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What Are the Conservative Protest Anthems?
Ace of Spades HQ ^ | 12/02/2004 | Ace of Spades HQ

Posted on 12/03/2004 8:38:25 AM PST by Warhead W-88

That Ukranian protest song got me thinking.

We all make fun of the painfully-earnest and stridently-liberal balladeers who fill us with so much excess stomache acid, but, hey, I'll be the one to admit it: I'm jealous.

Where's my protest anthem? Where's my catchy sing-a-long rock rebellion?

Sure, such songs don't really advance a philosophical position. They're the near-religious chants of the already-converted. But damnit, it gets kinda tedious just quoting Larry Kudlow and Deborah Orin all day. Why can't we occasionally just be able to sing our politics and maybe even groove to it? ...

The only real conservative protest anthems are only such if considered metaphorically, or loosely. There aren't too many songs with lyrics which explicitly champion conservatism.

The best you can find, really -- and this is either sad or pretty cool, depending on your taste -- is the sort of dunderheaded heavy metal screw-your-parents-and-teachers rock of the eighties. The actual specifics of the lyrics are usually pretty irrelevant to politics -- unless your politics is in fact fighting for your right to party -- but often just the attitude and a phrase in a chorus is close enough to an expression of the conservative discontent as to qualify as a bona fide political anthem.

And the song that I think is best example of this is Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It. Yeah, it's kinda silly, but that guitar and drum really kick, and the lyrics, actually, are pretty easily read as a conservative manifesto:

We've got the right to choose it There ain't no way we'll lose it This is our life, this is our song

We'll fight the powers that be, just don't pick our destiny, 'cause you don't know us, you don't belong

We're not gonna take it, no ain't gonna take it We're not gonna take it anymore

Oh you're so condescending Your gall is never-ending We don't want nothin', not a thing from you

Your life is trite and jaded Boring and confiscated If that's your best, your best won't do

We're RIGHT (Yeah!) We're FREE (Yeah!) We'll FIGHT (Yeah!) You'll see! (Yeahhhhh!)

If anyone can top that -- by a rock performer, not by Darryl Whorley, Tobey Keith, or Charlie Daniels -- I'd like to know about it.

More at Ace of Spades HQ.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: music; republicanism; rock; twistedsister
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1 posted on 12/03/2004 8:38:25 AM PST by Warhead W-88
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To: Warhead W-88

Solidarity Forever?


2 posted on 12/03/2004 8:39:35 AM PST by Semper Paratus (Michael)
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To: Warhead W-88

Conservative anthems: God Bless America, Holy Night and Christ the Lord is Risen Today.


3 posted on 12/03/2004 8:39:44 AM PST by Jibaholic
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To: Warhead W-88

Get Out of Cheney's House!


4 posted on 12/03/2004 8:41:14 AM PST by So Cal Rocket (Proud Member: Internet Pajama Wearers for Truth)
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To: Warhead W-88

Battle Hymn of the Republic, A Mighty Fortress, and Onward Christian Soldiers.


5 posted on 12/03/2004 8:41:24 AM PST by Little Pig (Is it time for "Cowboys and Muslims" yet?)
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To: Warhead W-88

Then there is always The Battle Hymn of the Republic.


6 posted on 12/03/2004 8:41:25 AM PST by Bahbah
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To: Warhead W-88
Where's my catchy sing-a-long rock rebellion?

This is the entire point, rebellion is not conservative, so we don't have rebellion songs. Rock has always been partially about rebellion (and thus would not be conservative).
7 posted on 12/03/2004 8:41:36 AM PST by tjwmason ("For he himself has said it, And it's greatly to his credit, That he is an Englishman!")
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To: Warhead W-88

Anything by Charlie Daniels (at least post 1985).


8 posted on 12/03/2004 8:42:48 AM PST by Gingersnap
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To: Warhead W-88
"And the song that I think is best example of this is Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It. Yeah, it's kinda silly, but that guitar and drum really kick, and the lyrics, actually, are pretty easily read as a conservative manifesto: "

I saw Twisted Sister over the summer. It was all of the original members back together. Dee talked a little about 9/11 and how the song took on a new meaning afterward. He then had the entire audience give the middle finger to Al Qaeda and we all sang along to the song. It was a loud F*ck You to Osama from us all.

9 posted on 12/03/2004 8:43:14 AM PST by Jersey Republican Biker Chick (Never play leapfrog with a unicorn!)
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To: Warhead W-88

Didn't Rush write a bunch of songs about Ayn Rand?


10 posted on 12/03/2004 8:43:47 AM PST by Borges
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To: Warhead W-88
It really strike me that just about all of the "Conservative" anthems that one can think of are Christian in origin.

I do not normally think that "conservatism=Christianity", nor that "morality=Christianity". But it does seem that when the forces of Western Civilization get together to sing, they choose Christian hymns.

And Twisted Sister toons.

