# What are the modern protest songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 29, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484 "2025-09-29T15:35:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/1 "2025-09-29T15:35:51Z")
Previous generations had protest songs. What are songs expressing discontent with the current political situation? Anything within the last ten years? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/2 "2025-09-29T15:53:29Z")
Punk isn’t dead and it’s always wanted what Hippies want, just in a Malcolm X tone rather than Martin Luther King Jr. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/3 "2025-09-29T16:15:04Z")
Neil Young just released one. > **[Neil Young confronts Donald Trump in new song Big Crime: ‘Don’t want soldiers...](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/aug/29/neil-young-donald-trump-new-song-big-crime)** > > Veteran rocker characterises US administration as fascistic in song recorded at Chicago sound check ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/4 "2025-09-29T16:26:07Z")
Mon Rovia was captured as a young child and forced into soldiering in Africa. After he was rescued he was adopted by a WV family and raised in the USA. Now he writes [protest music in](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vyXccqTlhoI&pp=ygUJTW9uIHJvdmlh) the face of yet another dictator. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/5 "2025-09-29T16:28:56Z")
Running the World by Jarvis Cocker…. NSFW language (the actual chorus is “c\_\_ts are still running world”) explains why it didn’t get all that much commercial success worldwide 🙂 [https://youtu.be/irFJ1oI8vYE?si=tvjciE0ymxOpi9wF](https://youtu.be/irFJ1oI8vYE?si=tvjciE0ymxOpi9wF) But an excellent protest song nonetheless Though the Internet tells me it was actually released 20 years ago, which is clearly a mistake 😉 Though it had a resurgence after the last tory government got elected in 2019 so I’ll say it still counts. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/6 "2025-09-29T16:30:19Z")
Oliver Anthony is from SW Virginia. [Rich men north of Richmond.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sqSA-SY5Hro&pp=ygUacmljaCBtZW4gbm9ydGggb2YgcmljaG1vbmQ%253D) ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/7 "2025-09-29T16:38:29Z")
[Childish Gambino](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY&list=PLEnchy01WTPzU-Igq9JmbL09CWxcDjt0X&index=1&pp=iAQB8AUB) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/8 "2025-09-29T16:41:41Z")
That may be one of my favorite music videos of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/9 "2025-09-29T16:55:05Z")
[Dropkick Murphys “Who’ll Stand With Us?”](https://youtu.be/5BRHuiRyVEE?si=ZWHfiAcm51YsE_oj) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/10 "2025-09-29T18:17:19Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > That may be one of my favorite music videos of all time. The symbolism and references in that video are so extensive I doubt many people got most of it. But Donald Glover is an amazing performer regardeless. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/11 "2025-09-29T18:21:24Z")
It’s a trojan horse protest song. It sets up its premise of calling out rich politicians….spends the majority of the song complaining about poor people. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/12 "2025-09-29T18:32:06Z")
Do you have a link or info on this? I’d be curious to check it out. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/13 "2025-09-29T18:38:35Z")
[This song by Aimee Mann](https://youtu.be/qROQ0XYP4Ck?si=Dwb8oyexDZHxSmIm) is from an album of assorted artists protesting Trumps FIRST term. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/14 "2025-09-29T18:47:00Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9_LIP7qguYw/maxresdefault.jpg "Hidden Meanings Behind Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' Video Explained") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_LIP7qguYw) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/15 "2025-09-29T18:48:43Z")
Here is [one](https://youtu.be/9_LIP7qguYw?si=8MakbgHcODNSn6A1). You can find others on Youtube. I actually went to a lecture by the choreographer at a local college about what the different elements of the video reference. Here is a short interview with her, although it doesn’t go into a lot of detail: > **[Childish Gambino's "This Is America" Choreography Explained](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/childish-gambino-this-is-america-choreography-explained/)** > > Choreographer Sherrie Silver discusses working with Childish Gambino on his politically-charged "This Is America" video. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/16 "2025-09-29T18:49:54Z")
Excellent. Thank you both! ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/17 "2025-09-29T18:57:10Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Oliver Anthony is from SW Virginia I like Billy Bragg’s response to this, a proper protest song (one of many Bragg has written but not in the last decade) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qGNFR7pgxDY/maxresdefault.jpg "Billy Bragg - Rich Men Earning North of a Million") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGNFR7pgxDY) ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/18 "2025-09-29T19:43:20Z")
Here’s some more: **Iris Dement** (“[Going Down to Sing in Texas](https://youtu.be/KfwzAq_WHRE?si=QuEpUxTWQVyXnNSd)”) **The Drive-By Truckers** (“[What it Means](https://youtu.be/mY0qOCUy27Q?si=AmNCqRzjwgCQLXTi)” _one of several_) **Ice Cube** (“[Arrest the President](https://youtu.be/Q9Jxm2GjZy0?si=uqlFdY1fN8Ecx9w7)”) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/19 "2025-09-29T20:02:21Z")
Good lord that’s some [cringeworthy garbage](https://genius.com/Oliver-anthony-music-rich-men-north-of-richmond-lyrics). I thought the middle-school pun on Richmond was bad, but the lyrics are even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484/20 "2025-09-29T20:22:05Z")
System of a Down and Serj had a bunch of them, but not in the last ten years Empty Walls - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CxKA1uETxE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CxKA1uETxE) BYOB - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUzd9KyIDrM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUzd9KyIDrM) Soldier Side - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAEBfiaY6Rc&list=RDKAEBfiaY6Rc&start\_radio=1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAEBfiaY6Rc&list=RDKAEBfiaY6Rc&start_radio=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-modern-protest-songs/1023484.md?page=2)