(Yes, this is an article about music. But seeing as we're all politics fans here, and a lot of us are also huge music fans, I figure this could lead to some really fascinating conversation and debate.)
Source:
http://www.newstatesman.com/music/2010/03/top-20-political-songsThe 20 songs below were voted for by New Statesman readers and members of the Politcal Studies Association.
The list, published in this week's magazine, features spoken word, punk nihilism and folk protest. To listen to the songs, together with a commentary by Jonathan Derbyshire and Professor John Street, go to newstatesman.com/podcasts.
Meanwhile, we take you through the top 20 political songs, looking at the ideas that gave rise to them and the reasons for their success. Please feel free to comment on our inclusions, and to point to anything or any songs that we might have missed.
1. Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land
2. The Special AKA - Free Nelson Mandela
3. Bob Dylan - The Times They are a-Changin'
4. Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
5. Claude de Lisle - La Marseillaise
6. U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
7. Eugene Pottier - The Internationale
8. Robert Wyatt/Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding
9. Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen
10. William Blake - Jerusalem
11. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
12. Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name
13. Tracy Chapman - Talkin' 'bout a Revolution
14. Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam
15. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On?
16. Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
17. Bob Marley - Redemption Song
18. John Lennon - Imagine
19. Pete Seeger - Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
20. Tom Robinson - Glad to Be Gay
My personal top five political songs:1. "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag" by Country Joe and the Fish
2. "Rockin' in the Free World" by Neil Young (But pretty much the majority of Neil Young's catalog, honestly).
3. "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire
4. "White Riot" by The Clash
5. "American Jesus" by Bad Religion
What does your personal list look like, ontd_p?