Listening to the Arab protesters chants this February, I noticed that several of their chants used the same cadence that goes back to at least the 80s but most likely much much earlier. This same rhythm has also been used in Latin American chants as well as of course American protests.
What’s the first example of such a protest chant? It can be any words as long as it fits the meter of
Hey, hey!
Ho, ho!
Thing I hate has got to go!
Well, I know that “‘Ma! Ma! Where’s my pa?’ 'Gone to the White House! Ha, ha, ha!” AND “Blaine! Blaine! James G. Blaine! Continental Liar from the State of Maine!” both go back to the Grover Cleveland administration.
It’s probably rather old, as it’s just 1-2-3-4 1&2&3&4. It’s one measure of straight beats, and one measure of double timed beats, stopping one beat early to give a sense of finality. The second measure adds intensity.
Oh, and “U-G-L-Y, You ain’t got no alibi.” It’s cheerleader stuff.
The anti-war protesters had chants like this in the 60’s.
“Hell No I won’t Go” is one I’ve heard in documentaries. I’m sure there’s many more. Chants and songs were a huge part of that movement.
Famously,
“Hey hey
LBJ
how many kids did you kill today?”
Also from the Vietnam era,
Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh
The NLF is going to win!