10 Best Protest Songs of the '80s

Protest Music in the 1980s

Critics of the 1980s like to point out the superficial nature of much of the decade's music. However, it should be noted that this decade was a surprisingly rich period for the evolution of the protest song. The causes that were protested and the musical genres represented were very diverse. The protest song definitely has become much more than a folksinger strumming his acoustic guitar.

In the '80s, socially conscious rap music emerged as a form of urban folk music. From the underground, the U.S. hardcore punk scene provided a voice for disenfranchised youth, much in the same way that the U.K. punk scene did in the '70s. Also on the global front, there was a huge anti-apartheid protest movement.

That said, here are the 10 best protest songs of the 1980s. Feel free to protest the list and let me know which songs you feel were unjustly excluded.

10. "Dear God"—XTC (1986)

"Dear God" appeared on XTC's 1986 album, Skylarking, although the initial pressings did not include it. The group's lead singer, Andy Partridge, was inspired to write the song because of a series of childrens books by the same name that he felt exploited children.

"Dear God" strongly protests the existence of God ("I can't believe in you", "Did you make mankind after we made you?"), the validity of the Bible ("Us crazy humans wrote it ... Still believin' that junk is true / well, I know it ain't and so do you") and God's benevolence ("The wars you bring, the babes you drown, those lost at sea and never found").

Even if you don't personally agree with the atheistic sentiment of the lyrics, the song raises fundamental questions that deserve to be asked.

9. "Holiday in Cambodia"—Dead Kennedys (1980)

The Dead Kennedys initially released "Holiday in Cambodia" as a single in May 1980. The band then re-recorded the satirically biting tune for their landmark debut album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, released later that year.

"Holiday in Cambodia" juxtaposes the self-righteous attitude of American youth ("So you been to school/For a year or two/And you know you’ve seen it all/In daddy’s car/Thinkin’ you’ll go far") with the oppressive Pol Pot regime in late '70s Cambodia ("Well you’ll work harder/With a gun in your back/For a bowl of rice a day/Slave for soldiers/Till you starve/Then your head is skewered on a stake").

The Dead Kennedys were not only one of the most important bands to emerge from the American punk scene, they were also one of the most political. They were key spokesman for the underground protest movement.

8. "Stop the Violence"—Boogie Down Productions (1988)

Boogie Down Productions was one of the leaders of the socially conscious hip hop movement of the 1980s. "Stop The Violence" is from their groundbreaking 1988 album, By All Means Necessary, which not only appropriates Malcolm X's famous phrase, but group leader, KRS-One, mimics a famous photo of Malcolm on the album cover.

"Stop The Violence" campaigned against violence within the hip hop community. KRS-One wrote the song in response to the murder of his bandmate Scott La Rock and the killing of a young fan during a BDP and Public Enemy concert. In 1989, KRS-One formed the Stop The Violence protest movement with other prominent artists of the east coast hip hop community.

7. "Sunday Bloody Sunday"—U2 (1983)

This classic protest song is from U2's 1983 album, War. U2 was one of the most socially conscious bands to emerge in the '80s, and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" addresses the massacre in Derry, Northern Island, on January 30, 1972. It's probably the band's most political song they ever recorded.

It is good to note that the scope of the song transcends an isolated event. Concerning this fact U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. made the following statement:

"You talk about Northern Ireland, 'Sunday Bloody Sunday,' people sort of think, 'Oh, that time when 13 Catholics were shot by British soldiers'; that's not what the song is about. That's an incident, the most famous incident in Northern Ireland and it's the strongest way of saying, 'How long? How long do we have to put up with this?'

I don't care who's who—Catholics, Protestants, whatever. People are dying every single day through bitterness and hate, and we're saying why? What's the point? And you can move that into places like El Salvador and other similar situations—people dying. Let's forget the politics, let's stop shooting each other and sit around the table and talk about it."

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6. "Nelson Mandela"—The Special AKA (1984)

This anti-apartheid civil rights classic was released as a single in 1984. "Nelson Mandela" was an unusual protest song in the sense that it was upbeat and celebratory. But the celebratory nature of the song—and the African influence— probably contributed it to being an international anthem. The song made its way to South Africa where it was played at sporting events and anti-apartheid rallies.

"Nelson Mandela" was also performed during a June 27, 2008, concert in celebration of Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. The performance took place 18 years after he was released from prison, and featured vocals by Amy Winehouse.

5. "Rockin' in the Free World"—Neil Young (1989)

This proto-grunge classic from Neil Young's 1989 album, Freedom, has become a modern-day protest standard. "Rockin' in the Free World" actually bookends the album, opening with a live, stripped-down acoustic version and closing with the loud and proud electric version.

The song was primarily a protest against the George Bush Sr. administration, but the song was adopted as an anthem during other significant political events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall. An edited version of "Free World" was featured in the closing credits of Michael Moore's 2004 documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, protesting the George Bush Jr. administration.

4. "Biko"—Peter Gabriel (1980)

Another classic song from the anti-apartheid protest movement, "Biko" is from Peter Gabriel's third self-titled album—commonly referred to as Melt—released in 1980. The African musical elements make this one of the most moving protest songs of all time.

The song deals with the August 18, 1977, imprisonment—and subsequent death—of South African activist Stephen Biko. The intro and closing of "Biko" appropriately incorporates the singing of the South African anti-apartheid folk song "Senzen Na?" (translated into English, "What have we done?").

A live version of the song was released in 1987, and the video features clips from the 1987 Biko biopic, Cry Freedom, starring Denzel Washington.

