16 — Wednesday, February 3, 2021
statement
I
have a playlist for social prog-
ress. From John Lennon and
Bob Dylan’s iconic anthems
articulating the American experi-
ence, to newer albums such as Neil
Young’s “Living with War” and Greta
Van Fleet’s “Anthem of the Peaceful
Army” that reckon with our society’s
crises and call for change, music has
always played a profound role in the
constant battle for social progress.
The past 11 months have felt more
like Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruc-
tion” and Nina Simone’s “Backlash
Blues” than Pete Seeger’s “We Shall
Overcome,” and I hit play while con-
templating “What’s Going On” and
willing that “A Change Is Gonna
Come.” Amid the added layers of
chaos and uncertainty in modern life
stemming from a pandemic and more
political turmoil than usual, I listen
to my playlist revering more than 60
years of musical brilliance that is quite
sympathetic to my pondering of soci-
ety’s shortcomings.
“I can’t twist the truth, it knows
no regulation // Handful of Senators
don’t pass legislation, // And marches
alone can’t bring integration // When
human respect is disintegratin’ // This
whole crazy world is just too frustra-
tin’ // And you tell me over and over
and over again my friend // Ah, you
don’t believe we’re on the eve of de-
struction” - Barry McGuire, “Eve of
Destruction”
Between the 1950s and 1970s,
the United States was polarized by
the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights
Movement, the feminist sexual
revolution, the emergence of coun-
terculture and the rebellion of ado-
lescents, the beginning of gay libera-
tion and the modern environmental
movement. Further, the ways a per-
son takes a stance on these issues
proves to be a statement of one’s
ideal world, otherwise known as the
theory of cultural cognition, which
can exacerbate divides and stunt
both social and political progress.
In the past year, a multitude of
injustices have been thrust into the
forefront of public consciousness. Yet,
thousands, if not millions, still ques-
tion the legitimacy of today’s greatest
issues, as reflected by instances like
the Capitol insurrection, in which
people defend the social structures
and institutions that have permitted
injustices.
It seems that both throughout the
revolutionary decade of the 60s and
today, the issues making headlines
have intersected in the ideologies of
either aspiring to solve injustices or
the alternative of defending the way
things are. And all along, throughout
this endless struggle for social prog-
ress, music has served to empower
and unite those on either side, while
reflecting the sociopolitical senti-
ments of our nation and its people.
I wanted to understand the time-
lessness of the music on my playlist, so
I interviewed University of Michigan
American Culture professor Ste-
phen Berrey, an expert in 20th cen-
tury American history, over a Zoom
call. During our discussion, Berrey
made a point to note the critical fact
that during the 60s, the activity for
social change originated as grass-
roots movements.
“Social change was coming from
ordinary people that were organizing
and mobilizing for change,” Berrey
explained. “The music began tapping
into the idea that (ordinary citizens)
can change things. The 60s represent
this moment in which, in the air, there
is this sense that we should be chal-
lenging authority and norms. And the
music of the time was reflecting the
spirit of change.”
Perhaps that is why so much music
of the 60s and 70s has found its way
into my playlist for social progress.
No matter the release date or label of
genre, albums and singles from de-
cades ago feel like they could have
been cultivated amid the crises thrust
onto the national stage in 2020 after
gaining steam in city centers across
the country. The polarization and
obvious corruption, complicated by
simultaneous movements for racial,
economic, social and environmental
justice, produced music that remains
a poignant reflection of the United
States’ shortcomings and struggles.
