Stevie Wonder - "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (1974)
Released in the summer of 1974 just before it's subject, U.S. president Richard Nixon resigned.
Stevie Wonder was 23 when he wrote, produced and performed almost every instrument on this track. It is short for a funk song, and not really sing-along like a good protest song should be, but it was catchy enough to climb the pop charts. It actually hit number one for one week in November, between Dionne Warwick and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. According to Wikipedia and 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die this is a drum machine, which is an odd choice for Stevie Wonder, who is a very talented drummer. Backing vocals on this track were provided by The Jackson 5, who were still big stars, but a little past their prime. Wonder on the other hand was still going strong and had huge hits in his future. This song owes a lot to 1972's "Superstition" but the added element of a political statement was a new one for Wonder.
Showing posts with label Protest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Protest. Show all posts
Monday, August 20, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
"Police and Thieves"
Junior Murvin - "Police and Thieves" (1976)
I can't tell you if he sang every song in falsetto, but every song I found on the Internet he sure does.
Written in response to Jamaican martial law, Singer Junior Murvin went to burgeoning legendary producer Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark Studio with an idea that he wanted to record a kind of protest song. Recorded that day, and out on the streets in less than a week, the song became a hit. Dub versions and other covers followed quickly, but this original cut actually made it across the Atlantic to England. It became a huge hit when riots broke out during the Notthing Hill Carnival, a Caribbean themed weekend long festival in London. Less than a year later, The Clash covered the song; something that apparently didn't really sit well with Murvin.
Perry's studio was known for being the best in Jamaica, capable of effects that other studio's wouldn't get right for years. The underwater feel of this song is accomplished with reverb and was something that Perry was experimenting with and would use on a number of tracks during 1976. Two other things to point out on this track. One, the bass drops out completely on this track way more than any other reggae song I've ever heard; sometimes for almost three beats. Two, the percussion is cymbal driven, with accents thrown in on the snare drum, as apposed to what we are used to in Rock with cymbals being the accents. That cymbal driven rhythm is heard in disco and other dance styles, but to hear it slowed down here is a very different feeling, I think it goes well with the underwater guitar to make the whole song sound somehow slower than intended.
I can't tell you if he sang every song in falsetto, but every song I found on the Internet he sure does.
Written in response to Jamaican martial law, Singer Junior Murvin went to burgeoning legendary producer Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark Studio with an idea that he wanted to record a kind of protest song. Recorded that day, and out on the streets in less than a week, the song became a hit. Dub versions and other covers followed quickly, but this original cut actually made it across the Atlantic to England. It became a huge hit when riots broke out during the Notthing Hill Carnival, a Caribbean themed weekend long festival in London. Less than a year later, The Clash covered the song; something that apparently didn't really sit well with Murvin.
Perry's studio was known for being the best in Jamaica, capable of effects that other studio's wouldn't get right for years. The underwater feel of this song is accomplished with reverb and was something that Perry was experimenting with and would use on a number of tracks during 1976. Two other things to point out on this track. One, the bass drops out completely on this track way more than any other reggae song I've ever heard; sometimes for almost three beats. Two, the percussion is cymbal driven, with accents thrown in on the snare drum, as apposed to what we are used to in Rock with cymbals being the accents. That cymbal driven rhythm is heard in disco and other dance styles, but to hear it slowed down here is a very different feeling, I think it goes well with the underwater guitar to make the whole song sound somehow slower than intended.
Friday, January 6, 2012
"Beds Are Burning"
Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning (1987)
Ironically, this song reached number one in South Africa in 1988
Part pop song, part protest song. OK, mostly protest song; this track by Australian activist band Midnight Oil became their biggest hit in their own country, and around the world. Explicitly about the Pintupi Aboriginal people of Western Australia and how the government stole their land and they deserve to have it back. The song, and album that it is on are regularly proclaimed best of the decade, best of Australia, and best protest music by recording industry publications.
Musically the song is bookended by a brass section hitting three rising notes. You hear those three notes again through the song. According to the liner notes there was a French horn player, and a trombone player on the album. This sounds like more than that to me, but with mixing, and throw a keyboard in there, they made a good sound. The plucked electric bass sound that drives the song is said to be inspired by the sound of the traveling vehicles the band used on a tour of the far reaches of Australia. The band makes use of harmony, it's not tight like a doo-wop or girl group, it's a little rough around the edges. I think that works for the style of music, it's an almost shouted protest song, not a song about love and moonlight. The final 30 seconds of the song includes a trombone solo and then the final three notes falling into a glissando.
Ironically, this song reached number one in South Africa in 1988
Part pop song, part protest song. OK, mostly protest song; this track by Australian activist band Midnight Oil became their biggest hit in their own country, and around the world. Explicitly about the Pintupi Aboriginal people of Western Australia and how the government stole their land and they deserve to have it back. The song, and album that it is on are regularly proclaimed best of the decade, best of Australia, and best protest music by recording industry publications.
Musically the song is bookended by a brass section hitting three rising notes. You hear those three notes again through the song. According to the liner notes there was a French horn player, and a trombone player on the album. This sounds like more than that to me, but with mixing, and throw a keyboard in there, they made a good sound. The plucked electric bass sound that drives the song is said to be inspired by the sound of the traveling vehicles the band used on a tour of the far reaches of Australia. The band makes use of harmony, it's not tight like a doo-wop or girl group, it's a little rough around the edges. I think that works for the style of music, it's an almost shouted protest song, not a song about love and moonlight. The final 30 seconds of the song includes a trombone solo and then the final three notes falling into a glissando.
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