Political songs - a small personal selection

I thought I'd use the stir created by Plan B's magnificent new single (and video) as an excuse to collate some of my favourite political music. Below is my list of 10 songs which demonstrate that music and politics can go together, concluding with Plan B.

Some are fairly overtly political, some more obliquely so - but I think the 'political' tag is accurate in all cases. This doesn't mean they are all protest songs, an overlapping but distinct category. Dorian Lynskey's superb book on protest songs - 33 Revolutions Per Minute - has chapters on a number of my choices and is well worth reading.

Jimmy Cliff, Vietnam/Afghanistan

Country Joe and the Fish, Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die

PJ Harvey, The Words That Maketh Murder

Billie Holliday, Strange Fruit

Lowkey, Long Live Palestine

Manic Street Preachers, A Design for Life

Pulp, Common People

Nina Simone, Mississippi Goddamn

The Specials, Ghost Town

And here's the Plan B video...



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PJ Harvey: The Words That Maketh Murder

PJ Harvey tonight became the first artist to win the Mercury Prize twice, with her eighth album 'Let England Shake'. The first time she won the prize was on 11 September 2001, in an awards ceremony overshadowed by news of the terrorist attacks in the US. 'Let England Shake' includes this track, 'The Words That Maketh Murder', which was featured in the Stop the War website's 'anti-war song of the week' slot in February. 



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You can help free Palestine - every 69p counts!

A message from the people at OneWorld:

3-9 July 2011. This is it. This is the week that counts.

'Freedom for Palestine' is released today! Pre-orders are in but that's not enough. We have just one week to get as many people as possible to buy the single so we can smash it into the charts.

Get your copy now!

HMV http://tinyurl.com/5u3t227 - Just 79p!
Itunes http://tinyurl.com/65ngad8 - Just 79p!
Amazon http://tinyurl.com/6862xyq - Just 69p!

"This is the anthem of our movement. Buying this single is more than just buying a track of music; it is contributing to a struggle. The people of Palestine need us to lobby our MPs, take to the streets and even get into boats to bring them aid. But just like the people of South Africa they need us to sing to them. Buy this single and sing along!”
- Benjamin Zephaniah

From the streets of Gaza to the muddy fields of Glastonbury the song has inspired hundreds of thousands of people across the world. We’ve made Fox anchor Glenn Beck cry, high street store LUSH has got behind the campaign and Archbishop Desmond Tutu even came out of retirement to tell people to buy the song!

So be on the right side of history. Join musicians and artists such as Rogers Waters, Massive Attack, Lowkey, Mark Thomas, Julie Christie, Sami Yusuf, Ken Loach and Billy Bragg and get behind a historic challenge to the illegal Israeli occupation.

People in Palestine are relying on you to make this happen. Don’t let them down. Buy the single today.

Now you've bought it, pass it on! Fwd this message to 10 people you know and convince them to download the song today.

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Jimmy Cliff at Glastonbury: We don't want another Vietnam in Afghanistan

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Freedom for Palestine

http://www.freedomoneworld.com/
www.facebook.com/freedomoneworld
www.twitter.com/freedomoneworld

PRE-ORDER NOW FROM ITUNES + HMV DIGITAL
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/oneworld/freedom-for-palestine
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/freedom-for-palestine/id439588627

International musicians release historic UK single Freedom for Palestine. Release 3 July 2011.

Featuring: Maxi Jazz (Faithless), Dave Randall (Slovo/Faithless), LSK, the Durban Gospel Choir, members of the London Community Gospel Choir, Jamie Catto (1 Giant Leap) and international artists from around the world.

Music video features comedian Mark Thomas, rapper Lowkey and poet Michael Rosen.

Song written and produced by Dave Randall.
Video produced by Andy Marlow.
Filming by Alex Forster, Andy Marlow & Henna Malik (UK), Dave Randall (UK & West Bank), Jen Marlowe (Gaza) and Amehlo Video Productions (SA).
Animation by the Moth Collective.

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NHS is not for sale

One of the many reasons why everyone should join the TUC's March for the Alternative:



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Remixing revolution

I'll get around to writing something about Palestine (I'm currently visiting the West Bank) when practical, but meanwhile there's this...



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Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher

This should get you in the festive mood. On a loosely related theme, here's my favourite punning headline of the week: Victory to the minors!

(And don't forget to download Captain SKA's Liar Liar)



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Philosophy Football's 'Hopemas' party

From Philosophy Football:

'Why Hopemas? Because the defeat of the BNP in Barking and the humiliation of their hateful leader, Nick Griffin, was one of the great signs of hope in 2010.

Philosophy Football's Hopemas Christmas party is on Friday 17 December and is generously sponsored by the PCS trade union. It's a fantastic line-up!

