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Kathryn Crosby  The 60s and 70s were a time of collective rebellion against the establishment, a time when the likes of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan turned protest songs into a commercial genre (even if Dylan came to loathe his "voice of a generation" status).
During the 80s and 90s protest songs fell out of favour, but the war in Iraq and the prevailing mood of conservatism in the western world have brought about a resurgence of the protest song over the last few years. The artful approach to political songwriting that Dylan, inspired by folkie Woody Guthrie, made popular remains an inspiration to many of today's musicians. As the war in Iraq escalated, so did the songs expressing the rage of many. Green Day's album American Idiot is an awesome a pop-punk assault on the "redneck agenda" and the warped discourse of post-9/11 America. Hip-hop star Kanye West has been equally fierce, sarcastically suggesting on his 2005 song Crack Music that if anyone's still got questions about Saddam Hussein's supposed chemical weapons stash, "George Bush got the answer". Pink’s sobering lament, Dear Mr. President, savages Bush's stances on gay rights, the minimum wage and the war. Australia has also had a long history of protest songs - albeit not with the same kind of chart success. Warren Fahey's book The Balls of Bob Menzies: Australian Political Songs 1900-1980 contains the lyrics to more than 300 home-grown political folk songs since Federation, including Pig Iron Bob, Poor Wee Billy McMahon, and Hawke is My Shepherd. There’s also a website dedicated to union movement songs. The Australian hip hop scene has a notable political bent — for example TZU has a witty and amusing take on the national anthem in the track Recoil on their recent album Smiling at Strangers: "Australians all let us recoil, for we have no idea
We go to war for wealth and oil, our home is girt by fear
Our land abounds in growing rifts, dividing rich and poor
In history's page, this is the age, of fair justice ignored."  Rock Against Howard was a double CD by Australian rock and hip-hop artists in 2004, which included I'm Sorry!”by Little Johnny (a mish-mash of samples from the Prime Minister's speeches, recorded a few years ago by Little Johnny, also known as Pauline Pantsdown); the Herd's Honest J; and TISM's The Phillip Ruddock Blues. It followed the 3-cd set UnAustralian which was released in 2003 with a focus on the environmental side of protest music.
The best Australian war protest song is, arguably, I Was Only 19, by John Schumann of Redgum, which had a hip-hop re-versioning by militant Sydney band The Herd. The Herd also caused a small scandal in 2003 with the track 77% (the title refers to the number of Australians who supported Howard over Tampa and the children-overboard incident).  Midnight Oil is probably our most notable protest band with album after album of consistently scorning lyrics that were commercially successful as well. Their major breakthrough came in 1982, with the release of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, which included the singles Power and the Passion, their denunciation of American military interference in US Forces; and their critique of imperialist repression in Short Memory. Diesel and Dust, focusing on the need for Aboriginal reconciliation, followed, featuring the hit single Beds Are Burning. The Blue Sky Mining and Earth and Sun and Moon albums also drew critical acclaim and international success, as did their political activism for causes ranging from nuclear disarmament to indigenous land rights and reconciliation (who can forget their sorry suits at the Sydney Olympics), and environmental issues.
Midnight Oil did not perform, but front man Peter Garrett was there to introduce Crowded House (with a quick election plug) at last week’s Live Earth concert. While Live earth was more an awareness event than protest, it featured many protest songs, particularly environmental activist songs. Sydney political band Ghostwriters (which includes two Midnight Oil members) performed in the Australian start to the 24 hour event, as well as music scene newcomer Toni Collette and the Finish, Paul Kelly, Jack Johnson, Eskimo Joe and long time protests artists the John Butler Trio sporting ‘say no to nuclear energy' t-shirts. John Butler is quickly carving out his reputation as the next great Australian protest artist to make a great contribution. Butler throws himself into more than just strong lyrics, with charity appearances (including Live 8 and Wave Aid) and active involvement in Greenpeace and the Wilderness Society. John and his partner Danielle launched their dream in 2005 - The JB Seed Arts Grant Programme. Initially independently funded by John, the programme is designed to explore and encourage the social, cultural,  artistic diversity in Australian society through funding artists. The protest song is alive and well again, and Australians are engaging in the political process everyday through their choice of music and concerts. The power of words in music is undeniable, as it is the songs that inspire and become anthems for new generations. Have a listen to the lyrics next time you hear a new song on the radio or at a gig - and don't be surprised if they're not singing about love.
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