Spinner

20 Protest Songs That Matter: No. 20

In 'The Wild One,' angry young rocker Marlon Brando answered an innocent question -- "Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?" -- with a curt reply that spoke volumes: "Whaddya got?" Rock never settles for the status quo, teaching generations that questioning authority is a cornerstone of democracy. Here are 20 all-time declarations of independence, each spun at 45 revolutions per minute.

'Get Up, Stand Up'
--Bob Marley and the Wailers (1973)

Rebelling Against: Opression!

The late, saintly Bob Marley's signature anthem has become a fill-in-the-blank template for righteous causes of all stripes. Not only is it the official fight song of Amnesty International, but Peter Tosh's sung-spoken interlude – "You can fool some people sometime/ But you can't fool all the people all the time" -- has been called a precursor to rap.
Listen to 'Get Up, Stand Up'

Buy it on iTunes

All the AOL Music info you want to know

Kellie Pickler Takes Fans 'Behind the…

The Boot

Gino DePinto, AOL Just like her latest hit single, Kellie Pickler is 'Tough.'…

Nick Cannon, Christina Milian Hash Out…

AOL Music Blog

Kevin Winter | Getty It takes a big man to apologize for his cheating…

MTVU Woodie Awards 2012: J. Cole, Frank…

The Boombox

YouTube.com NEW YORK (AP) - The eclectic mix of The Black Keys, Skrillex and…

See all AOL Music »

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

191 Comments

Filter by:
Dani

Awesome list! There are some great protest songs, and it's good to see them still being appreciated. The folks over at the Riverfront Times just posted a list of their own 10 favorite American protest songs, in time for this weekend's 4th of July holiday. Here's the link (with videos): http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2011/07/american_protest_songs_most_effective_fourth_of_july.php

July 01 2011 at 1:21 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Oakland Easy

What does your response have to do with the topic?

August 17 2010 at 3:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
p curley

How about the "Ballad of Ira Hayes" by Johnny Cash, which was a protest against the way we treated Indians, or "Blowin in the Wind", written by the Godfather of protest songs, Bob Dylan, which blended the Civil Rights and the anti-war movement into a common cause. The real target of this song was apathy. ("How many times can a man turn his head and pretend he just doesn't see?")

January 18 2010 at 10:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Basse

Johnny Rebel on the jukebox back in the sixties was the best there ever will be..

January 18 2010 at 7:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Basse

During that time, I enjoyed Johnny Rebel on the jukebox.
Now that was some great music,, and still is..

January 18 2010 at 7:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dragon keeper

You missed some great ones. The Great Mandala by: PP&M, Richie Havens, Pete Seagar, who wrote it, Revolution, Let It be, and several others by the Beatles, And so many. Get real about the rap, Those are hate songs, not proteat songs.

January 18 2010 at 4:37 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
m

EVE OF DESTRUCTION BY BARRY MCGUIRE should have been #1 song of the top 20. your selection of the top 20 of which 1 song was in there that i believed was worthy. you guys better research better when you make selections cause you are way off on this one. there are plenty of songs that are far,far better than the ones you picked. check you bloggers remarks.

January 18 2010 at 8:42 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to m's comment
seth

Hell Yea, he should rerecord and rerelease it considering this world of shit we're in today.

May 17 2010 at 10:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
cali4niagoldrose

Thank you.....was looking for this song. Love it. The BEST!!!

September 21 2011 at 10:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
khurstsenior

Peter Tosh wrote this anthem, taught Bob,( Bunny Wailer whom wrote The Electric Slide)and Alton Ellis , one of Jamaica's best musicians, how to play MUSIC. As far as rap, Jamaicans outside Kingston did not have electricity so enterprising men drove there with 'sound systems' on trucks and held dances with bands and people would get up and 'signify ' just like calypso where they did not watch the government controlled evening news on tv. They listened to the truth being spewed by Sparrow or whom ever who would turn in out during carnival. Third world's lead Singer Rugs said when he was a lickle bwoy he saw King Stitt and some of the founding fathers of reggae were DJs U-Roy, Eek-A-Mouse etc. and when the Wailers were teens making a record was a hustle, they rented the facilities to record, engineer, and pressed their own records! It seems americans think of the 3rd world as backwards. In remote parts of the world India e.g.the first phone they had was a cell, first tv a satellite for the whole village! Jamaicans were 'rapping' in the 50s and mixing in the 60 sand by the 70s Biggie Smalls mom was a Jamaican. Teenage Jamaicans in NYC invented Rap! Bob Marley worked at a facory in Delaware where his mom lived to make money to do 'Catch A Fire' recorded in Jamaica then he took the tapes to England where they added rock licks and pressed the records in Canada!

September 19 2008 at 6:24 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
kv5350

Another Brick in the wall

September 02 2008 at 8:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
kv5350

Another Brick in the wall

September 02 2008 at 8:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply