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Prompt for Blog 8

In this unit, we considered how music comes to carry political meaning. In some cases, different groups of listeners will hear completely opposite political messages in the same song, like Bruce Springsteen’s song “Born in the USA”.

Find a piece of political protest music that we haven’t discussed in class–a song that was either created for or became associated with a movement to bring about political change. To learn more about your piece, I recommend looking up some news articles or other sources. Making sure to include a Youtube link to your music choice, answer the following points:

  • For what purpose, political or otherwise, did the artist create this piece of music? Did listeners add their own political purpose to the music?
  • What musical genre is the piece part of? Is the genre itself political?
  • If there are lyrics, include and explain excerpts that are relevant to the political message of the music.
  • Discuss at least one musical characteristic of the piece that makes it a useful tool for political protest.

This blog is due Wednesday May 6 at 11:59pm. Don’t forget to leave a comment on a classmate’s post.