Title:
Music is power : popular songs, social justice and the will to change
Author:
Publication Date:
2020
Publication Information:
New Brunswick, New Jersey : Rutgers University Press, [2020]
©2020
Physical Description:
viii, 236 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
ISBN:
9781978808126
Abstract:
"Music is Power takes us on a guided tour through the past 100 years of politically-conscious music, from Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie to Green Day and NWA. Covering a wide variety of genres, including reggae, country, metal, psychedelia, rap, punk, folk and soul, Brad Schreiber demonstrates how musicians can take a variety of approaches-- angry rallying cries, mournful elegies to the victims of injustice, or even humorous mockeries of authority--to fight for a fairer world. While shining a spotlight on Phil Ochs, Gil Scott-Heron, The Dead Kennedys and other seminal, politicized artists, he also gives readers a new appreciation of classic acts such as Lesley Gore, James Brown, and Black Sabbath, who overcame limitations in their industry to create politically potent music."-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Musical workers of the world unite : Joe Hill, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger -- There for more than fortune : Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan -- Caged artists : Lesley Gore, Janis Ian, P.F. Sloan -- Parody and poetry : Tom Lehrer, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Smothers Brothers -- Psychedelicate situation : Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd -- Reason and blues : Marvin Gaye and The Temptations -- Say it loud, we're blocked but proud : James Brown and Curtis Mayfield -- Hard rock turns metallic : The Who and Black Sabbath -- More than a working class hero : John Lennon -- Out of place and in your face : The Dead Kennedys and The Sex Pistols -- Word : Gil Scott Heron and Grandmaster Flash -- Global music consciousness : Bob Marley and Peter Gabriel -- Weird, funny, angry : Frank Zappa vs. Everybody -- Rap, not hip hop : N.W.A. and Public Enemy -- Weapons of mass deconstruction : Dixie Chicks and Green Day.
Language:
English
