Protest Records; Are A Bright Light To A Better Future

‘Southern trees bear a strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees’. These words are some of the most infamous and frightening used in a protest song. Perhaps the first time you heard Billie Holiday or Nina Simone sing it, you were caught up in the melody but didn’t quite catch the sentiment. The idea of using music to raise social consciousness, combat oppression, and challenge hatred has never left us. One of the kings of this genre, Woody Guthrie, has new work coming out, 75 years after he died. Meet some of the best made here in Protest Records; Are A Bright Light To A Better Future

In this day and age, the protest song is as relevant as it ever was. A rallying cry of strength and unity, serving as a call to action against injustice, and giving a voice to the marginalised. 

This opportunity to crystallise raw emotions and inspire all to take a stand, raise awareness, and feel heard, contributing to social collective change by creating shared identities and narratives. 

The song Strange Fruit quoted above originated as a protest poem against lynching, written by Abel Meeropol, and was originally called Bitter Fruit.

He then set his lyrics to music alongside his wife, Anne Shaffer and the singer Laura Duncan and performed it as a protest song in New York City venues in the late 1930s. It wasn’t the first protest song, but it is one of the earliest, gaining massive status after many covers, with the most renowned being Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.

The vast array of these songs spans genres from folk to reggae and rock to soul. From race to sexuality, religious and racial freedoms, fighting for political ideas, anti-war and climate change, with almost every country in the world having some call still being heard via song.

In the civil rights category, especially from America, come songs of immensity such as “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, “The Times They Are a-Changin'” Bob Dylan, What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, the brilliant Am I Black Enough for You, a truly career ending tune for Billy Paul, and Fight The Power by Public Enemy, are just a small selection. Not all were just about their homeland soil. In 1985, the protest song called Sun City, written by Steven Van Zandt, produced by Van Zandt and Arthur Baker, was recorded by Artists United Against Apartheid, which conveyed opposition to the South African policy of apartheid

Other songs to attack apartheid include Gil Scott-Heron’s song Johannesburg in 1975, as well as Peter Gabriel’s, Biko, in 1980.

And from the UK, the Special AKA’s “Nelson Mandela”.Written by British musician Jerry Dammers, and performed by the band the Special A.K.A., with a lead vocal by Stan Campbell. The song became a worldwide hit, but, of course, got banned in South Africa.

Then come the peace anthems, some for anti-war, others for environmental causes, “Imagine” by John Lennon and The Beatles: “All You Need Is Love”, “Army Dreamers” Kate Bush, Blowin’ In The Wind Bob Dylan. Then he much misunderstood Born in the USA Bruce Springsteen, which is not a patriotic song but presents a disillusioned Vietnam veteran as a tragic figure alienated upon his return from the war. Big Yellow Taxi, written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in 1970, is widely regarded as a cry for our environment.

No list like this could be complete without War sung by Edwin Starr but originally written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label in 1969, initially created for The Temptations. “War” buoyed Starr’s career, and he adopted the image of an outspoken liberal orator for many of his other early-1970s releases. The song was not an anti-Vietnam War song, but a general call for harmony and global peace

Then there is the master himself, Bob Marley and the song War. The lyrics are almost entirely derived from a speech made by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I before the UN General Assembly in 1963. In 1935, two years after Hitler’s rise to power, Ethiopia had been invaded by Italy, and the Emperor had been living in exile at the time.

Next up comes counter-culture. For What It’s Worth, Buffalo Springfield on December 5, 1966, is wrongly considered by many as an anti-war song, yet Stephen Stills was inspired to write the song because of the Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles in November 1966, a series of early counterculture-era clashes that took place between police and young people in Hollywood, California.

Similarly, there is Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Trouble Every Day, from 1966, a caustic commentary on social inequalities and the Watts riots in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, in the UK, The Who’s, My Generation, was seen as a rallying cry, a raw declaration of youthful frustration and rejection of traditional values, capturing the disillusionment of a generation left unheard.

“Pusherman” by Curtis Mayfield, although not a direct protest song, is a critical and realistic portrayal of life in the ghetto, specifically the drug culture and its devastating impact. Mayfield himself stated he wasn’t singing protest but the “actual reality” of what was happening, exposing the negative aspects often overlooked or even glorified in media, making the song a form of social commentary, to humanise the consequences of drug abuse.  In the same vein, think of songs like Home Is Where The Hatred Is, sung by  Esther Phillips but written by Gil Scott Heron or White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) by Grandmaster and Melle Mel

Meanwhile, in Brazil, Caetano Veloso with Os Mutantes – É Proibido Proibir, a song written by Brazilian Tropicália musician Caetano Veloso in 1968 for the third annual International Song Festival in Rio de Janeiro.  Veloso performed the song with the backing of the Tropicália band Os Mutantes.  The lyrics speak out against the censorship imposed by the Brazilian government, which had recently been imposed.  No list can be complete without Gil Scott-Heron – “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, a rallying call to remind all that only physical action will change things for the better.

In the UK, at the height of Glam Rock, Marc Bolan’s Children of the Revolution, in 1972 became a rock anthem, melding defiance under glitter. Its celebratory chorus mocks the establishment while affirming that the next generation won’t bow to conformity

In slightly more modern times, Know Your Rights by the Clash, written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, was released in 1982 and begins with the words “This is a public service announcement… with guitar! The structure of the song revolves around the rights held by the poor and disenfranchised, in which the speaker of the song names the three actual rights. By no means the only protest song by the band, think White Riot, or of the punk period, but The Clash were seen by many as the best voice of their generation

Finally, let’s look at LGBT+ songs. Starting with the UK Tom Robinson Band, Glad to Be Gay, long considered to be the “gay national anthem” of Britain. There is no holding back in the 1978 tune, the lyrics directly call out police brutality, homophobic violence and those who insist that queer people are less than human. The group called the audience in a Top Of The Pops performance to “sing if you’re glad to be gay.”

In 2020, Venezuelan star Arca released Nonbinary, with lyrics reflecting Arca’s thoughts on being nonbinary. The song has multifaceted, distinct elements of an individual, yet at the same time, simultaneously representing a whole.

The Pet Shop Boys, It’s a Sin, is a poignant and timely anthem that is a tongue-in-cheek indictment of band member Neil Tennant’s Catholic upbringing, from 1987. The singer reiterates over and over again how ashamed of himself he should be, while making it clear that he has nothing to be ashamed of.

Gossip, “Standing In the Way of Control” is a storming indie-electro-disco stomper, written by Beth Ditto. Drawing on personal experiences, growing up in the Bible Belt USA, and on hearing that Congress was considering a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman, the anthem became a two-finger point to politicians, homophobes and anyone else who wanted to keep queer people down.

Protest songs cover many stories, and come from every continent, but some are better known than others. Rarely do we hear songs from further afield, especially from those areas with religious or political restrictions. There are, of course, many out there. Explore these few examples below.

Baraye’ by Shervin Hajipour from Iran, in 2022, is an anthem for women’s Liberty. Wo Fie’ by Angel Maxine featuring Wanlov the Kubolor & Sister Deborah from Ghana, 2022, the country’s first openly transgender musician, joined forces with Wanlov the Kubolor and Sister Deborah to create the viral Pride month hit “Wo Fie.” The song, which translates to your home.

Patria y Vida’  by El Funky, Yotuel, Maykel Osorbo, Gente De Zona, and Descemer Bueno, Cuba. The 2021 anti-government protests in Cuba brought thousands of people together to voice their frustration with the country’s ongoing economic challenges, food shortages, and lack of access to vaccines. This marked one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in Cuba in the past decade.

In 1992, Alpha Blondy released his political anthem “Peace in Liberia” in response to the civil war happening in the country at the time.  The lyrics of the song demand an end to Liberia’s civil war, which had been raging for several years and had resulted in widespread violence and instability and claimed the lives of 250,000 people.

One singer /songwriter missing from this list is the American Folk Artist Woody Guthrie.  Widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music, his work focused on themes of socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired many generations politically and musically with songs such as, This Land Is Your Land and Tear the Fascists Down.

Not only was he was included on music magazine Mojo’s list of 100 Records That Changed the World he went on to influence so many artists including  Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger, Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg, Jerry Garcia, many of whom have gone on to write thier own protest song.

Woody Guthrie Photo Credit: © Sid Grossman

On top of his songbook, Guthrie was a prolific writer, penning thousands of pages of unpublished poems and prose, many written while living in New York City.

Amazingly, his last known recordings have emerged 75 years after his death. Twenty-two previously unreleased tracks from 1951-1952 home tapes, including 13 songs never recorded elsewhere and rare “This Land is Your Land” verses. Raw, intimate recordings made at his Brooklyn apartment before Huntington’s disease silenced the folk legend forever.

“I’m a Child Ta Fight” is a newly released song from these home recordings, featured on the album Woody At Home – Volumes 1 & 2. The song, just released this August 2025 as a surprise single, has been described as a bold, spirited anthem about youth’s role in standing up to injustice and fascism. 

An audio found on these original home tapes, Guthrie himself explains:

“I just want to tell you fellers that I’m awful glad sending this batch of songs to you. This sounds like about the best tape I made so far… I was here at home watching the kids by myself. So the kids tapes I’m sending you, the ones with me and the kids on them, I don’t want you sending them back or anything like that. I just want you to keep them and play them, and see the place from whence all good folk songs breed and spring.”

Poignant that after so many years, a record as relevant as this should find its way to modern ears. The power the creator had back then is just as important now. The release comes from TRO Essex Music Group, Woody’s publisher, and highlights a lesser-known aspect of his work, demonstrating his ability to powerfully connect with and speak for children.

Protest songs offer a combination of art, activism, and social commentary, aiding difficult issues, connecting with others, and participating in shaping a more just and equitable society; even ones that are historical are still just as potent. By no means is this a definitive list, but there are some major musical moments here, and let’s hope these anthems keep coming.

‘Woody At Home’, the new album available 14^th August 2025 via Shamus Records, here

If you enjoyed reading Protest Records Are A Bright Light To A Better Future then why not read Architectual Museum Here

.Cent Magazine, London; Luxury Minded