Protest Songs

Songs that touched me, and are still relevant.

Two people inspired this series.

Bette Dangerous

and

Grammy’s House

Heidi read part of my Bread series (Part VI) in an American voice - staccato and I thought oh my god, that’s what it is supposed to sound like!

We sold our silence for free chat.
Every scroll was a harvest, but not ours.
Algorithms learned us like lovers: our fears, our rhythms, our loneliest hours.
The result wasn’t enlightenment; it was capture.

In the old world, power hoarded information.
In the new, it floods us until we drown.

💻 When the Fields Fought Back: Part VI — The Network Harvest

And then Grammy - posted Paris Paloma - Labour. A new British artist, the atmosphere at her live events is quite amazing. I am so proud that young British artists are keeping the protest song flame alive. This song is incredibly powerful, but the fact it resonates so strongly with her audience is a warning to all of us.

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I talked to Heidi on her zoom calls about how protest songs have influenced me throughout my life, we played them to our kids. Not sure what our quiet village neighbours thought about NWA blasting out at full volume. I grew up with a Nelson Mandela poster in my bedroom and went on my first protest march aged 3, but Nelson Mandela reminds me that kindness and empathy shine through, but I feel sad for his lost legacy, stolen by Elon Musk on the right and ruSSian influence on the left in the ANC. It should be a warning to all of us that if we go to sleep we could lose everything.
The first in the series will be the grandmother of all protest songs Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit.

Here is the Wembley 70th Birthday Tribute to Nelson Mandela