Additions welcome.
How you could put that in and not The Hammer Song by Peter, paul and Mary is beyond me.
Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
American Idiot--Green Day
Worst protest song ever? How about "I Ain't Marching Anymore" by Phil Ochs, or anything ever warbled by Joan Baez.
No way "What's Goin' On?" belongs on a worst list.
Meanwhile you missed "In the year 2525 . . . if man is still alive . . ."
What? No Dixie Chix? "Not Ready to Make Nice"...oh that doesn't count, does it....
McCartney's weakness was his bubble gum lyrics and Lennon's big signature solo song has some of the most juvenile lyrics around.
I love Bob Dylan, but Masters of War is just dreadful.
Well then, what about Ebony and Ivory?
Personally, I like Imagine; I just ignore the lyrics. Musically, it's a great song, and one I can play on the piano!
"Society's Child", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone"
"Imagine No Possessions...."
And who can forget George Carlin's great folk protest song...
Don't want no war
Don't want no war
Don't want no war
----
Don't want no job either
by Danny and the Demonstrators??
How could you not include this insipid POS written by the King of the Commie Folksingers, Pete Seeger?
WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE
Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago?
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone for husbands everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time passing?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time ago?
Where have all the husbands gone?
Gone for soldiers everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago?
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Words and Music by Pete Seeger (1955)
(c) 1961 (renewed) by Sanga Music Inc.
Several of those songs I've never even heard. We Are The World and Imagine are the only two that I know.
"People Let's Stop the War" GFR
I loved GFR, but this as just insipid.
I remember liking this song when it came out.Not his best work,but good nevertheless.Back then,I was pretty apolitical so didn't consider it in political terms.
4. What's Goin On -- Marvin Gaye. In my estimation, this was the beginning of the downfall for a talented Motown star. It was apparent that he had no clue of "what's goin on".
Musically speaking,it was a true classic,even if the politics behind it were fouled up.
3. Big Yellow Taxi -- Joni Mitchell. I liked Joni's early, breezy brand of folk pop. Her album Blue is still likable. The problem is not the tune here, it's the insipid lyrics. Uhg.
IMO,Joni Mitchell's early songwriting qualifies her as a true genius.Never cared for her performing talents,but she wrote four or five of my very favorites songs of all time...all in 1970 or earlier.
2. Eve of Destruction -- Barry McGuire. Complete idiocy. Apparently influenced Algore and John Kerry. Apparently that was a long "eve" he was carterwauling about.
Another fine piece of music,IMO.The politics behind it may be another story.
1. Imagine -- John Lennon. This was proof to me that Paul McCartney was the real talent in the Beatles.
The Beatles,up to Abbey Road,showed amazing talent.I don't know enough about music in general or the Beatles in particular to be able to determine how that talent should be apportioned to the individual members.IMO,neither Lennon nor McCartney showed any talent after about 1969.As for "Imagine",I still marvel at how many "possessions" he left Yoko each time I walk past the Dakota, a place where some of the richest folks on earth live,and have lived.
Anything by Phil Ochs.
UGH! "Pave over paradise and put in a parking lot." HOW TRITE CAN YOU GET!
Much as I love Simon and Garfunkel, their first album includes two of the most insipid protest songs ever written, "He Was My Brother" and "The Sun is Burning."
One of my favorite Dylan songs is not so much a protest song (contrary to what some of his admirers say) but about the APOCALPSE, "A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall." They should play that song in Church whenever they quote the book of revelations.