The Sound of Silence

I’ve been listening to a great podcast over the past six months called A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs by Andrew Hickey. If you like music, I highly recommend you give it a listen. I’m up to episode 142 as I have been commuting 40 minutes each way to my job as the interim executive director of the Desert Foothills Library.

Along with learning about the origins of rock music, I have come to realize that a lot of the reason rock developed was because people wanted to effect change by writing songs that challenged the status quo and in many cases commented directly on social issues and politics.

This really resonated with me because in 2026 there are so many awful things going on in the world and in American politics yet aside from a song or two musical artists have been absent from the fight, particularly when compared to artists of the past.

I listen to a lot of music across a lot of genres, but with the exception of Bruce Springsteen’s recent song Streets of Minneapolis I’m hard pressed to think of any serious protest songs. A quick Google search of current protest songs only brought up a handful and aside from a few by Bad Bunny I’d never heard of the artists. For me this means mainstream artists are not making protest songs. The top artists in 2026 include Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran and Rihanna to name a few.

Does it matter that today’s artists aren’t using their platforms to comment on issues of the day? I think it does, because music has always been a huge part of inciting culture change. And I’m not just talking about the 1960s, which were a golden age of protest songs. It goes back, as I’ve learned by listening to this podcast, to the origins of American music and beyond. Hell, protest songs are as old as time.

But more specifically, I think some of what is missing today is a sense of collectiveness across music that galvanizes people around forcing change. I don’t think we can underestimate the power of pop culture to influence people which in turn can influence systems. Where is today’s Woody Guthrie, or Nina Simone, or Creedence Clearwater Revival?

Listening to Hickey’s podcast has highlighted some great protest songs for me and reminded me how important it is to speak (or sing) truth to power. Some of my favorites are:

• Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday

• A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke

• Mississippi Goddam by Nina Simone

• Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil

• Ohio by Crosby, Stills & Nash

• What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye

• Move On by Mike Doughty

• Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan,

• American Idiot by Green Day

• Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2

• Biko by Peter Gabriel

• Nazi Punks Fuck Off by Dead Kennedys

• Say Her Name by Janelle Monae

• There is Power in a Union by Billy Bragg

• Please Forgive Us by 10,000 Maniacs

• I Am Woman by Helen Reddy

• Sun City by Artists United Against Apartheid

• Fight the Power by Public Enemy

When I was younger I recall certain songs moved me to action. I went through a bit of a 1960s phase when I was in my 20s, and it felt like the entire counterculture movement was driven by the music. The Byrds, CSN&Y, CCR, Dylan, Sam Cooke, The Beatles, Pete Seeger. It didn’t matter the genre, rather that everyone in America was coming together to try to influence change.

I was definitely more of a rabble-rouser back then. I worked on political campaigns. I canvassed. I attended rallies. And this was during the time of Bush and Clinton, not exactly a time of dramatic political movements like the 1960s. Yet there seemed to be a culture of protest that drove me to action.

Today things are definitely much much worse. From the climate to the rise in fascism to antisemitism, the world is teetering on edge. Yet there is nobody galvanizing the movement, whether through music or anything else frankly. Where is the counterculture? Where is the movement? I’m not talking about standing on the street corner with a protest sign or standing around in a park with a No Kings poster. I’m talking about mass protest. Lord knows we need it.

I think it’s a lack of leadership and cooperation on the left. We’ve seen a little, but it’s not coordinated across the cultural divide. Is it simply that there are too many issues? Do we have to choose between a Black Lives Matter protest and a LGBTQ rights protest and an antisemitism protest?

I’m not going to solve this, but someone needs to stand up and lead. Bernie Sanders understood it, but his best days are behind him. Gavin Newsom is no better than Trump from my perspective. He just fights bullying with humor. Sometimes you need bricks and baseball bats.

Nevertheless, there’s no soundtrack to the times. We need R&B and Hip Hop and Rock and other artists to rise to the occasion and work together. We need a Live Aid for the 2020s. Or multiple concerts in various cities across the nation to kick off this revolution in the best way possible.

Who is going to step up? Come on Olivia and Chappell and Teddy Swims. Let’s get this party started.