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same criteria. The Dixie Chicks surged into political controversy in the ‘00s due to their public announcement declaring opposition of the Iraq War and the Bush administration. Bruce Springsteen was widely active in supporting the 2008 Obama campaign and even performed at the President’s 2009 Inaugural Ceremony. Springsteen has sat out for the 2012 campaign. In 2012, it is difficult to find popular and politically inclined musicians. The general consensus is that music today is simply not what it was three decades ago- cue dubstep and Carly Rae Jepsen. This can be a conclusion that is far too simplistic, because although artists singing about summer nights and love at 18 populate the top charts, there is an exception to every rule. Jay-Z has continued to express his support toward the Obama campaign. Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Jason Mraz have also participated in charity work and have aligned themselves politically. Candidates understand the power music has when translating ideas into lyrics. Perhaps we need more songs about peace and revolution. More Woodstock and less Ultra. This all goes to show that music can actually be used as a measure of how much, or how little, our generation has politics on our minds.
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THE ELECTION PLAYLIST: LESS RIHANNA, MORE BEATLES words_claudia aguirre. photo_karli evans. design_sophianna bishop.
Politics and mainstream music are not two concepts we put together intentionally - at least not today. Although recent events, such as the arrest of the band Pussy Riot in Russia, seemed to have reawakened music’s infamous controversial and fighting spirit, the force of their movement remained in another hemisphere. It appears that it is “All Quiet on the Western Front” in regards to music and political activism. Surprisingly, the 2012 campaign has not revitalized the political identity of American musicians. The reality is that music is not as political as it was just four years ago. The amount of musicians that have officially endorsed President Barack Obama has decreased by over 50 percent from 2008 to the current year. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney adopted “Born Free” by famous right-wing performer Kid Rock as his official campaign theme song- a song that had been released two years prior. Other than Kid Rock, few musicians have chosen to publicly endorse the Republican candidate. Yet being politically active in music has a historical legacy. Although the ‘70s are known as a decade for musicians to write about LSD and other drugs, it was a time when music and politics shared one characteristic: they stirred people. This gave rise to names such as British punk rock band The Clash, which became representative of the turbulent and unstable socioeconomic environment in Britain under Thatcherism in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Like them, bands such as The Beatles and The Sex Pistols wrote lyrics intended to speak liberally about the war, politics and activism. U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” followed along the
SOUNDS LIKE POLITICS words_zach devito.
Distraction sat down with WVUM DJ Ashley G and asked her opinion on records of
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political significance. MARVIN GAYE – “WHAT’S GOIN’ ON?” (1971) “This is a song that’s fairly timeless,” Ashley said. “Politically, there are so many connotations to
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things that were going on when he wrote it – what with the 60s and segregation and the government that also reflected what his family was going through and his family couldn’t afford very
much. It’s crazy and scary how it transcends time and is still relatable to our economic disparity today.” BOB DYLAN – “THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING” (1970)
“Bob Dylan was just a giant ball of political activism. The times are really changing… all the time. These songs are all similarly related to social changes that are happening right now.”
Ashley G hosts her weekly rotation show every Monday from 3 to 5 p.m., and her specialty show “Electric Kingdom” runs every Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. Tweet her at @ashh_gonzalez.