Voices Against the Machine

Ava Peters  

Music Journalist  

Protest music has existed long before the creation of the United States. It has likely been around since the invention of music. In 1961, Martin Luther King Jr. said that protest songs “give the people new courage and a sense of unity. I think they keep alive a faith, a radiant hope, in the future, particularly in our most trying hours.”  For black artists especially, music has functioned as a means of resistance. During the Civil Rights movement, when people were afraid to speak openly, music became a catharsis, expressing the pain of oppression. During the 60s, artists used soul, jazz, and gospel to explain issues many Americans were reluctant to confront. 

Artists like Joan Baez and Jimi Hendrix used performances as political commentary. Baez often sang anti-war songs at rallies and marches, explaining her ideas about the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements through music. Hendrix’s famous rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock was his unique way of addressing the political climate at the time.  

You cannot mention any of the popular artists and bands of the time without mentioning the word “protest”. It was everywhere. The Rolling Stones, the Who, the Beatles, or the Doors. They were all addressing difficult issues in their music.  

When Marvin Gaye released What’s Going On in 1971, America was in turmoil. Gaye responded to the current issues of the time with a question. He asked softly, almost pleadingly: What’s going on? His opening track, “What’s Happening Brother,” told a story.

The song is written from the viewpoint of a Vietnam War veteran coming home. He asks simple but powerful questions: “What’s happening, brother?” “Are things really getting better?” He is returning to a country of unrest. He and other black soldiers came home to limited opportunities and racism. More than five decades later, the questions he asked are still relevant. Only now, they relate to modern issues such as police violence, mass incarceration, and immigration. Musicians are still bringing light to important issues.   

When talking about protest music, you must address Rage Against the Machine. Their first album features a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, burning himself as an act of protest. Every track on the album addressed social issues. The opening song, “Killing in the Name,” confronts racism, police brutality, and institutional power.  Tom Morello, during his acceptance speech into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,said, “Tomorrow, crank up some Rage and head out and confront injustice. Wherever it rears its ugly head, it’s time to change the world, brothers and sisters.”   

Another one of their songs, titled “Testify,” confronts issues about oil and America’s presence in Middle Eastern countries. One lyric says, “Mass graves for the pump and the price is set”. The phrase suggests that lives are being sacrificed (“mass graves”) to secure access to oil. The U.S. extraction of oil from countries like Iraq and Saudi Arabia has long been a violent issue, and Rage Against the Machine was not afraid to confront it. The bigger theme of the song includes critiques of imperialism and corporate control. 

As long as injustice endures, so will protest music. Protest music does not have one sound. The gentleness of Gaye and the explosiveness of Rage Against the Machine appeal to different audiences but bring forth similar ideas. A single person listening to music alone may become part of something larger. A shared recognition that injustice is real and needs reform. Protest music reminds people they are not alone in their frustration, grief, or hope.