Featuring the superb poetry of Lemn Sissay . Performing a special version of her hit Edinburgh show 'Afroblighty' (on nationwide tour in 2011) the supremely talented comic Andi Osho. Rap mixed with comedy from Doc Brown opens the night. And filling the dancefloor into the early hours, music from the Melstars sound system.

With a review of the year from Clive Bloom, author of the hugely topical Violent London : 2000 Years of Riots, Rebels and Revolts , PCS National Executive Member Zita Holbourne, Zaiba Malik (author of the August R4 book of the week We are a Muslim,Please), Owen Hatherley (author of the recently published book A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain), and Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty.

Just a few handfuls of tickets left, just £8.99 and each ticket is a £5 OFF voucher on Philosophy Football shirts on the night, so if you combine the evening with your Christmas shopping the night costs less than a fiver.

At the brilliant theatre-pub The New Red Lion, 271 City Road London EC1V 1LA in Islington. Show starts 7pm.

Book either HERE or call 020 8802 3499.'
 
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Captain SKA's 'Liar Liar' for XMAS number one - available now!

Released 12th December for XMAS no 1. On I-tunes - download HERE - and all other digital shops.

Proceeds to: Crisis, Disability Alliance, FalseEconomy and Women's Health Matters.

Launch gig for "Liar Liar" and FalseEconomy website 13th December, Vibe Bar Featuring Captain SKA, comedian Josie Long, Hackney Colliery band and DJ Jamie Renton (Chilli Fried)




Facebook page HERE
13 Dec launch event: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/100780
False Economy website: http://www.falseeconomy.org.uk/

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30th anniversary of John Lennon's death

It is 30 years today since John Lennon was killed. On the eve of what is set to be a historic youth revolt, it seems appropriate to highlight and celebrate Lennon's radical streak.

Philosophy Football has a new shirt in honour:

A working class hero is still something to be
John Lennon 1940-80

'John Lennon's classic tribute to where he came from, roots he remained proud of, and loyal to, come what may. Special offer - buy the shirt and 'I'm not the only one' mug is half-price.'

Check out the shirt and mug, and order yours, HERE

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X Factor + opposition to higher fees = THIS

The jury's out on the matter of artistic merit, but we can agree this takes the protest song in a new direction. Never mind over 1000 students protesting at Vince Cable in Oxford - watch this and realise Newcastle is in the frontline of resistance to cuts and fees.

I'm a Northumbria graduate myself (Drama, 2002) and proud to witness the university's student body making a truly *unique* contribution to the struggle. You won't get this at the LSE.



Join the national demonstration on 10 November 

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When Nicky Wire met Tony Benn

I've just watched a rather strange (in a nice way) video. Three people in a room: Tony Benn, Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers, music writer (and Manics biographer) Simon Price.

This is like a very far-fetched dream I might have had in my teenage years. I've been a socialist activist since the age of 14 and Benn has been a prominent and inspirational figure on the left throughout the years since then, one who I have heard speak many times. The politically engaged Manics were once my favourite band, while Price was the music journalist I read most devotedly (I was a music press obsessive in the mid and late-90s, with inky fingers every Wednesday as I devoured Melody Maker and NME, so this is no light praise). 

Seeing them together has an unreal quality, but the conversation gets going after a rather awkward start. It's very good after around 10 minutes, with Benn insightful about the Labour Party, democracy, political movements and more. It's also interesting - as Price notes in his introduction - for the often politically gloomy and pessimistic Nicky Wire to interact with someone as determinedly optimistic as Tony Benn (it ends with the latter urging a much younger man, "Keep going, don't give up").

Watch the video (and read Simon Price's intro) HERE.

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Eminem/Rihanna: glamorising domestic violence?

I'm a little late with this one, but here are three perspectives on the contentious single 'Love the Way You Lie', all of them interesting and thought-provoking. (By featuring just excerpts I don't do any of the writers proper justice, so I recommend clicking the links and reading more).

The first two views, from Jenny McCartney and Laurie Penny, both suggest the latest Eminem song, featuring Rihanna, glamorises violence against women. Their articles aren't principally focused on reviewing the song: the former is writing (in last Sunday's Observer) about the issue of 'sexualisation' of girls through the influence of pop culture, and the latter is critiquing (in the Telegraph) the new 'brutality chic'.

Reviewing the song and video, Elly Badcock and Jo Gough are far more sympathetic to the controversial track, arguing it is more complex than it might first seem.

Jenny McCartney in the Telegraph:

Eminem's voice describes how he has hit his girlfriend, and feels ashamed: he woos her back with promises of change, but remarks to himself that "if she ever tries to f---ing leave again, I'm gonna tie her to the bed and set this house on fire."

