Denisoff's Article On Protest Music And Social Movements

The primary definitions of the words “protest” and “music”, according to the Oxford Living Dictionary’s website are respectively: “A statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.” for “protest” and “Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.” for “music”. Therefore, what do they mean alongside each other? What is “protest music”? Is there such thing as “protest music”?

According to Wikipedia’s article on protest music, by definition, a “protest song” is a musical piece that is associated with a movement for social, cultural and/or political change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs, which would mean songs that

They point out that Denisoff had paid little attention to the song tunes of protest music, considered them strictly subordinate to the texts, a means to the message. It is true that in the highly text-oriented western European song tradition, tunes can be subordinate, interchangeable, and even limited in number (as in Portuguese fado, which only has 64 tunes), nevertheless, Eyerman and Jamison point out that some of the most effective protest songs gain power through their appropriation of tunes that are bearers of strong cultural traditions. They also note

The ’80s and ’90s did not produce loads of protest music. They did, however, lay the groundwork for what politically charged songs can look like in an era where they occupy with a lot more common themes like feminism, privilege, police brutality.

As the next century was shook by the tragedy on 11th September 2001, protest music was expected to emerge to the mainstream once again, after quieting down through the late 90s. This, however did not entirely happen. There were, of course, a number of standout tracks inspired by the event. The one believed to be the most widely known is “American Idiot” by American pop-punk band Green Day. The piece specifically targets the 24-hour news cycle and how constant coverage and media “propaganda” brainwashed people into believing whatever they saw on TV.

The songs of the post-9/11 era, however, while still powerful individually, acted as standalone items — less of anthems for a movement and more isolated bursts of anger and