“Oh, you know we’ve got to find a
way // To bring some understanding
here today // Picket lines and picket
signs // Don’t punish me with bru-
tality // Come on talk to me // So you
can see // What’s going on” - Marvin
Gaye, “What’s Going On”
Recognizing my risk of sounding
nostalgic for the music of a time period
I did not live through, I must acknowl-
edge the inclusion of newer music on
my playlist that is just as powerful as
that of the past. Andrew Bird artfully
acknowledges the existential crisis
of climate change in “Manifest Des-
tiny” and America’s political circus in
“Bloodless.” Beyonce’s “Freedom” be-
came an anthem for the Black Lives
Matter Movement. Hozier’s “Take Me
To Church” contemplates all the rea-
sons we should question the Catholic
Church. There are countless songs,
both new and old, questioning our so-
cial structures and addressing the evils
that America and, in many cases, the
world can’t seem to definitively defeat.
“Well, the best lack all conviction //
And the worst keep sharpening their
claws // They’re peddling in their
dark fictions // While what’s left of us
// Well, we just hem and we haw” -
Andrew Bird, “Bloodless”
Among the explicitly political mu-
sic of the 21st century is a wealth of
songs rejecting the man that emerged
to embody America’s unfinished big-
otry and ignorance, former President
Donald Trump. Music is inherently
political in itself, as are the circum-
stances and statements of musicians.
During the 2016 election, artists
joined forces on the project “1,000
Days, 1,000 Songs” to reject, as Franz
Ferdinand labels Trump in their con-
tribution to the project, a dangerous
“Demagogue.” From “Locker Room
Talk” by the Cold War Kids to Death
Cab For Cutie’s “Million Dollar Loan,”
musicians have responded to Trump’s
candidacy and election with more dis-
gusted fervor and illuminating music
than previously produced in spite of
any other president.
Prior to the 2020 election, Demi
Lovato condemned Trump’s inaction
in “Commander In Chief,’’ and Mt.
Joy released a straightforward single
titled “New President.” Macklemore’s
multitude of songs addressing issues
such as same-sex marraige, white
privilege and consumerism made his
political positions clear long before
the summation of America’s greatest
evils were elected to the Oval Office.
Since then, he has become explic-
itly critical of the former president,
with his poignant reflection of the
“Wednesday Morning” on which
Trump’s victory was declared and
his farewell to his Trump-supporting
supporters in the recently released
“Trump’s Over Freestyle.”
“Humanity is a privilege, we can’t
give in // When they build walls, we’ll
build bridges // This is resistance,
we’re resilient // When they spread
hate, we shine brilliant” - Mackl-
emore, “Wednesday Morning”
Aside from the release of explic-
itly anti-Trump art, many musicians
have made their political positions
very clear since he announced his
candidacy in 2016. The Rolling
Stones, Creedence Clearwater Re-
vival, Tom Petty’s family and many
more took legal action against the
campaign, demanding the Trump
campaign stop playing their music.
In addition to issuing a cease and
desist order, CCR’s vocalist John Fo-
gerty publicly expressed his bewil-
derment that the campaign played
the band’s iconic hit “Fortunate
Son” that condemns silver-spoon,
draft-dodging hypocrites at rallies
that celebrate and try to keep one in
the Oval Office. There is an incred-
ibly long list of artists — including
Axl Rose from Guns N’Roses, Ri-
hanna, Brendon Urie and Adele, just
to name a few — who have com-
municated their scorn for the for-
mer president in various types of
public statements.
Aside from the campaign, many
musicians, including Elton John
and Céline Dion, declined to be-
come involved with the 45th presi-
dent during his presidency. Trump’s
Inauguration Committee struggled
to find A-listers for his inaugural
events, a stark contrast to the star
power of this month’s musical offer-
ings supporting the new adminis-
tration. Obama’s inaugurations fea-
tured Aretha Franklin, Pete Seeger,
U2 and Beyonce. Biden’s inaugural
events boasted Bruce Springsteen,
Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga and a New
Radicals reunion. These observa-
tions made headlines because
people acknowledge the power
of music and, for reasons good or
bad, see these performances as po-
litical endorsements.
