Minneapolis inspires protest songs, from The Boss to Billy Bragg
Woody Guthrie famously painted the slogan 鈥淭his Machine Kills Fascists鈥� on his guitar 鈥� a pithy summary of the songwriter鈥檚 belief in the power of his political songs.
鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 much of a guitar player,鈥� says Billy Bragg, Britain鈥檚 most famous contemporary protest songwriter. 鈥淗e was, bottom line, a communicator by any means necessary. He would write books, he would paint, he would write pamphlets, he鈥檇 write songs. He was desperately trying to communicate his views. And I鈥檓 the same.鈥�
That鈥檚 why, when Mr. Bragg heard about the shooting of Alex Pretti by U.S. immigration agents in Minnesota, he was inspired to write, record, and release a song within 24 hours. 鈥溾�� came out on Tuesday. It鈥檚 one of several protest songs about Minneapolis released this week 鈥� including one by Bruce Springsteen. Mr. Bragg鈥檚 鈥淐ity of Heroes鈥� lauds citizens in the North Star State for their bravery in standing up for their neighbors. His song also draws historical parallels to other resistance movements against tyranny. That鈥檚 why Mr. Bragg says that if his guitar had a slogan on it, he would choose a different phrase than Mr. Guthrie鈥檚. Mr. Bragg鈥檚 motto would be 鈥淒eath to Cynicism.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
Musician Billy Bragg talks about writing 鈥淐ity of Heroes鈥� after watching the heroism and solidarity of ordinary people in Minneapolis. His protest song carries forward the lineage of such troubadours as Woody Guthrie and others.
It鈥檚 a riposte, he says, to people who have given up. To those who believe nothing will ever change or that no one else cares about helping the world. Like other political musicians 鈥� whether it鈥檚 Thomas Mapfumo calling attention to corruption in Zimbabwe, Egypt鈥檚 Ramy Essam giving voice to the 2011 Arab Spring protests, or Les Amazones d鈥橝frique鈥檚 calls to empower women against female genital mutilation 鈥� Mr. Bragg is continuing a lineage of utilizing song as a rallying cry for those envisioning a more just world.
鈥淒uring times when protest feels necessary, those who are protesting need ways to feel encouraged,鈥� says James Sullivan, author of 鈥淲hich Side Are You On?: 20th Century American History in 100 Protest Songs.鈥� 鈥淭he reason why we sing at protests is that it builds this sense of community, and it鈥檚 a morale booster. It鈥檚 a way to bring everybody together.鈥�
Mr. Bragg鈥檚 , spiky as his hair, bears the influence of punk. His formative musical influence was The Jam rather than Joan Baez or Joni Mitchell. Mr. Bragg has twice been nominated for Grammy Awards. The first time was for a 1998 album with Wilco titled 鈥淢ermaid Avenue,鈥� in which the collaborators set unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics to newly composed melodies. (In June, they鈥檒l reunite to reprise those songs at the festival in North Adams, Massachusetts.)
The affable songwriter has a distinctive East London accent in which he sometimes drops his h鈥檚 and t鈥檚. When on 鈥淟ate Night with David Letterman鈥� on NBC in 1988, host David Letterman quipped, 鈥淚鈥檇 give a week鈥檚 pay if I could talk like you. ... It鈥檚 a very engaging, kind of appealing sound.鈥� Mr. Bragg鈥檚 accent carries over into his singing voice. It lends authenticity to advocacy songs for the working class, including miners, factory workers, and farm laborers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not surprising to me that Billy Bragg, of all people, who has focused his entire career on the power of people over government and over authority, would focus on the protest efforts of the ordinary folks of Minneapolis,鈥� says Mr. Sullivan.
Mr. Bragg isn鈥檛 alone. Indie rock band My Morning Jacket issued a protest album, 鈥�,鈥� and cited a need to find 鈥渁 new path together to safe and humane immigration policy and reform rooted in peace and love.鈥� The the 1960s song 鈥淪an Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)鈥� with lyrics referencing current events in Minnesota. Mr. Springsteen dedicated 鈥溾�� to the memory of Renee Good and Mr. Pretti, the two U.S. citizens fatally shot this year in two separate incidents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great that Bruce has got involved. ... We need new songs. We can鈥檛 keep going back and singing 鈥極hio,鈥欌�� says Mr. Bragg, referencing the 1970 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young track about the Kent State students shot by members of the Ohio National Guard.
