Fight the Power

I loved UNKLE Matt’s idea for a themed monthly crush this time out, but the irony of putting up playlists of anti-war/anti-establishment songs at a website essentially named after the government’s military draft didn’t really hit me until I sat down to write this post. Har de har har. The policies of the Bush administration (v.2) has reinvigorated the musical community like nothing else - big-name performers like Neil Young, Green Day, Bruce Springsteen, Bright Eyes, and even Pink have been putting out albums and songs thick with political and anti-war messages, and they’ve become big hits to boot. Heck, I could easily come up with a playlist just out of songs released during the time Dubya’s been in office, but I wanted to focus on my all-time favorites, so here goes (Click on the link next to each song title to read the lyrics):

1. Bob Dylan, “Masters of War (Live)” (1963) - Read the lyrics
   When a lot of people think about Dylan’s folk protest songs, the first one to pop in their heads is the serene “Blowin’ in the Wind,” but for me it’s this one. “Masters of War” is Dylan at his most angry, passionate, vivid, and eloquent. Written in response to the Vietnam War, I find that it’s just as potent and relevant 40 years later. When I listened to it again, visions of Bush, Halliburton, and Neocons instantly filled my head, and I was filled with the righteous anger of his lyrics. This is necessary listening given our government’s ineptitide. The song originally appeared on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, but this excellent live take comes from the soundtrack to No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese’s documentary about Dylan.
2. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (1989) - Read the lyrics
   This song made its’ initial debut in the opening credits to Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, a gritty, tough film that tackled race relations in America, and PE’s call to arms was a perfect fit for it. Chuck D’s lyrics attacked America’s cultural racism and division head-on, and the Bomb Squad created an aggressive, agitated sound that can be the soundtrack to dancing or window smashing - the combination of beats and rhymes sounds like a riot’s goin’ on. I find that the lyrical power of this song goes well beyond just race relations - I hear it as a call for social intelligence, unity, and freedom.
3. Manic Street Preachers, “Crucifix Kiss” (1992) - Read the lyrics
   I may not always agree with the heavy political sentiment to the Manics’ songs (”For the Love of Richard Nixon”? Nyet.), but you can’t deny their anti-establishmentarian passion and the vigour with which they tear into their songs - subtle they ain’t. “Crucifix Kiss,” from their Generation Terrorists album, is a searing, aggressive punk-metal indictment of organized reilgion that rails against the subjugation and control that are inherent in capital-C Churches. With lyrics like those below, is it any wonder that the album didn’t get a US release?
4. Bonus! Pearl Jam, “Masters of War” (2003) - Read the lyrics
   This is proof-positive of Dylan’s talent and relevancy as a songwriter. Almost 40 years after it was written, Pearl Jam added “Masters of War” to their rotating setlist and it’s proved to be a powerful, meaningful addition. The feeling behind the song applies just as well to the ill-conceived “war on terror” as it did to Vietnam. This primarily acoustic live version comes from their Live At Benaroya Hall (22-Oct-2003) album, probably the best live document of the band there is.

Download: Bob Dylan, “Masters of War (Live)” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Manic Street Preachers, “Crucifix Kiss” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Bonus! Download: Pearl Jam, “Masters of War” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)