Protest Songs: From Bruce Springsteen to Woody Guthrie - A Look at Instant-Reaction Songs Throughout History
Federal officers fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minnesota, prompting Bruce Springsteen to write and record the protest song "Streets of Minneapolis" in response. The song was released quickly, and Springsteen performed it in Minneapolis with Tom Morello. Other artists, such as Billy Bragg and NOFX, also released protest songs in solidarity with Minneapolis. This episode of Rolling Stone Music Now discusses Springsteen's song and other instant-reaction protest songs throughout history.
Woody Guthrie's "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" was written in response to a plane crash carrying migrant farm workers being deported from California to Mexico. Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam" was written after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. Bob Dylan's "Only a Pawn in Their Game" addressed Medgar Evers' murder and the systemic issues behind it. Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" captured the Sunset Strip curfew riots' essence. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Ohio" protested the Kent State shootings. Dion's "Abraham, Martin and John" connected the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. J. Cole's "Be Free" responded to Michael Brown's death in Ferguson. Bad Bunny, Residente, and iLe's "Afilando Los Cuchillos" criticized Puerto Rico's governor. Lil Baby's "The Bigger Picture" addressed George Floyd's death. H.E.R.'s "I Can't Breathe" traced Black suffering back to slavery in response to Floyd's death.
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