At which point, the lip-glossed Rihanna (who has herself been the victim of domestic violence) sings the languorous chorus: "Just gonna stand there and watch me burn / But that's all right because I like the way it hurts." Given the specificity of the Eminem persona's plans, the burning doesn't sound too metaphorical to me.

The reception has been split between those who have criticised Eminem for romanticising domestic violence, and those who applaud him for raising the "difficult issue" at all. I don't get the latter argument. Of course he's raising it: the problem is what he does with it. The rather brutal love glamorised here is intensely passionate and fated to end in destruction: specifically, that of the woman.






Laurie Penny in the Observer:

'Suggesting that women are sexual beings is not problematic, particularly in pop, which has always commodified desire, but suggesting that women are submissive sexual objects who invite abuse and violence is deeply problematic. That narrative is central to the language of pop music today.

Last week, Eminem and Rihanna's video for their latest single, "Love the Way You Lie", was seen by millions of young people; the song appears to glamorise abusive relationships, with Rihanna, who is well-known as a victim of domestic violence and has been celebrated for dumping the boyfriend who assaulted her, singing about a lover who likes to "stand there and watch me burn/But that's alright because I like the way it hurts".

Yes, we can see almost all of Rihanna's legs in the video, but the type of passive, meekly brutalised sexuality being represented here is infinitely more troubling than its extent.'

Elly Badcock and Jo Gough at Counterfire:

Eminem and Rihanna’s recent chart-topper, Love the Way You Lie, tackles the painful and prominent issue of domestic violence without resorting to shallow stereotypes. The song follows the story of a violent relationship, narrated by the abuser. We are privy to the twists and turns in logic that run through the abuser's mind as he attempts to justify his behaviour – “but your temper’s just as bad as mine is”, he pleads.

Interestingly though, we also glimpse the moments of clarity – the shame and the galling realisation of what it means to be a woman-beater. And it is this that makes Love the Way You Lie both fascinating and instinctively repulsive – this is not the ramblings of a deluded maniac but of a troubled man struggling to draw lines between love, fear, hate and anger.

Rihanna is noticeably absent for the majority of this track, coming in only for the chorus: “Just gonna stand there and watch me burn; well that’s alright, because I love the way it hurts. Just gonna stand there and hear me cry, well that's all right because I love the way you lie."

This is, to say the least, uncomfortable – a song about domestic violence in which the only female voice is reduced to painfully affirming, over and over, how much she loves the beatings...

The idea of the loving relationship is why so many victims return, and through the chorus repeating that she loves the hurt and lies it highlights the psychological hold within violent relationships. Love is used as a reason for both the violence and for staying together.

There is a quiet strength to Rihanna's singing, and coupled with the ironic undertone of the lyrics, the chorus could also be reaching out to perpetrators. Of course the woman doesn't love it, and no matter how much he excuses or gets her to excuse the violence, it is not justified...

The song and video leaves you with a haunting insight into the cycle of domestic violence and where it can end up- and gives the message to leave the situation before it is too late. The song's message is for both the victim and perpetrator, sung by a victim and perpetrator who are no longer in abusive relationships. It sends out the message that there is a way out.'

And my own view?

Although I admire the subtlety of Elly and Jo's review, and think they make interesting points, I'm ultimately not convinced. I think the video is deeply problematic - it makes a violent relationship appear sexy, blurring distinctions between erotic role-play and domestic abuse - but even if you ignore that and focus only on the song, there are serious problems.

The male voice is dominant - and it's not a terribly self-questioning one. Rihanna's voice does indeed have a certain strength - and her sections are musically seductive - but there's no avoiding the problems with her lyrics.

Crucially, the whole thing is framed in terms of love: this is a love duet (a twisted and unusual one, yes, but that's still what it is). And that's a problem, because domestic violence is ultimately about power rather than love.

It's correct, admittedly, that 'love' is a major psychological factor in why many women in such situations will cling on to the relationship. This track gives eloquent expression to that, I agree, and artistically that gives it a lift.

The difficulty is that it's framed in a way that is far too uncritical - the lyrics are reinforcing that impulse ('stay because I'm in love') rather than challenging it. It also obscures the other, less sentimental, factors involved in women remaining in abusive relationships - a point well made by McCartney elsewhere in her article.

Finally, I'm unconvinced there is any kind of journey to enlightenment in the lyrics. I can't detect some new self-knowledge on the abuser's part by the end - just more self-justification, which leaves any 'message' at best ambiguous.


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Revolution on film

I'm currently listening to Arcade Fire's new album, 'The Suburbs'. Today is the 70th anniversary of the death of Trotsky, who in 1905 was chair of the Petrograd soviet (workers' council).

That's two very good excuses for posting this popular YouTube classic, which combines an Arcade Fire track with highlights from Sergei Eisenstein's film 'Battleship Potemkin', a montage of memorable moments depicting the mutinous multitude of 1905 (sorry, no excuse for excessive alliteration).





