I Don’t Love Oliver Anthony’s Hit Song, But I’m Glad He Wrote It
Protest Songs Are Usually Good for the World, Even When They're Dead Wrong
You’ve heard it in the news: Oliver Anthony’s song about the Rich Men North of Richmond has been a top song among the public in the past month. And whatever you think about the content of the song, it’s hard to argue that it’s common for music these days to be ingrained with thoughtfulness. It’s only been a few months since the passing of Sinead O’Connor, as well as a few months since the release of Jason Aldean’s, in my view, relatively generic, corporate right-wing anthem, Try That In A Small Town,” and it’s gotten me thinking about the nature of political music in today’s world. After some thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that as long as it is sincere, it’s generally a good sign for the state of music when socially conscious music is being made
When we think about politically activist music, one of the first names that comes to mind is Bob Dylan. The 1960s have been depicted as a time of stark conflict between generations and between political and social ideologies. Naturally, the public interpreted much of Dylan’s early 1960s work as representative of left-wing politics, and it was this outspoken music that largely made him popular. Of course, the public soon found out that Dylan’s personal politics were actually quite complicated, but it was still his most outspoken, one-sided (for better or worse) songs that stuck. Barry McGuire’s Eve of Destruction likewise was released in the early ’60s and gained fame for its bold, left-wing stance. Just like Dylan, he eventually expressed some regret over the lack of nuance in the song. After all, in the same year, Bob Dylan moved from singing “the times they are a-changin’” to:
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
Sincerity
Of course, not all political music is the same. Although we can’t easily distinguish what political songs are “good” for society simply by their content, I do think we can make that judgement based on the sincerity of the song. For example, songs that tend to push the narratives of the mainstream and establishment view, whether it is the governmental or corporate establishment, send off red flags in my head as a song that is probably less a brave, authentic expression of a personal belief, and more something that the powerful forces in the world have had a hand in.
For example, whereas Oliver Anthony’s song was written by himself, and expressed many anti-establishment ideas (though some were way off the mark in my view), Jason Aldean’s Try That In A Small Town was written by four established industry songwriters, making arguments in line with right-wing establishment politicians. Given the context of the pop music world, where ghostwriters are in the common practice of getting together in groups to write songs aimed at media success, PLUS the clearly pro-establishment content of the lyrics, it’s enough for me to feel a reasonable discomfort. And finally, of course, I can’t help but take into account the context of how modern “country” is a largely corporate, commercialized version of its more authentic and sincere original. These are just three factors that together make me skeptical of the motives of this class of political songs, in addition to my less than optimistic views about the nationalistic undercurrents in the song itself.
Debate
In the world of ideas as well as in the world of music, it’s not always the result that matters most but the process. For example, even if an artist like Bob Dylan makes clear on an album that he is siding with the progressive counterculture, and sung in support of faster social and economic change – and then on the very next album criticize himself for being absolutist (“so much older then…I’m younger than that now”) – the important thing is that he expressed his thoughts at the moment which stirred a debate among listeners. And hopefully, over time, the willingness to begin and engage in debate should help us all come closer to the correct conclusion over time.
To Be Anger is To Care
I’ve noticed that many of the people I trust most are not ones who are never emotional and never neurotic, but in fact the opposite. I’ve found that it is people who care the most that most often feel the need to be hurt and angry and upset about the world around them. Music that is based in social commentary is often fundamentally “negative” in the sense that there is usually an issue that is being advocated against in some sense. To me, though, that negativity is a sign of an artist who at the moment, at least, cares enough about the outer world to hurt.
It’s worth noting then, that the corporate, traditional music of every era tends to be happy and uncontroversial. From much of 1950s crooning to the disco of the ’80s and much of modern pop, taking a risk by discussing serious topics jeopardizes stability, and profit and industry is fundamentally based on stability. However, real progres towards rectifying any perceived injustice is by definition going to require a willingness to take a risk with some sort of instability to move towards a new, hopefully better status quo. The willingness to push listeners towards the risk of thinking about difficult, but important topics, is by itself to me a good thing. If we see artists more regularly coming out to speak on “controversial” social topics, music listeners and the general public should feel some sense of optimism that artists are caring more about the state of their society than merely accepting stability, which might be good for making money but not so good for making the world around us better.
I Don’t Love Oliver Anthony’s Hit Song, But I’m Glad He Wrote It
Protest Songs Are Usually Good for the World, Even When They're Dead Wrong