Mr. Bragg鈥檚 鈥淐ity of Heroes鈥� will be controversial to some listeners. His emphatic use of the word 鈥渇ascism鈥� closes the song with an exclamation mark.
鈥溾�楩ascism鈥� is a gravis accusare, isn鈥檛 it?鈥� Mr. Bragg muses. He stresses that he doesn鈥檛 think the United States is a fascist country. On Facebook, he often finds himself pushing back against fans who 鈥渂elieved it was a fascist state when [Barack] Obama was president, when [Bill] Clinton was president.鈥� Nevertheless, he believes America is headed in that direction. Yet, 鈥淐ity of Heroes鈥� also offers an optimistic counterpoint.
Mr. Bragg鈥檚 lyrics draw connections to Martin Niem枚ller. The German Lutheran minister penned about not saying anything when the Nazis first rounded up the Communists, then the Socialists, then the Trade Unionists, and finally, the Jews.
Mr. Bragg thought about how, in stark contrast to Niem枚ller鈥檚 lament about what happened in Germany and Poland in the 1930s, Americans have rallied to defend their communities against what the songwriter calls 鈥渁cts of impunity.鈥� The artist鈥檚 song听鈥� and views听鈥� won鈥檛 resonate with everyone. Public outcry over the deaths in Minneapolis has been broad-based, but at the same time, many Americans support some level of immigration enforcement, including against people who have committed crimes.
Protest songs are, by nature, intended to provoke thought. Mr. Sullivan, who that features live musical performances of political music, cites Billie Holiday鈥檚 鈥淪trange Fruit鈥� as an example. It directed a spotlight to the horrors of the lynching of Black Americans. In a social media age, in which one can become desensitized to injustice through watching endless videos, songs have the potential to cut through numbness.
Mr. Bragg, however, pushes back on the grandiose claim that songs have the power to change the world.
He recalls attending the 1978 Rock Against Racism festival in London featuring The Clash. It changed him. When he returned to his job after that weekend, he no longer ignored the casually racist, sexist, and homophobic jokes by co-workers. He became intensely interested in politics.
鈥淚鈥檝e ... come to the conclusion that it wasn鈥檛 The Clash that had that effect on me,鈥� says the musician. 鈥淚t was being in that audience that gave me the courage of my convictions. And I think the great thing about music [is that] it has that communal experience.鈥�
Mr. Bragg doesn鈥檛 just write political songs. For instance, 鈥淎 New England,鈥� a British Top 10 hit sung by Kirsty MacColl, is about getting over a heartbreak. Nevertheless, a hefty portion of his catalog consists of songs associated with left-wing causes. Mr. Bragg says his politics are rooted in empathy. When it comes to religion, he describes himself as a nonbeliever, but he nonetheless cites Jesus鈥� command to 鈥淟ove God with all your heart,鈥� and also 鈥淟ove your neighbor as yourself.鈥�
Sometimes, that starts with understanding how others view the world. Mr. Bragg鈥檚 2017 song 鈥淔ull English Brexit鈥� is sung from the outlook of an older man who looks askance at his immigrant neighbors. The character voices a fear that the country is changing in ways he doesn鈥檛 like.
鈥淓mpathy is the currency of music,鈥� says Mr. Bragg. 鈥淲e鈥檙e offering [people] an opportunity to ... listen to a story about someone they鈥檝e never met, in a situation they鈥檝e never experienced, and to feel some compassion for that person in some way.鈥�
Mr. Bragg hopes that songs such as 鈥淐ity of Heroes鈥� will send a positive message 鈥� not just of solidarity, but of encouragement. He wants protesters to realize three things: 鈥淥ne, that they鈥檙e not alone,鈥� he says. 鈥淭wo, that they are not the first people that have ever faced this. And three, that what they鈥檙e doing is exceptional.鈥�
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correctly identify who shot the Kent State students in 1970. It was members of the Ohio National Guard.听听
