What Is The Popularity Of Protest Song During The 1980's

During the course of music history, there has been a clear rise and fall within protest music. This paper will analyse how protest song during the 1980’s and 1990’s relates to radical and social problems and how audiences are influenced by the political message sent out. Through an analysis of how the protest songs can make a change within politics and how the two often clash - often closely due to the related themes surrounding such music with songs promoting: anti-war campaigns with political demonstration and protest through the activism of peace movements, pacifism and in turn the prospect of a social revolution. This essay will cover the anarchism portrayed within music of the 1980’s during the Thatcherism era in Britain. Furthermore,

Protest song came from Glasgow-based band: Scheme (also known in their early years as ‘Oliver’s Band) are renowned in Scottish music history for many reasons including their political standpoint and need for protest within their style of music poignant lyrics against the Thatcher government’s policies. The band started off playing cover versions and before long that became unrecognisable and they were playing only self-written material. Their music was said to be extremely controversial which seemed to be a risk for record companies at the time to sign them. They constantly refused for their music to be changed in any way – almost as a protest towards the record label business at the time. In Scotland and especially within the deprived areas of East Glasgow, they were well known as ‘The People's Band’ due to their relevance to protest against Thatcherism similar to Weller and Bragg’s protest music throughout the 1980’s. One of their most provocative songs was: ‘Bow Out Maggie.’ Within this song the lyric gives a strong opposition to Margaret Thatcher’s power:

Although originally developed within the Bronx area of New York City along with the graffiti culture and the writer’s bench. During the 1970’s were the first signs of hip-hop and rap stemmed their lyrics over samples from blues, soul and funk tracks from the time. It wasn’t until the ‘Golden Age’ of hip-hop in the early 1990’s when this genre of music was . The themes often cultivated within the black communities of America rebelling against the white-ruled powers in state. Many hip-hop artists during this time such as: De La Soul, Wu Tang Clan, The Roots and Souls of Mischief were influenced by Public Enemy – Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash with ‘The Message’ in 1982. There ethos at this time, during the civil movement was to give a sense of protest through their lyrics empowering audiences within their communities and spreading their message worldwide. The initial principles of hip-hop and rap are to produce music that gives the point of view from their often underprivileged background as a way of expressing deep emotion felt towards the social and political standpoint against their race at the time. Inequality and racism are still visible today and often the hip-hop and rap artists from both the past and present give a: “dynamic, contemporary, intellectual and spiritual form of popular culture through their music.” Rose