If you were online last week, you might see videos from the No Kings protests.
Huge demonstrations against US President Donald Trump have taken place across the United States. The Canadian part – But connected to one popular aspect: music.
have The miserable worldExciting Do you hear people sing?a group of people singing in Auburn, California.
have Bella Ciao – Less known works have a close connection to the Italian anti-fascist movement of the 1940s – performed by brass bands, flooding Atlanta's counter-protesters.
Musicians hope to connect themselves to the No Kings demonstrations, as well as other new and old music.
“The way new music and old songs are mixed is fascinating,” said Benjamin Tausig, associate professor of key music studies at Stony Brook University in New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgidumsqvns
This is “inspiring people in the protests.”
He said this is because of the ruthless connection between music and political action and the ability to inspire political action.
When used in a specific way, some songs can almost become an irresistible call to action. Tausig said the beginning of the protest movement often changes the music we come into contact with, and the music that music artists choose to release.
However, in terms of protesting music, not all songs are created equally. Oxford protest music manual. The way we interact with this music shows why some of the most widely used songs in recent protests have been earlier and are traditionally less popular, she said.
song Bella Ciao, Do you hear people sing? even Stars and Stripes Flag She said – having her own moments in the protests – is often a specific type. They are “participatory” and “expressive”.
While speech music is for a skilled performer, participatory music such as other iconic protest songs, e.g. We will overcome it, no.
It's “more repetitive so that people can join more easily,” she said. “If they aren't really the point. The key is to get as many people as possible.”
She said with awareness of participation.
“The idea of moving the vocal cords and muscles together, you have to listen to others and feel their movements here,” Manabe said. “Just expressing its own behavior makes you feel like it’s part of your belief system.”
Using music
Tausig said participatory aspects can even eclipse the actual significance of the song. Historically, the most popular protest songs tend to be selected without direct or obvious connection to any political movement, he said. That's because the cultural portraits associated with them tend to bear more weight.
Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce, for example, became very important in the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Their songs didn’t even specifically address Black lives in order to become very effective in mobilizing people,” he said.
Some songs are even taken by actions that seem explicitly opposed. For example, Tausig points out that Bruce Springsteen Born in the United States, About a disillusioned Vietnam veteran, 1984 election speech US President Ronald Reagan.
Recently, the draft of Creedence Clearwater Revival Ditty Lucky son It was played in a military parade, prompting speculation that it was a form of protest or a general misunderstanding of the meaning of the song.
In both cases, he said, the song seems to represent more important than what it actually says.
A long history
But even so, both sides of the political debate have a long history of using songs in protest music.
Back in Britain in the 1600s, the warring factions of the Royalist Party and the MPs would spread “wide films”: large pieces of paper with often accompanying lyrics to support them. But to make sure they are easy to remember, they will be set as famous music.
This leads to “contrafacta”: each side sings the same “song”, although completely different words support completely different ideals.
This phenomenon continues to this day. Manabe points to protests held in Hong Kong in 2014 Do you hear people sing?
Meanwhile, rock, country, EDM and hip-hop artists seem to jump on the trend to release or reissue their political music, creating music-touching stone and viral moments in the protests themselves.
Arkansas Folk Musician Jesse Welles Fame on social media by releasing songs related to newsdebut New track No king It has already earned over 150,000 views on YouTube. In Salt Lake City, EDM Musician Three-Big Type Added the “King No” section to his performanceTiktok has received over 2 million views.
at the same time, Dropkick Murphys,,,,, Soundgarden and pavement All linked their music (old and new) to the protests – Canadian Grammy Winner Alison Russelllittle known Bruce,,,,, nation and Bluegrass musician Even The title of AI hip-hop track is No king On YouTube, this number of views exceeds 750,000.
“Expressing dissent or resisting authority through nonviolence is one of the most powerful weapons we can play,” said Canadian musician Jordan Benjamin.
From an artist’s point of view, the sudden expansion makes sense: music that may seem outdated or transcends the ladder suddenly becomes more demanding given the periodicity of pop culture.
Tausig said it became an important question which songs will define the movement at the beginning of this directional change.
“It's hard to imagine protests without music,” he said. “But it's also become so important in building the aesthetics of the movement.”