11 posted on 12/03/2004 8:44:22 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (The fourth estate is a fifth column.)
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To: tjwmason

Nuts to that, man! When the liberals are the establishment, rebellion definitely becomes a conservative value.

Half the fun of a site like this is that we're all opting out of the establishment media.


12 posted on 12/03/2004 8:45:07 AM PST by Warhead W-88
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To: Warhead W-88
is the sort of dunderheaded heavy metal screw-your-parents-and-teachers rock of the eighties

And what is wrong with that?

We're Not Gonna Take It

Oh we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh we're not gonna take it anymore

We've got the right to choose it
There ain't no way we'll lost it
This is our life, this is our song

We'll fight the powers that be just
Don't pick our destiny 'cause
You don't know us, you don't belong

Oh we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh we're not gonna take it anymore

Oh you're so condescending
Your gall is neverending
We don't want nothin', not a thing from you

Your life is trite and jaded
Boring and confiscated
If that's your best, your best won't do

Oh Oh

We're right (yeah)
We're free (yeah)
We'll fight (yeah)
You'll see (yeah)

Oh we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh we're not gonna take it anymore

Oh we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh we're not gonna take it anymore

No way

Oh Oh

We're right (yeah)
We're free (yeah)
We'll fight (yeah)
You'll see (yeah)

Oh we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh we're not gonna take it anymore

Oh we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh we're not gonna take it anymore

Just you try and make us
We're not gonna take it
Come on!

No, we ain't gonna take it
You're all worthless and weak
We're not gonna take it anymore

Now drop and give me twenty
We're not gonna take it
Oh crinch pin

No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh you and your uniform
We're not gonna take it anymore

13 posted on 12/03/2004 8:47:01 AM PST by RockinRight (Liberals are OK with racism and sexism, as long as it is aimed at a Republican.)
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To: Warhead W-88

"Nuke The B*st*rds" is my favorite.


14 posted on 12/03/2004 8:47:34 AM PST by the invisib1e hand (if a man lives long enough, he gets to see the same thing over and over.)
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To: Warhead W-88

You just go and lay your hand
on a Pittsburgh Steeler fan
and I think you're gonna finally understand.


---Charlie Daniels, "In America"


15 posted on 12/03/2004 8:47:56 AM PST by Petronski (I'm not always cranky.)
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To: Warhead W-88

I guess now conservatives can use Pink Floyd's "We don't need no education" when protesting the leftist educational establishment.

There's always Amazing Grace.

How about Dixie?


16 posted on 12/03/2004 8:48:41 AM PST by bobjam
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To: Warhead W-88

FREE BIRD!!!


17 posted on 12/03/2004 8:48:51 AM PST by wizardoz
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To: tjwmason
Here's a few:

Ted Nugent - Kiss My A$$
Lee Greenwood - God Bless the USA (not really rock, but hey)
Sammy Hagar - VOA
Alice Cooper - Anything off of Raise Your Fist and Yell (more anti-PMRC/libertarian)
Can't think of any more right now...
18 posted on 12/03/2004 8:50:16 AM PST by RockinRight (Liberals are OK with racism and sexism, as long as it is aimed at a Republican.)
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To: Petronski

Well the eagle's been flying slow and the flag's been flying low
And a lot of people are saying that America's fixing to fall
But speaking just for me and some people from Tennessee
We got a thing or two to tell you all
This lady may have stumbled but she ain't never fell
And if the Russians don't believe that they can all go straight to hell
We're gonna put her feet back on the path of righteousness
And then God bless America again

And you never did think that it ever would happen again
In America, did you?
You never did think that we'd ever get together again
Well we damn sure fooled you
We're walking real proud and we're talking real loud again in America
You never did think that it ever would happen again

From the sound up in Long Island out to San Francisco Bay
And ev'ry thing that's in between them is our home
And we may have done a little bit of fighting amongst ourselves
But you outside people best leave us alone
Cause we'll all stick together and you can take that to the bank
That's the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks
You just go and lay your head on a Pittsburgh Steeler fan
And I think you're gonna finally understand

And you never did think that it ever would happen again
In America, did you?
You never did think that we'd ever get together again
Well we damn sure fooled you
We're walking real proud and we're talking real loud again in America
You never did think that it ever would happen again



---Charlie Daniels, "In America," 1978


19 posted on 12/03/2004 8:50:19 AM PST by Petronski (I'm not always cranky.)
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To: Warhead W-88
Nuts to that, man! When the liberals are the establishment, rebellion definitely becomes a conservative value.
Half the fun of a site like this is that we're all opting out of the establishment media.


In that case, we need to devlop our own musical form which can reflect us.

Meantimes, I stick with 'Land of Hope and Glory', 'Rule Britannia', 'Jerusalem', and above all 'God Save the Queen'.
20 posted on 12/03/2004 8:50:29 AM PST by tjwmason ("For he himself has said it, And it's greatly to his credit, That he is an Englishman!")
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