One other thing: as tributes to Trotsky go, nothing quite compares to THIS.


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Sex, Sheffield and the politics of Brutalism

I've been reading Owen Hatherley's 'Militant Modernism' (from the excellent zero books), described on the back cover by Simon Reynolds - one of the music journalists I admired in my teenage years - as 'slim and shapely, ideas-packed and intensely-felt'. There are indeed lots of fascinating (and very political) ideas, including about post-war Brutalist architecture and social housing.

A key idea is that social democracy after 1945 found expression in new programmes of house building; particular styles of architecture - versions of continental interwar Modernism - came to be associated with these developments.

The 'cities in the skies' are one of the very few legacies of the 'municipal socialism' of the 1950s and 1960s. Styles like Brutalism were distinctively British mutations of the often radical and politically conscious European modernism of an earlier era.

The author seeks to reclaim and resuscitate much of this creative work - which has often been patronised, spurned or neglected - and also the impulses and aspirations behind it. As the blurb on the back aptly puts it, the book 'attempts to reclaim a revolutionary modernism against its absorption into the heritage industry and the aesthetics of the luxury flat'.

Here's a short section from the chapter titled 'The Brutishness of British Modernism':

'Brutalism was still in some definable relation to pop and the sexual revolution, or the 'permissive society' as it was more coyly described. One of the most admired early brutalist buildings was the Owen Luder Partnership's Eros House, a mixed-use concrete and glass arrangement of geometric conflicts, its name a reminder of the strangely lubricious tone that occasionally creeps into this aesthetic.     

The most remarkable testament to the sexuality of the Streets in the Sky is on Pulp's 1993 singles collection Intro. Therein a 10-minute fantasia called 'Sheffield: Sex City', in which every contour and line of the industrial city is filled with eroticism.

It begins with a deadpan Yorkshire voice (keyboardist Candida Doyle), reading out a Nancy Friday tale about an adolescent girl living in a block of flats, who would 'lie there mesmerised' as the entire tower seemed to come on heat.




Then, to a metronomic disco pulse, Jarvis Cocker recites a list of Sheffield suburbs with luridly sensual relish, then finds himself searching Sheffield for his love, driven to 'making love to every crack in the pavement'.

The whole ludicrous, astonishing construction eventually comes to a climax of utopian urbanist carnality, as 'everyone on Park Hill came in unison at 4.13am, and the whole block fell down'.

Also see Owen Hatherley's recent photo-essay on Sheffield architecture.



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Pixies cancel concert in Israel after Gaza Flotilla killings

The national demo in London was great yesterday. Estimated at 20,000 people, it had a powerful atmosphere: vibrant, diverse and hopeful. We commemorated those killed and determined to ensure they didn't die in vain, with a tremendous sense of purpose to build a bigger solidarity movement.

After yesterday's global day of protest, comes welcome news today that the Pixies join Gil Scott Heron and Elvis Costello in cancelling a gig in Israel. This is another boost to all of us promoting boycott, divestment and sanctions targeted at Israel.

Associated Press reports:

JERUSALEM — The U.S. rock band Pixies has canceled a concert in Tel Aviv this week in the wake of Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

The group's Tel Aviv promoter, Shuki Weiss, relayed a statement from the band announcing the cancellation "with great regret."

The band did not specify why it was pulling out of the gig, but organizers say the decision was related to last week's naval raid, which killed nine pro-Palestinian activists.

Various artists have recently come under heavy pressure from activists to boycott Israel because of its treatment of the Palestinians. Elvis Costello recently canceled a planned concert to protest Israeli policies.

Others, such as Elton John and Rod Stewart, are still planning to play Israel this summer.


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A little light relief

On Sunday, Phil BC was mischievously music meme-ing again. Prompted by this I couldn't resist looking up what was number one when I was born. At first I was disappointed, thinking it was some obscure track I'd never even heard of, but it turns out to be that reggae-ish one that goes 'I don't like cricket'. Ah, that one...



Just days after I entered this world, 10cc were knocked off the top spot by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. I once upset someone by saying Grease in reply to them asking for my favourite film musical. I think you're supposed to choose something more grown up or sophisticated, but I still reckon Grease is the perfect musical and a high point in the history of Western civilisation. Anyhow, here's the number one single from just after I was born - and in this version you can freshen up on your French at the same time!




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We didn't start the fire

Greetings for May Day, one and all. I can't resist using it as an excuse for a song and a brief retrospective of the Cold War era (well, you know how it is).



How should we celebrate international workers' day? They have the right idea in Nepal.

Revolutionary apocalypse: or, A theme tune for Luna17

In the footsteps of A Very Public Sociologist...