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Politics and Music

The Trumpets of Jericho

Beethoven and Napoleon 

Wagner and the Nazis

"Ohio" and the Vietnam War

"Imagine" and consumerism 

The Dixie Chicks 

Countless examples illustrate the intersection of Music and Politics. Jerry Garcia referenced his group as "just a dance band." Always pondered how we react to our choices of music. Divorce it entirely from the controversies of the day and merely enjoy the artistry or allow it to change the way in which we view the world. Transformative, escapism, nostalgia, intellectual profundity, cultural discovery. Large questions. Your thoughts?

jpwarren58
cd318
2,636 posts
 

Everything is of its time.

There's simply no getting away from that.

We may no longer have protest singers but the music of today is still very much a product of our time.

Context matters, but it's not everything.

Just earlier today I heard Wham!'s Club Tropicana being played whilst out shopping.

As much as I dislike the calculated style of Wham! I found myself irresistibly singing along to it.

 

"Club Tropicana, the drinks are free..."

 

artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,917 posts
 

"Remember, our business doesn't draw the most stable minded of individuals", is what my bass player said while conversing about a good player who was quite flaky and undependable. Considering that music is generally an emotional exercise, I don't believe them to be a very good intellectual source for forming my worldview and  political choices.

The 60's  movement was all about peace, love and ending wars. Yet since we, the baby boomers have grown and taken the roles of power, we have endless wars, violent riots and now the cancel culture where only one viewpoint is even allowed.

We could discuss how such a great idea became so corrupted. But the point is that  music is for entertainment, not education

slaw's avatar
slaw
20,526 posts
 

My thoughts are constantly expressed  here.

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 

But the point is that  music is for entertainment, not education

It's OK to make a political statement through music but you may limit the number of people that want to listen to it. I give artists a break for expressing their viewpoint using music but there is a line that can be crossed and I wont buy music that offends my sensibilities. 

serjio's avatar
serjio
371 posts
 

the author of the topic, are you a naive person or did you write it on purpose?
Anyone (mostly young inexperienced people) should know what an OVERTON WINDOW is.
... dehumanization technology ...
in a playful way, they offer you: let's try the devil a little ... forget God for a while ... a little bit ... as a joke

This is constantly done by (sponsors) oligarchs and arms corporations ... They spend millions on advertising such ideas - to get billions ...

this is a trick - deception of ordinary people

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