Political Songs Trivia

1. "September '77, Port Elizabeth weather fine," is the opening line to which anti apartheid song?

From Quiz Fight For Your Right To...

Answer: Biko

Peter Gabriel's song "Biko" about the atrocities being committed by the apartheid government has also been recorded by Simple Minds, Joan Baez and Paul Simon. As the anti apartheid movement continued to gather international support, the line "You can blow out a candle but you can't blow out a fire" rang true. "Fire In Soweto" was also an anti apartheid song and was recorded by Sonny Okosun.

From Quiz When Arcade Gaming Used to Be Cool

Answer: Sting

Featured on Sting's debut solo album "The Dream of the Blue Turtles" (1985), "Russians" (released as a single a few months after the album) uses a theme from Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev's suite "Lieutenant Kijé". The song appeals to the common sense of the citizens of both USA and USSR, rejecting the views of those in power and emphasizing that a nuclear war would be unwinnable. The song's stylish black-and-white video was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, famous for his work on a number of Madonna videos. Prior to embarking on his successful solo career, Sting had been the bassist/vocalist of new wave trio The Police.

From Quiz My Favorite "Presidential" Tunes

Answer: Ford

Tennessee Ernie Ford's 1955 rendition of "Sixteen Tons" hit number one on the Billboard charts. Merle Travis is credited as the author of the song, along with hits like "Dark as a Dungeon" and "Re-Enlistment Blues." Travis would be a good answer if we were linking the song to Texas or the Alamo, but the only presidential name I could associate with it is Ford. Gerald Ford replaced the resigned Richard Nixon in 1974 and served as president until 1977, losing the election of 1976 to Jimmy Carter. Ford died in 2006.

From Quiz A Rumblin' in the Land

Answer: Fortunate Son

John Fogerty wrote "Fortunate Son" about the hypocritical nature of people who spoke in support of war and patriotism but looked for ways to exempt themselves or their family members from serving in the military.

From Quiz Protest Songs Through The Decades

Answer: The Turtles

The song was originally offered to The Byrds who rejected it. It was then offered to The Turtles who often recorded some of The Byrds' rejects. This song was a protest against the Cold War, Vietnam and the nuclear arms race.

From Quiz Vietnam: A War Set To Music

Answer: Country Joe and the Fish

"Country Joe" McDonald and his band The Fish hailed out of San Francisco and "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" was on their second album, which was released in 1967. The band was active between 1966 and 1971 and reformed on occasions after that.

From Quiz So Nuke Me

Answer: Tom Lehrer

"We Will All Go Together When We Go" was recorded by Tom Lehrer in 1959, but gained popularity in the early 1960s. He wrote it in 1956 when in the army. Lehrer was what we would now call a child prodigy. He graduated from high school at the age of 15 and went to Harvard to study math. It was there that he started writing and playing his satirical songs and made his first record, a private recording of "Songs by Tom Lehrer", which he sold to family and friends.

From Quiz Sixties Protest Songs

Answer: New Christy Minstrels

After working in the fishing and plumbing professions, Barry McGuire ended up with a gig in a bar in the early sixties. He released an unsuccessful single, "The Tree", and soon afterward formed a partnership with Barry Kane. The two of them joined the New Christy Minstrels in 1962. The following year McGuire and Sparks co-wrote "Green, Green" and Barry sang lead vocals on the group's first hit record. After three years with the group Barry embarked on a solo career. In the fall of 1965 he hastily recorded "Eve of Destruction" in one take. The song promptly got airplay and rose up the charts. While McGuire had minor follow-up successes, he never again broke the Top Forty. The Seekers had hits such as "Georgy Girl" and "A World of Our Own" in the sixties. The Brothers Four formed in the late fifties at the University of Washington and The Serendipity Singers was a nine member folk group from the University of Colorado.

From Quiz Songs of Peace, Politics & Protest Part III

Answer: It was a protest against fire-arms

While it was never released as a single, "Put Out The Fire" is recognised as being the most "traditional" Queen song on their 1982 album "Hot Space." Guitarist Brian May reportedly wrote the song after the death of John Lennon in 1980, as a protest against fire-arms. The song appears to be sung from the perspective of both a gunman and someone who is anti fire-arms. While not one of Queen's best songs, the lyrics are cleverly written and get the point across very well. Interestingly, the song succeeding "Put Out The Fire" on the album was titled "Life Is Real," and is a tribute to John Lennon.

From Quiz Political Eighties Music

Answer: "Invisible Sun" by The Police

From the album "Ghost in the Machine" released in 1981. In July 2005, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) renounced the use of violence after 35 years of armed struggle against British rule in Northern Ireland.

From Quiz Hell No. We Won't Go!

Answer: How many wars must be fought to the end before the laws start to mend?

It took Peter, Paul and Mary to chart Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind" in July, 1963. Dylan would not have a chart item until 1965 with "Subterranean Homesick Blues". "Blowing in the Wind" can be counted as one of the very first anti-war anthems. In a very big sense, the popular music scene would never be quite the same again.

From Quiz This Song is About Vietnam?

Answer: Leaving on a Jet Plane

Admittedly, I was but a child when the war was in full swing, so I missed a lot of what was going on. I guess that's why I always thought this John Denver song was about him touring, not Vietnam. As I was even younger when Peter, Paul and Mary released, I was even more clueless.

From Quiz Fight For Your Right To...

Answer: Tom Robinson

Although homosexuality was decriminalized in 1967 in the UK, British police were still raiding gay pubs and clubs for no reason ten years later. This and the fact that the newspaper "Gay News" was charged with obscenity for publishing a photo of two men kissing while soft porn magazines were openly on sale at any news outlet prompted Robinson to write this song, protesting the hypocrisy of the situation.

From Quiz When Arcade Gaming Used to Be Cool

Answer: London

Released as a single on December 7, 1979 - one week before the eponymous double album - "London Calling" was titled after BBC World Service's station identification during WWII. The song was inspired by the Three Mile Island nuclear incident of March 28 of the same year, as well as other social and political issues such as police brutality, youth alienation, and the threat of natural disaster. Though not The Clash's most successful single, "London Calling" reached Number 11 in the UK charts immediately after its release.

From Quiz Songs of Protest: Top Ten from 'Rolling Stone'

Answer: Rubin Carter

After nearly ten years of writing in genres other than protest music, Dylan returned to one of his strengths, the impassioned description of injustice. He co-wrote this song with Jacques Levy, to raise public awareness of the plight of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a professional boxer who had been imprisoned for a murder he claimed he had not committed. The single was released in 1975, and the track was included on the 1976 album 'Desire'. Carter was granted a retrial, but was convicted again in February of 1976. His conviction was eventually overturned in 1985, and all charges were dropped in 1988. The detailed accuracy of Dylan's lyrics has been challenged, but their power is undeniable: "Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall She sees the bartender in a pool of blood Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!" Here comes the story of the Hurricane The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world."

From Quiz A Rumblin' in the Land

Answer: Gallipoli

Eric Bogle wrote the song in 1971 about a young Australian who was recruited into his country's army in 1915. The soldier was sent to Turkey where the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was badly defeated at Sulva Bay on the Gallipoli peninsula. Years later, the soldier, having lost both legs in the battle, reminisced while watching an ANZAC Day parade: "The young people ask 'what are they marching for', and I ask myself the same question".

From Quiz Little Boy Soldiers

Answer: Average age of an American soldier when he went to Vietnam

In this hit by Paul Hardcastle, he claimed that 19 was the average age of a soldier on his first trip to Vietnam. It went into the effects of traumatic stress disorder on soldiers after they came home.

From Quiz Protest Songs Through The Decades

Answer: Buffy Saint Marie

Buffy Saint Marie wrote this song in 1964 as a track on her debut album 'It's My Way,' however, it was not a popular hit at the time. This song tracks wars through the ages and from all religions.

From Quiz So Nuke Me

Answer: Bob Dylan

"The Freewheelin Bob Dylan", released in 1963, has not only "Talkin World War III Blues" on it, but also some of the best songs Dylan ever wrote. "Masters of War", "Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" all first saw the light of day on this album. Dylan established a reputation as king of the protest song, whether it was against Vietnam, for civil rights, against nuclear war, there was a Dylan song that fitted the subject. He was the background music to much of the 1960s.

From Quiz Protest Songs

Answer: Give Peace a Chance

John Lennon and his then new bride, Yoko Ono, offered up their opinion of war from a hotel bed in Montreal, where they were staging a bed-in. The actual recording of the song was attended by many other celebrities and journalists, who joined in on the choruses. It reached number one the American charts. The song was very popular at anti-war demonstrations and pretty much became an anthem for the youth of the time.

From Quiz Oldies Against Racism

Answer: Border Song

Released on the 1970 album "Elton John" (the one of "Your Song" fame), it was actually the album's first single release. It flopped in the U.K. and only reached Number 92 on Hot 100 chart in the U.S. Aretha Franklin released a version the following year, that made it to the Top 40 list. Bernie Taupin, Elton's long time writing partner, wrote the lyrics about the sense of alienation he was feeling at the time. Elton added the last verse (the one quoted in the question) to make the song more about bigotry in general.

From Quiz Songs of Peace, Politics & Protest Part III

Answer: Buffy Sainte-Marie

While most people recognise "Universal Soldier" as being the work of Scottish folk-singer Donovan, the song was originally written and recorded by Buffy Sainte-Marie. It was originally released on her 1964 album "It's My Way!" Essentially, the song talks about how hard the life of soldiers is. It also attempts to debunk the stereotypical idea of soldiers being "all brawn no brains," by singing about how during the time of the Vietnam War, soldiers came from all sorts of different backgrounds. It also goes on to suggest that leaders and dictators would be nothing without their soldiers, and how it's not right that soldiers should have to give their lives while the people giving their orders are quite comfortable.

From Quiz Songs of Peace, Politics & Protest Part I

Answer: Terrorism, the War on Terror and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

"Where Is The Love?" is considered to be the Black Eyed Peas' breakout song, and came off their album "Elephunk" which was released in 2003. Despite being a writer and vocalist in the song, Justin Timberlake is not credited due to technical reasons. The song is also recognised as being the first single from the Peas to feature Fergie, as the group had been a trio before that time. In the song, many issues are talked about, including terrorism, the U.S. Government, hypocrisy, war, greed and intolerance. Lyrics such as "Overseas yeah we tryin' to stop terrorism. But we still got terrorists here livin'. In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK" and "the war's going on but the reason's undercover. The truth is kept secret. Swept under the rug," are viewed as being a lamentation against terrorism, the invasion of Iraq, and the War on Terror. While many might say that this song could be used as an anthem for any one of the events listed above, it is most often perceived and used by the anti-war members of the public as an anthem against the War on Terror and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Iraq was invaded of March 2003 which would begin a long "War on Terror," and "Where Is The Love?" was released very shortly after the invasion.

From Quiz Political Eighties Music

Answer: "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

This 1984 video was made in what in retrospect were the last years of the Cold War, which symbolically ended in November 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

From Quiz Riot on? Right on!

Answer: "Get Happy!!" (1980)

The album "IbMePdErRoIoAmL" is also known as "Imperial Bedroom", but on the sleeve it was written like this: Imperial in capital letters, bedroom in small and with the two words mixed up.

From Quiz This Song is About Vietnam?

Answer: Last Train to Clarksville

They didn't write the song, but according to Micky Dolenz, they wouldn't have been allowed to say a whole lot if they had, either. So there's really not much of a protest at all, just a reluctance to go. (Note from the editor: the only line that Boyce & Hart put in as an oblique reference to Vietnam was 'And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.)

From Quiz Fight For Your Right To...

Answer: N.W.A.

NWA truly gave us some of rap's greatest stars. As solo artists, MC Ren's album "Shock of the Hour" went gold, Eazy-E went double platinum with "Eazy-Duz-It", Ice Cube's first seven albums were either gold or platinum and Dr. Dre's album "2001" surpassed his three x platinum debut "The Chronic" by going six x platinum. Dre and Ice Cube are also accomplished actors.

From Quiz When Arcade Gaming Used to Be Cool

Answer: Two Minutes to Midnight

Featured on Iron Maiden's fourth studio album, "Powerslave" (1984), "Two Minutes to Midnight" was the band's tenth single, and their first to exceed five minutes in length. It is a powerful, unrelenting statement against nuclear war, inspired by the symbolic clock (known as Doomsday Clock) used by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to represent a countdown to potential nuclear catastrophe ("midnight"). In September 1953, when the USA and the USSR tested H-bombs within a few months of one another, the Clock reached two minutes to midnight. The other options are all well-known Iron Maiden songs based on historical events.

From Quiz My Favorite "Presidential" Tunes

Answer: Harrison

Of course these are two Beatles hits penned by George Harrison, the "quiet Beatle." Surely "Here Comes the Sun" would be every presidential hopeful's anthem during a campaign, and whose help would an elected president have more need of than the "Taxman", the IRS? There have been two Harrisons in the White House, beginning with War of 1812 military hero William Henry Harrison, who unfortunately died of pneumonia after only a month in office in 1841. His grandson was Benjamin Harrison, who served as president for one term from 1889 to 1893. He died in 1901.

From Quiz Songs of Protest: Top Ten from 'Rolling Stone'

Answer: Creedence Clearwater Revival

'Fortunate Son' was written to criticize the fact that the elite of society, who are often vocal in their declarations of patriotism, are not the ones who bear the actual costs of war, either by way of actually fighting or in financial terms. Some have seen it as being anti-military, but Fogerty did not intend it that way. He has said in interviews that, as a former member of the Army Reserve, he wanted to see more support of the needs of the individual soldiers who are engaged in active combat (or in peacekeeping missions). 'Fortunate Son' has been covered many times, and is also frequently performed in concert. A notable instance of this was the 2014 Concert for Valor in Washington, D.C., where it was performed by Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Zac Brown, drawing criticism from those who saw it as being an anti-military statement. "Some folks are born, made to wave the flag Ooo, they're red, white and blue And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief" Ooo, they point the cannon at you, Lord It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no."

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