The Use of Music as a Political Statement

If you were an active user of TikTok throughout 2021, it is no surprise that you probably heard a clip from Kanye West's song “Strange Fruit”. The use of this song on TikTok sparked controversy as many people on Twitter spoke against the tone-deafness of the trend and explained that Kanye’s song was sampled by a poem and then later popularized by Billie Holiday in 1939 (Wilson). The poem and song were a response to the high numbers of lynchings occurring in the south of the United States. Expressing your political and social views through art is not uncommon. There are many examples like “Strange Fruit” that use music and lyrics to speak on issues that are currently happening, but the main question still is not unanswered: can music be used as an agent for change in politics and society?

The History of Music and Politics

Since the beginning of institutionalized politics, whether that be through a monarchy or the ancient Greek idea of democracy, voicing political views is not new and voicing them through music goes back as far as “the Hsia Dynasty [where] Chinese emperors sent officers of the court to record the songs of masons building the Great Wall as a rudimentary opinion poll” (Dunaway). When looking at American politics, music has also been used to provide a means of voicing opinions. According to Dard Neuman, Wobblies is known as the “birth of the modern American protest song” during World War I (Neuman). These protest songs are often used as a strategy to gain mass public recognition in hopes of gaining attention to the problem at hand.

The interaction of politics, history, and art provides a deeper understanding of why speaking about politics through music has become popularized. From the Harlem Renaissance to the early 90s and 2000s rap/R&B, music transforms society by combining past elements of history with current political problems. In the 1960s, we can see how music mirrors society as African Americans used music to speak against the problem that the Civil Rights Movement was fighting against. The transition from blues, to jazz, to rock and roll, and later on rap, all sparked with groups of people using music to voice their political opinions. In modern times, the musical artist has begun to use these same ideas of combining politics and music to express themselves. These transitions follow society and the new problems that arise. While the use of music and politics has changed over time, the main purpose stays the same and that is to persuade.

Can Music be Used as a Tool for Change?

When we think of society, we often associate it as ever-changing because as time passes, ideas and beliefs change. Progress is an important term when looking at politics and society. The use of music as a tool for change allows for progress to happen because people are more likely to listen to a song rather than read a news article. The element of entertainment makes music more likely to spark conversation on different political sentiments as people tend to value entertainment in their everyday life. As an activist, the biggest way to see change is through persuasion. Being able to persuade others into agreeing with your standpoint allows more and more people to continue the act of persuasion onto others. Music as a method for this persuasion gives the author of the original political sentiment the to spread their beliefs to a larger audience.

Referring to protest songs as “magnetic songs of persuasion” comes from R. Serge Denisoff and this idea has a “clear political function” of attracting others to join a movement because it provides solutions to a problem (Neuman). However, it is important to note that music is subjective and what one person gets from a song can be completely different than what the author intended. Timothy D. Taylor brings up the point that “our culture conditions us to hear general meanings […] and our subjectivities provide endless variations of those meanings” (Taylor). While music has been used as a medium to voice political sentiments, it is important to note that both politics and music are subjective. Music allows for a broader audience to hear and understand the opinions of others but combining it with politics can either persuade or bring controversy to those opinions. However, this does not change the fact that using music is an agent for change. As we can see from history, many movements have inspired others to contribute to this change with music and start conversations about politics and society.

How You Can Use Music For Political Expression

In the middle of 2020, the death of George Floyd caused several protests around the world as people voiced their opinion on the current political state and used chants to call attention to police brutality. While these chants are not necessarily protest songs, they became widely recognized as people began chanting “No justice, no peace” or “Say his name” throughout the United States. The idea of amplifying your voice through chants is similar to using music to voice political sentiments. While it might be difficult to voice your opinion through writing music, there are many songs, chants, and other ways that you can incorporate music in your political statements. Here are a few ideas if you are interested in speaking out on different political issues and how you can incorporate music.

TikTok: While the use of “Strange Fruits” on TikTok was met with controversy, it was not because people used the song to speak out on politics that relate to the song but instead because the trend involved sampling the song and having people mimic poses others with no correlation to the message of the song. However, using music with political messages to enhance your own political view is not inherently bad because it spreads the message of the original artist as well as your own. Using TikTok as a political platform is a great way to reach larger audiences but always remember to be respectful and understand the reasoning behind the song’s message.

Protest: According to the First Amendment in the United States Constitution, people have the right to peacefully protest. Chants and songs are a great way to peacefully protest and let your voice be heard through recognizable words and tunes.

Listen and Learn: Last but not least, researching different songs and learning about the message behind those songs is a great way to begin the process of understanding how music can be used to inspire and persuade others. An easy google search will provide great examples of songs that voice political sentiments, and it is useful to learn from the experiences of others in regard to the political or social opinions they hold.

Works Cited

Dunaway, David King. “Music and Politics in the United States.” Folk Music Journal, vol. 5, no. 3, 1987, pp. 268–94. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4522239. Accessed 20 Sep.

2022.

Neuman, Dard. “Music & Politics in the Classroom: Music, Politics, and Protest.” vol. 2, no. 2,

2008. https://doi.org/10.3998/mp.9460447.0002.205

“Rights of Protesters.” American Civil Liberties Union, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/rights-protesters.

Taylor, Timothy D. “When We Think about Music and Politics: The Case of Kevin Volans.”

Perspectives of New Music, vol. 33, no. 1/2, 1995, pp. 504–36. JSTOR,

http://www.jstor.org/stable/833716. Accessed 20 Sep. 2022.

Wilson, Shania. “Tiktok's Disgust at Strange Fruit Sample Explained: Why Are Users Calling for the Trend to End?” HITC, 26 July 2021, https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/07/26/tiktoks-disgust-at-strange-fruit-sample-explained-why-are-users-calling-for-the-trend-to-end/.