Music has profound power to rally people behind causes, yet its ability to singlehandedly birth movements remains constrained. As Weissman observed, early rock pioneers like Presley “were not overtly political” despite laying the cultural groundwork for later activism by challenging norms (272). While Dylan epitomized conscious songwriting, his anthems amplified more than ignited 1960s radicalism already simmering. Nonetheless, the era’s protest music proved pivotal in crystallizing opposition into coherent movements. Edwin Starr’s Vietnam War condemnation” most durably interrogates armed conflict’s justifications.
Despite rock’s origins in defiant rule-breaking, explicitly political content emerged gradually. Trailblazers like Chuck Berry wrote more about youthful fun than changing society. While the likes of Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” (1958) channeled teenage frustrations, these represented “relatively innocuous” cries compared to later unrest (Weissman 271). So when folk revivalists like Dylan and Baez actively embraced activism, their outspokenness stood out given apolitical rock precedents. Dylan’s bitterly anti-establishment “Masters of War” (1963) and countdown warning “The Times They Are A-Changin'” (1964) proved exemplary as “a model for a song with a conscience” in an era ripe for radicalism (Weissman 273).
However, the sweeping civil rights movement and counterculture had already mobilized years before folk-rock surfaced. So, while Dylan’s literary protest songs artfully channeled the era’s burgeoning radical spirit, they amplified more than spontaneously created seismic generational dissent outright. Their brilliance was synthesizing, not singularly birthing, rebellion defining 1960s youth. This pattern generally applies to impactful movement music, which complements versus precedes activism. Stirring protest anthems requires surrounding sociopolitical conditions already energizing audiences for messages to resonate fully. Thus, strategic composers align work with established causes rather than attempt to transform society virtually overnight.
Edwin Starr’s “War” exemplifies such strategic supplementation of existing anti-war sentiments cresting into the mainstream. Unlike Dylan’s elegant but vague Vietnam commentaries, Starr’s blunt refrain, “War, what is it good for? / Absolutely nothing,” encapsulated surging opposition. His timing in 1970 matched the movement’s own fever pitch. Without referencing Vietnam specifically, Starr broadly interrogated the steep costs of prioritizing war itself. His impassioned delivery resonated widely thanks to preceding grassroots unrest, not spontaneous singlehanded persuasion. While some contemporaneous Vietnam protest music now sounds dated, “War’s” fundamental questioning of military power retains relevance. If re-released with Iraq/Afghanistan substituted for Vietnam, its anti-war argument likely still attracts compelling support given current war weariness.
Unlike “War’s” accessibility across eras, some 1960s protest music relied more on obscuring topical specifics that were confusing to later generations. For instance, Hendrix’s distortion-laden Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock movingly evoked battlefield cacophony and American ideals clashing with Vietnam’s nightmarish realities back then (Cox). But its technical innovations eclipse its social commentaries for many listeners now. Additionally, CSNY’s “Ohio” sharply condemned the National Guard killings of student Vietnam protesters at Kent State in 1970. But with sparse context beyond the lyric “four dead in Ohio,” knowledge of this watershed tragedy’s historical symbolism amid escalating dissent and police clashes risks fading over time. So, while both songs held uniquely powerful resonance when first performed, their tight embrace of singular 1960s events makes their commentaries harder to immediately grasp without supplemental research for younger audiences today.
In summary, the 1960s’ protest music undoubtedly crystallized anti-war and civil rights opposition into coherent movements by rallying supporters behind causes. Music cannot conjure mass political awakenings out of thin air alone. However, allied strategically with grassroots activism, a single resonant protest song can amplify burgeoning unrest into a historic groundswell. Starr’s “War” durable questioning military conflict’s purpose demonstrates such multiplication of momentum still striking profound chords with global listeners today.
References
“Neil Young’s ‘Ohio’ – link to a 2010 article in The Guardian on the history, recording, and legacy of Neil Young’s seminal protest anthem
History of the Oleo Strut – link to an article about this pro-soldier, anti-Vietnam War coffeehouse and gathering place for soldiers and protest singers in Killeen, Texas, just outside the gates of Fort Hood, from 1968-1972
Weisman Ch. 7, pp. 265-278 (Rock-n-Roll); Ch. 5, pp. 209-216 (60’s Folk and Bob Dylan)
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