Inaugural performances and In-
stagram posts are some of the ways
musicians have made political state-
ments this past year, and considering
the chaos, division and crises, the age-
old question of what an artist’s social
responsibility is seems more impor-
tant than ever. But this question is
convoluted by the ways the music in-
dustry often determines which artists,
and thus what music, reach the mass-
es, not to mention the complication
of art by the desire for profit. After all,
the music industry parallels mankind
with a dark history of exploitation, ex-
clusivity, suppression and greed.
At the end of the day, I do not know
what artists ought to do with their
platforms. Over a Zoom call, Kira
Thurman, a Germanic Languages
and Literatures and History Univer-
sity Professor and a musician, consid-
ered this question as we mulled over
whether musicians have an obligation
to limit their nonmusical business
pursuits or pick red or blue: “It may be
unanswerable, but we ask it because
we recognize the potential of music to
transform the world,” Thurman said.
Cutting through the complications
of this question, Thurman offered an
idea that, to me, seems to serve as an
answer: “Maybe this is the scary, damn-
ing indictment: There is no ‘art for art’s
sake.’ Art is socially constructed.”
You cannot separate the art from
the artist nor from the society it was
born out of, and the question of the
artist’s social responsibility is insepa-
rable from the actuality that the mu-
sic speaks for the artist and itself. The
greatest responsibility lies in the pow-
er of the music. We can argue over the
question until another fascist runs
for president, but at the end of
the day, given the inherently po-
litical nature and profound power
of music, we ought to critically
question, consciously consume
and vigorously scrutinize the mu-
sic we choose to listen to.
That is not to say we must solely
submerge ourselves in music that di-
rectly addresses the heavy dilemmas
of mankind, considering their exacer-
bation during the past year. To quote
The Byrds, “to everything, there is a
season, and a time to every purpose.”
There is great importance in music
being fun, playful and filled with en-
thusiasm for life, even when the value
of life and the love of living it are
influenced by the realities of willful
ignorance, institutional inequality
and oppression.
Music that does not instantly regis-
ter as being political is political and so-
cially meaningful nonetheless. Teen-
age angst, battling inner demons and
drug addictions, breakups and body
image all find their way into music,
and are, of course, crucially important
to the individual. Songs like Lizzo’s
“Fitness,” Lady Gaga’s “Born This
Way,” and Macklemore’s “Starting
Over” inextricably involve the con-
cepts of love, belonging, compas-
sion and courage, and how we value
these ideals inform our desires for
social change and the politics that
shape our world.
For obvious reasons that are elo-
quently expressed and best under-
stood by the songs themselves, music
is incredibly powerful and influential.
It reflects and challenges us, teaches,
empowers, explains, inspires and aids
us. In all of its profound power, it af-
fects how and who we choose to be in
the world, and thus, how we change it.
“Read the news, there’s something
every day // So many people thinking
different ways, you say // Where is the
music? // A tune to free the soul // A
simple lyric to unite us all, you know”
- Greta Van Fleet, “Anthem”
Looking at the current state of af-
fairs, it is quite easy to claim we are at
the “Eve of Destruction.” The conse-
quences of humankind’s vices, taking
form in corruption and injustice and
resulting in unnecessary suffering and
death, are depressing and daunting.
But hope and working for change to-
day is the only path leading to a better
tomorrow, and music will always play
a profound part in inspiring, empow-
ering and affirming these endeavors.
So, tuning out all the noise and
turning the volume up, I hit shuf-
fle on my paramount playlist, and
from Neil Young’s “Love and War,”
to Harry Chapin’s “What Made
America Famous?”, from John Len-
non’s “Imagine” to The Youngblood’s
“Get Together,” from Billy Joel’s “We
Didn’t Start the Fire” to Greta Van
Fleet’s “Black Smoke Rising” and
the many, many masterpieces in
between, I let the music open my
mind and soothe my soul with un-
wavering hope and trust in that “A
Change is Gonna Come.”
A playlist for
social progress
BY LEAH LESZCZYNSKI, STATEMENT COLUMNIST
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com