We Want the Airwaves: Music for Human Rights (Part 2)
And here we go with Part 2 of this post. Sorry for the delay, we've been a bit busy around here these days. But don't you worry, I'll keep you updated on all that too. Without further delay, the conclusion!
Operation Ivy was a ska-punk band hailing from California that had a lot to say about the world as they saw it. Existing from 1987-1989, the band were four disillusioned youth growing up in America under Ronald Reagan. They saw the world as a very divided place and no reason for such hate to exist, Unity being the clearest example of that message. Take Warning is another song that exemplifies that band's message of coming together as one people, regardless of our differences.
Op Ivy, as they are commonly known, only existed long enough to release one album, Energy, but their impact on the musical subculture in America runs deep to this day.
Switching musical gears brings us to Tracy Chapman. Tracy Chapman is a celebrated folk, alternative musician whose awards and talents are numerous. Chapman's mainstream success came in 1988, where she was a featured performer at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute as well as on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. Not only is she involved personally in international issues, but she takes those things to heart in her song Dreaming on a World as well environmental issues, exemplified in the song Rape of the World.
Annie Lennox is probably best known for her time in The Eurythmics, whose song Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) was an international success in the 1980s. Why she's included in this blog is due to her later work as a solo artist and activist. In 1980 Lennox reworked a Cole Porter song for a benefit album to raise money for AIDS awareness. Her song Sing came from her work with Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign and Treatment Action Campaign, both of which work for education and health care for those affected by AIDS. Her commitment to this cause led to her being named an International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS in June 2010.
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine came about in the early 1990s, when the downfall from the 1980s "Wall-Street" lifestyle of America's economy truly started to hit home. Easily one of the most politically charged bands of their era, Rage tackled issues from corporate greed to being supporters of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, as well as protesting the two-party system. Songs like Know Your Enemy and Sleep Now in the Fire truly expresses the frustration the band felt about the apathy of the youth of America, as well as worldwide greed and corporatism. Although Rage disbanded in 2000, members Zach de la Rocha and Tom Morrello have continued to be activists for social change, through their music and their actions.
Straight outta Pittsburgh, PA came a band that picked up right where The Clash and Operation Ivy left off. Though their music and credibility have waned somewhat in the last seven years (see any album after Mobilize), their fierce message remains the same. From the start Anti-Flag have been fervent anti-war activists, as well as fighting against corporate greed and police brutality. A New Kind of Army is a song about how leaders of nations over the course of time have used the common people to fight their wars. They believe that people of the world need spread peace, rather than hatred and death. Police Story is a song that hits close to home for the band. Police Story is a narrative of a very contentious case that occurred in Brentwood, PA in 1995 where an African American man, Johnny Gammage, was killed by a group of white policemen. Anti-Flag have also been apart of many political movements throughout their career as well, from Amnesty International to Greenpeace, along with one of their own, the Military Free Zone.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo is a hardcore kid at heart, growing up in the age of some of the greats in the early 1980s and eventually embracing the post-hardcore sound in the late 1980s - both of which would shape his music today. However, Ted's songwriting and musical ability is in a class of it's own. Forming Ted Leo and the Pharmacists in 1999 in Washington D.C. they have been putting out amazing records ever since. Regarding their relation to human rights and world issues, Ted takes a stance against how often the government can be ineffective, in Shake the Sheets, stating,
Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy was a ska-punk band hailing from California that had a lot to say about the world as they saw it. Existing from 1987-1989, the band were four disillusioned youth growing up in America under Ronald Reagan. They saw the world as a very divided place and no reason for such hate to exist, Unity being the clearest example of that message. Take Warning is another song that exemplifies that band's message of coming together as one people, regardless of our differences.
Stand by your friends, wrong or right
Can't call that justice when its just a stupid excuse to fight
Single out and attack
the ones who got no defense
You call that a new way of thinking
Can't call that justice when its just a stupid excuse to fight
Single out and attack
the ones who got no defense
You call that a new way of thinking
I call it regression to ignorance
Op Ivy, as they are commonly known, only existed long enough to release one album, Energy, but their impact on the musical subculture in America runs deep to this day.
Tracy Chapman
Switching musical gears brings us to Tracy Chapman. Tracy Chapman is a celebrated folk, alternative musician whose awards and talents are numerous. Chapman's mainstream success came in 1988, where she was a featured performer at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute as well as on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. Not only is she involved personally in international issues, but she takes those things to heart in her song Dreaming on a World as well environmental issues, exemplified in the song Rape of the World.
