safe and be home?

Oh they say that the war’s nearly won
And declare there’s a change in the wind
And my feet stumble on and a thousand years gone
And they say that the war’s nearly won.

As always, thanks for reading everyone!
May joy, grace and abundance reach you in the New Year!

Love and Blessings,

Susie

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Award-winning recording artist, Broadway singer, journalist, educator and critically-acclaimed powerhouse vocalist, Susie Glaze has been called “one of the most beautiful voices in bluegrass and folk music today” by Roz Larman of KPFK’s Folk Scene.  LA Weekly voted her ensemble Best New Folk in their Best of LA Weekly for 2019, calling Susie “an incomparable vocalist.”  “A flat out superb vocalist… Glaze delivers warm, amber-toned vocals that explore the psychic depth of a lyric with deft acuity and technical perfection.”  As an educator, Susie has lectured at USC Thornton School of Music and Cal State Northridge on “Balladry to Bluegrass,” illuminating the historical path of ancient folk forms in the United Kingdom to the United States via immigration into the mountains of Appalachia.  Susie has taught workshops since 2018 at California music camps RiverTunes and Vocáli Voice Camp.  She is a current specialist in performance and historian on the work of American folk music icon, Jean Ritchie.  Susie now offers private voice coaching online via the Zoom platform.   www.susieglaze.com