Before the Emancipation Proclamation, black slaves sang
”
Go Down Moses
”
to protest their servitude. George M. Cohan wrote
”
Over There
”
to support the troops during World War I. In 1919, C.W. Custer’s
song
”
Wifey is a Real Suffragette
”
championed women’s votes.
Before the Emancipation Proclamation, black slaves sang “Go Down Moses” to protest their servitude. George M. Cohan wrote “Over There” to support the troops during World War I. In 1919, C.W. Custer’s song “Wifey is a Real Suffragette” championed women’s votes. Much later, Creedence Clearwater Revival raged against the Vietnam war with “Fortunate Son,” as did John Lennon with “Imagine.” In 1984, Irish singer Bob Geldof got members of U2, Duran Duran, Bananarama, Kool & the Gang and Culture Club plus George Michael, Phil Collins, Sting, David Bowie, Paul McCartney and many others to collaborate on songs to draw attention to famine in Ethiopia.
If there’s a cause, chances are someone has sung a song about it.
The activism torch has been passed to modern musicians, and they have continued carrying it with a gusto that some may argue is historically unparalleled. If they aren’t singing about an issue – think Green Day’s “Wake me up When September Ends” or Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” – they’re at least throwing their name and music behind their cause of choice.
Don’t believe us? Check out the following causes and the musicians linked to them.