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox is probably best known for her time in The Eurythmics, whose song Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) was an international success in the 1980s. Why she's included in this blog is due to her later work as a solo artist and activist. In 1980 Lennox reworked a Cole Porter song for a benefit album to raise money for AIDS awareness. Her song Sing came from her work with Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign and Treatment Action Campaign, both of which work for education and health care for those affected by AIDS. Her commitment to this cause led to her being named an International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS in June 2010.
Rage Against the MachineRage Against the Machine came about in the early 1990s, when the downfall from the 1980s "Wall-Street" lifestyle of America's economy truly started to hit home. Easily one of the most politically charged bands of their era, Rage tackled issues from corporate greed to being supporters of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, as well as protesting the two-party system. Songs like Know Your Enemy and Sleep Now in the Fire truly expresses the frustration the band felt about the apathy of the youth of America, as well as worldwide greed and corporatism. Although Rage disbanded in 2000, members Zach de la Rocha and Tom Morrello have continued to be activists for social change, through their music and their actions.
Anti-Flag
Ted Leo and the PharmacistsTed Leo is a hardcore kid at heart, growing up in the age of some of the greats in the early 1980s and eventually embracing the post-hardcore sound in the late 1980s - both of which would shape his music today. However, Ted's songwriting and musical ability is in a class of it's own. Forming Ted Leo and the Pharmacists in 1999 in Washington D.C. they have been putting out amazing records ever since. Regarding their relation to human rights and world issues, Ted takes a stance against how often the government can be ineffective, in Shake the Sheets, stating,
I want to take it to the president, him and all the cabinet, with a broom.
I want to sweep the Halls of Arrogance, sweep the walls of the excrement of these baboons.
But I respect and prize the covenant -- I respect the process, I respect the rules.
When will we find a chord as resonant as to shake the sheets and make us move?
I want to sweep the Halls of Arrogance, sweep the walls of the excrement of these baboons.
But I respect and prize the covenant -- I respect the process, I respect the rules.
When will we find a chord as resonant as to shake the sheets and make us move?
Ted's respect for the government is not lessened by their often disconnected governance, but his critique of apathy here is clear. On a later album it is clear that Ted is completely disillusioned with war, especially in the modern era of technology where the separation between soldier and victim is large. In Bomb. Repeat. Bomb., Ted makes his opinion known,
And when the crying starts, you won't have to see their bloodshot eyes turn red,
And when the dying starts, you won't have to know a thing about who's dead.
This is your mission: pretend it's television, where the good guys always win,
And they're gonna win again, because you're gonna bomb
And when the dying starts, you won't have to know a thing about who's dead.
This is your mission: pretend it's television, where the good guys always win,
And they're gonna win again, because you're gonna bomb
Ted recently came out with a new album and let me tell you, he has no signs of slowing down in either ability or tact.
Emmanuel Jal's story is amazing, he has gone from child soldier to a legit rapper. Born in Southern Sudan c. 1980 he was recruited by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) when he was seven. When Jal was 11 he escaped from the SPLA and a British aid worker helped him get to Kenya to receive a proper education. From the Wikipedia article about him, "Through his music, Emmanuel Jal counts on the unity of the citizens to overcome ethnic and religious division and motivate the youth in Sudan." His song, War Child, says it all,
Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jal's story is amazing, he has gone from child soldier to a legit rapper. Born in Southern Sudan c. 1980 he was recruited by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) when he was seven. When Jal was 11 he escaped from the SPLA and a British aid worker helped him get to Kenya to receive a proper education. From the Wikipedia article about him, "Through his music, Emmanuel Jal counts on the unity of the citizens to overcome ethnic and religious division and motivate the youth in Sudan." His song, War Child, says it all,
I'm a war child / I believe I've survived for a reason / To tell my story, to touch lives
Along his path, Jal has always been a force for good, often raising money for street children and refugees while in Kenya. Jal continues his activism and has been involved in numerous human rights campaigns, including Make Poverty History, Live 8, Amnesty International and the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, just to name a few. War Child was also the name of a documentary based on his life, as well as his autobiography. However, Jal's biggest passion is for Gua Africa, a charity that he founded. Besides building schools, the nonprofit provides scholarships for Sudanese war survivors in refugee camps, and sponsors education for children in the most deprived slum areas in Nairobi.
Fin.
P.S. If there's a band or artist out there that you think should've been included in this list, let me know about it in the comments! Don't worry, you won't do any damage to my musical prowess...
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Tags: Annie Lennox, Anti-Flag, Emmanuel Jal, Operation Ivy, Rage Against the Machine, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Tracy Chapman, human rights, music
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