Politics and music - should they be kept seperate?

Question

I'm thinking more along the lines of metal, rock.....and i guess music in general too. Do you hate political bands?! A couple of examples - Rage against the machine, Megadeth, U2 and of course Bob Dylan made his political opinions clear on many occasions through his music. Are you a fan of political (rock) bands/artists, or do you think they should get off their soapboxes? Personally, i like bands that have a message, and afterall, bands DO express their feelings through their music, and some of those feelings are regarding the state of the world/world politics. What do you think? Btw, i this is the first Q i have posted on here, so i hope it's not a stupid one! Thanks in advance for any of your opinions. :)

Answer 1

I think that all art comes from peoples beliefs & what they feel strongly about so I guess musicians are not going to be any different. The problem though is that politics expressed by musicians tend to be very naive, eg 'Give Peace a Chance' by John Lennon. Great song which defines a whole idealology & movement at a very specific time but is naive in the extreme - the world just isnt like that. Sticking with Lennon, you just have to look at the lyrics of Imagine to see what I mean - beautiful sentiment but almost advocating communism (which as we've seen hasnt worked). This sort of political advocation I think is harmless & often makes people think more about the world around them & the potential for changing it to a better place - which can only be a good thing - but as for the likes of our modern day vocal rhetorics, ie Bono, I have to admit I have often wished he would just shut up because he doesnt present his views as just his opinion (to which we have the right to agree or reject) instead he presents them as the truth, the way & the light & in some ways as though he is the educated & knowledgable one who is there to bring enlightenment to us, the ignorant masses. HE'S the one has seen the suffering, HE'S the one who has a direct line to the pope, HE'S the one is on first name terms with the world leaders & so this makes him qualified to tell the rest of us where we are going wrong - thats the bit I object to! It smacks of arrogance & is incredibly patronising. But I cant knock politics in music just because Bono's an a***hole! If you remember such anthems as God Save the Queen - famously NOT number one at the time of the Jubilee, or the Specials brilliant 'Ghost Town' which summed up hauntingly the feeling of the nation during the summer of 1981, the unemployment & the hopelessness of working class societies - all at a time when the country was 'celebrating' the charade which turned out to be the marriage of Diana Spencer to Prince Charles. Also the thought-provoking socialist warblings of Billy Bragg which were such a product & a sign of his times - a kick against Thatcherism. Many people who were teenage during the late 70's & 80's grew up with quite an awareness of the political landscape thanks to music such as this - what are the teenagers of the last few years going to take away from the music of their 'best' years? The desire for 'bling'?

Answer 2

No, I think it's perfectly appropriate for politics to be in music. I love Rage Against the Machine and Metallica. Some of the very first rock was based on politics, like in the 60's. just about every song that came out in the 60's was either protesting or supporting Vietnam.

Answer 3

great first Q.

hmm... i believe that if music and politics were kept separate there would be a HUGE revolt against the government.
music is a way to take frustrations out without hurting anyone physically. for instance, i do covers of most of disturbeds new stuff, their new album and you can read this on the web site in the bio section is very political. david draiman the singer states " ten thousand fists is really more anger-oriented than believe, more about just lashing out at the state of things, at the situations weve fallen into and at the state of events of the world around us."

so no i dont think that they should be kept separate. the above is just one example. the band system of a down bases most of their songs on politics.

Answer 4

NO. Not only does that defeat the purpose of music (creativity and freedom) but it also lessens the important role that music plays.

Why do you think the 60s was birth to so many life-changing artists and bands? Its because the politics of that time inspired them, mostly for a change. Not only was the music just good to listen to, it had substance. While their are a number of topics lyrics can be written about, politics is the most controversial and therefore raises the most awareness and sparks our thoughts. Makes us think.

When we listen to music, we shouldn't be listening to it like mindless idiots.

Answer 5

It's a good question, don't worry. I don't like all of the political statements I hear in music, but I'm a music person more than a lyric person, so if I like the melody and the sound of the song, I like the song. But my first policy with anything political is GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. Some ppl don't do that, and THAT's what bugs me.

Answer 6

This is a good question! Music is a form of expression and you can't keep political opinions out of it. We had become too politically correct and are afraid to discuss controversial topics such as politic and religion. We NEED to discuss these things to gain a better understanding of out past and to set our future. One of the best ways to introduce these ideas is through music and the arts. We have enough love songs and mindless entrainment, we need to focus on what is important in our society.

Answer 7

no

far too many people are oblivious to whats going on in the world - the only things some people care about are big brother and shoes and football

meanwhile thousands of people all over the world are being murdered or are starving to death

id rather have the charts full of political bands than pointless dross like mika

Answer 8

Good question...
well i love U2 and Bob Dylan because they care about what's happening in our world..
There's also a place for ppl who just want to do pop, jazz, classical and so on. So i guess there's a place for everyone..everyones got some sort of message...

Answer 9

You can reach more people through music than anything else I can think of!! Where would U2 be without Sunday Bloody Sunday!! Great song!! Congratulations on your first and good question! Keep them coming!!

Answer 10

Don't think so. Music is art and art is an expression of life. Politics, like it or not, is part of life. Music is a superb way of saying what you feel about life.