3. "Straight to Hell"—The Clash (1982)

"Straight To Hell" is from The Clash's 1982 album, Combat Rock. Like so many great Clash songs, it's a protest against social injustice. Also like many of the band's protest tunes, lead singer and songwriter Joe Strummer addresses a broad range of subject matters.

The song addresses economic issues (referencing the closing of many Northern England steel mills), American soldiers abandoning Vietnam children that they fathered, along with different occurrences of racism. It is one of the most moving songs that The Clash ever recorded, and a perfect example of why they were one of the most important socially-conscious bands of all time.

2. "Redemption Song"—Bob Marley & The Wailers (1980)

"Redemption Song" is from 1980's Uprising, the final Bob Marley & The Wailers album released before Marley's death from cancer in May 1981. The track, which addresses the idea of freedom, is essentially a Marley solo number, featuring only his vocals and acoustic guitar. It abandons the reggae elements for a straight-up folk feel.

Concerning the importance of "Redemption Song" within the protest movement, Bono made the following statement:

"I carried Bob Marley’s 'Redemption Song' to every meeting I had with a politician, prime minister, or president. It was for me a prophetic utterance, or as Bob would say, ‘The small ax that could fell the big tree.’ The song reminded me that freedom always comes with a cost, but for those who would prepare to pay it, maybe ‘emancipation from mental slavery’ would be our reward."

1. "Fight the Power"—Public Enemy (1989)

Public Enemy's hip hop protest classic was originally released as a single in 1989, written for the Spike Lee masterpiece, Do the Right Thing. The song then appeared as the final track on their 1990 album, Fear of a Black Planet.

The starting point of the song was the Isley Brothers' 1975 song of the same name, but lead rapper and songwriter Chuck D built on the lyrics to give it a more modern viewpoint. Though often viewed as a black empowerment anthem, that might not be totally accurate.

As Public Enemy's bass player, Brian Hardgroove, once said, "Law enforcement is necessary. As a species, we haven’t evolved past needing that. 'Fight the Power' is not about fighting authority—it’s not that at all. It’s about fighting abuse of power."

It is also good to note while other pro-Black empowerment artists supported the idea of separation, Public Enemy promoted integration. The idea of standing up to oppression is not a concept limited to just one race. It is a universal concept. If humanity as a whole stood up to the abuse of power then the world would be a better place.

More Protest Music

• 10 Best Protest Songs of the '00s
  During the '00s, the Iraq War and George W. Bush became targets of choice for the new American protest movement. From System of a Down's "Boom!" to Green Day's "Minority," here are the 10 best protest songs of the decade.
• 10 Best Protest Songs of the '90s
  "The Ghost of Tom Joad" is Raging Against the Machine. Here are the 10 best protest songs offering political and social commentary in the 1990s.
• 10 Best Protest Songs of the '70s
  In the first half of the '70s, soul music was the main genre for promoting social justic. In the second half of the decade, especially in the U.K., punk rock emerged as a voice for the disenfranchised.
• 10 Best Protest Songs of the '60s
  The 1960s was a decade of social and political activism. Here are the 10 best songs of the '60s protest movement.

© 2012 CJ Baker

Comments

Fox Music on June 15, 2015:

Another great set of protest songs - there is no shortage on oppression in the world

Jean Bakula from New Jersey on June 20, 2014:

You already had me with U2 and Neil Young, but I can't even listen to Bob Marley's Redemption song without crying. It's so beautiful. It was the last song he performed on stage before he died, which he knew would be at age 36.

CJ Baker (author) from Parts Unknown on May 11, 2012:

Faith Reaper - Nowadays even a lesser known indie artists in a small intimate venue, is going to cost more than $6. It is cool you had the opportunity to enjoy some really great $6 concerts. Thanks for the kind words.

Margaret Scarboro - Glad you approve. To me the choice was somewhat obvious. To me Public Enemy was to socially conscious rap what Bob Dylan was to socially conscious folk music in the 60's.

Margaret Scarboro on May 11, 2012:

Yes..."Fight the Power" by Public Enemy!

Faith Reaper from southern USA on May 10, 2012:

Yes, I remember back in the day, when the great of the great concerts were only $6.00. Ha. How ancient am I? Your knowledge of all music genres and eras is astounding. In His Love, Faith Reaper

CJ Baker (author) from Parts Unknown on May 10, 2012:

Thanks for the comments. The 80's isn't necessary my favorite era for music, especially in connection with the mainstream music of that time. But that being said the 80's did have great musical developments, and some really great socially conscious songs. I seen U2 live a few years back, and I was disappointed. But that could be partly due to the fact that I paid close to $200 for the ticket.

Faith Reaper from southern USA on May 10, 2012:

spartucusjones, I almost said, oh no, not the 80's, but I am glad I read on, as I do remember going to a concert in Tampa back in the day when U2 was a warm-up band for guess who, the Jay Giles Band (spell!) Ha. Can you believe it? And when U2 came on stage, they rocked, and I loved it, but the audience, due to U2 being placed with the Jay Giles Band (You know, "My Baby is a Centerfold?" Uggg. The audience booed them off the stage, and they threw their guitars down and said some ugly words I will not repeat, but I guess they showed them! Ha. Oh, I loved, loved, loved, "Keep On Rockin In The Free World" You have brought back some cool memories from the cobwebs in my brain. In His Love, Faith Reaper

CJ Baker (author) from Parts Unknown on May 10, 2012:

Thanks. I am glad if I introduced to to songs or artists that you may not of previously been familiar with.

Dianna Mendez on May 10, 2012:

OK. I must be living under a rock because I can't recall some of these songs. Glad you posted them because it brings about an awareness of what the era meant.