History of Music Through Social Movements

It’s rare that we encounter protest without sound. This sound can take many forms, whether it be that of swelling reverberations of vocal chords, groups chanting mantras of revolution, or voices singing in solidarity. We hear marching, flashes of cameras, chatter, and even intentional silence. Perhaps no sonic medium captures the spirit of protest, however, quite like music.

The notion that protest is manifested in mainstream music may appear contradictory on the surface; we expect alternative music to carry the counterculture — but hear me out. Popular music occupying mainstream sonic spaces finds its way to larger audiences of people across the country more than any other musical genre. One of my favorite ways to study American history and culture is through artistic movements, whether that be literature, visual art, dance, or music. 

Social movements and music, particularly, have gone hand in hand throughout history. In my listening experience, I’ve stumbled across a handful of songs that were immensely popular at different times throughout the years, but have since become lost to history. These songs are not necessarily those we recognize as national anthems of protest that still relate to contemporary social justice movements in the way that we know Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power,” or Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” to be enduring protest songs. 

The songs I wish to highlight are those that played critical roles in supporting social justice movements in U.S. history and have since fallen by the wayside in our cultural memory. By listening to and learning about these songs, we hear sentiments that still resonate today, illustrating the possibilities of popular music to capture, market, and disseminate sentiment across not only geographical space, but also time.

MONICA BAGNOLI // FLAT HAT MAGAZINE

“Don’t Go Near the Water”

The Beach Boys are known for their jovial, harmonious pop songs about catching waves, surfing, good vibrations, and wishing everybody had an ocean to enjoy the outdoors. Kicking off their 1971 album, Surf’s Up, however, is a message that completely contradicts their brand. 

“Don’t Go Near the Water” is an anthem for the environmental justice movement, begging listeners to leave their surfboards at home. The lyrics urge, “Let's all help the water right away, do what we can and ought to. Let's start today,” and plead, “Let's avoid an ecological aftermath, beginning with me, beginning with you.” 

Without listening to the lyrics, “Don’t Go Near the Water” sounds like your typical Beach Boys tune, complete with vocal harmonies and piano melody.  In actuality, it provides yet another example of the power of a pop song to carry messages pertaining to social — and even ecological —issues to large audiences of people in an extremely catchy manner. 

Leave it to The Beach Boys to create doo-wop harmonies out of “ah-uhm dirty water,” leaving listeners with an ecologically-conscious mantra that’s almost invisible to the ear unless you make the effort to lean in and listen just a little closer.

“Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves”

When Annie Lenox of the British pop duo, Eurythmics, wanted to write a song for the international women’s movement in 1985, she turned to one of the greatest female American singers of all time, Aretha Franklin, to deliver the lead vocals.

 In the song’s second verse, Franklin declares the purpose of the song: “to celebrate the conscious liberation of the female state.” Lennox and Franklin sing the chorus together, proclaiming, “Sisters are doin’ it for themselves, standing on their own two feet, and ringing on their own bells.” 

The song’s verses detail additional ways in which women are challenging gender stereotypes, including women becoming doctors, lawyers, and politicians. To supplement its revolutionary lyrics, “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” has a funky disco beat that gives the song popular appeal.

“If I Had a Hammer”

The oldest song on this list, “If I Had a Hammer,” was written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays in 1949 as a response to the 1948 presidential election and the Progressive party. The song’s verses theorize what the singer would do if they had a “hammer of justice,” a “bell of freedom,” and, finally, a “song to sing.” Ultimately, the singer repeatedly engages in the refrain, “I’d hammer/ring/sing out love between my brothers and my sisters all over this land.” 

The hammer symbolizes the working class, and the bell represents liberty, calling for justice, workers’ rights, and peace. From a music theory standpoint, “If I Had a Hammer” is built on the I, IV, V, and VI chords, which are the backbone of popular music. In this way, “If I Had a Hammer” is the perfect example of a socially and politically conscious pop song with the power to resonate with social movements for years to come. 

While initially recorded in 1950 by Seeger and Hays’ folk group, The Weavers, the song has been rerecorded by dozens of artists, which prolonged its popularity into the early 1960s. In 1962, the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary recorded “If I Had a Hammer” and found themselves a #10 hit on the Billboard music charts. 

This sparked a chain reaction of rerecordings by a variety of artists in the years to follow. In 1963, singer and guitarist Trini Lopez acquired his first hit with his cover of “If I Had a Hammer.” The song was also covered by Motown superstars Martha and the Vandellas for their album Heatwave. 

In 1964, soul star Sam Cooke wowed an audience with a performance of the song at the Copacabana, a white nightclub in New York City, captured on his Live at the Copa album. What’s fascinating about Cooke’s “If I Had a Hammer” is that he engages his white audience in a singalong and a call and response of a spirited “Yeah!” illuminating the song’s ability to unify people on the causes of justice and freedom regardless of their identities. Enduring into the ‘70s, “If I Had a Hammer” continued to be covered by such artists as Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen. 

These are only a few examples of the many pop songs containing social justice messages that exist in our tremendous cultural discography. These songs illustrate that pop music can be used as a tool for protest, as it positions ideas and perspectives right under our noses, disguising them as radio-friendly songs that wouldn’t generally receive a second thought. People have always been speaking out about social injustices in popular culture, from environmental justice to female empowerment — we just have to listen a little closer.