1 January

Pick a Day

Music History Events: Music and Politics

Page 8
1 ... 7 8 9

January 14, 2014 Bruce Springsteen appears on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, where he performs a reworked version of "Born To Run" titled "Gov. Christie Traffic Jam." In the song, Springsteen mocks a scandal where New Jersey governor Chris Christie's staff shut down parts of a road to retaliate against a mayor who didn't endorse him. "You're killing the working man who's stuck in the Governor Chris Christie Fort Lee, New Jersey, traffic jam," Springsteen sings.

August 22, 2012 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney becomes yet another Republican candidate admonished for misappropriating music at his events, after Dee Snider of Twisted Sister protests his use of the band's songs. There is a long history of bands squaring off against Republican campaigns appropriating their music.

August 10, 2012 Insane Clown Posse takes exception to the FBI naming their fans, collectively known as "Juggalos," as a criminal gang in the FBI's "2011 National Gang Threat Assessment Report." At the annual Gathering of the Juggalos event in Illinois, they announce intentions to sue the FBI. Despite this, the FBI continues to list Juggalos as an organized gang in later years.

February 21, 2012 In an anti-Kremlin protest, three members of the band Pussy Riot perform an impromptu, obscenity-filled song at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow. They are promptly ejected, and later arrested for hooliganism, making headlines around the world.

June 2, 2010 After being awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Paul McCartney sings "Michelle" to First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House performance.

July 21, 2009 Brad Paisley performs at the White House, where he plays his new song "Welcome to the Future," which was inspired by Barack Obama's election. Paisley returns in 2012 to play a 4th of July concert at the White House, and in 2013 he plays an inauguration concert after Obama is re-elected.

January 20, 2009 Kid Rock, Kanye West and Fall Out Boy perform at President Barack Obama's inauguration, playing the Youth Ball, which is broadcast live on MTV. Obama headlines, making a speech where he hypes the crowd with his "Yes We Can" slogan. Rock and West later throw their support to the next president: Obama's ideological opposite, Donald Trump.

January 24, 2007 Randy Newman publishes the lyrics to his song "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" in The New York Times as an editorial. In the song, he points out that George W. Bush isn't as bad as other world leaders from history, like King Leopold or Stalin.

June 2, 2006 Jackson Browne, Dar Williams and Pete Seeger play a hayloft in Garrison, New York, to kickstart Orleans founder John Hall's congressional campaign.More

May 2, 2006 Neil Young releases Living With War, a very political album taking aim at the policies of US President George W. Bush.More

October 29, 2004 At a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio, George W. Bush unveils his new theme song in his presidential re-election campaign: "Still The One" by Orleans. The song's co-writer, John Hall, is watching on CNN and is mortified, as he actively opposes Bush's policies. Along with his band members and the song's co-writer (his ex-wife, Johanna), Hall demands that Bush stop using the song.More

August 26, 1996 Delegates at the Democratic National Convention take a break to do the "Macarena," including First Lady Hillary Clinton, who's rocking the dance's hand motions from the crowd.

June 27, 1996 Fugees headline the "Hoodshock" festival in Harlem, which the group organized as a free event to encourage voter registration. The Notorious B.I.G., Sean "Puffy" Combs and Wu-Tang Clan also perform, but the event makes headlines for a panic set off at the end of the festival when a man fires gunshots into the air. In the chaos, about 30 people are injured.

July 18, 1993 Rage Against The Machine protest music censorship by appearing at their Lollapalooza set in Philadelphia completely nude except for duct tape over their mouths. They refuse to play any music, and simply stand for 25 minutes with the letters PMRC written on their chests, a reference to the Parents Music Resource Center.

April 25, 1993 RuPaul performs "Supermodel (You Better Work)" at the LGBT March on Washington.More

September 22, 1992 Vice President Dan Quayle says that Tupac Shakur's 2Pacalypse Now album "has no place in our society" and calls on record stores to stop selling it. Quayle has beef with Tupac's lyrics about "dropping a cop," as heard in the track "Soulja's Story." Many of the rapper's songs deal with police racism and brutality.

September 20, 1992 Pearl Jam play a free concert at Magnuson Park in Seattle where they register thousands of fans to vote in the upcoming election between Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

June 29, 1992 Spurred by controversy over the song "Cop Killer," President George H. W. Bush speaks out against "those who use films or records or television or video games to glorify killing law enforcement officers."

October 14, 1990 In Baghdad, Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), secures the release of four British prisoners (all Muslin) detained as Iraq prepares for the Gulf War.

May 31, 1985 The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) sends its first letter to the RIAA requesting a ratings system for albums and concerts. The group is led by Tipper Gore, the wife of Senator Al Gore, so the record industry takes it seriously, and cuts back on their metal budgets. The end result is warning stickers on albums containing offensive lyrics.

August 9, 1983 22-year-old Thomas Reilly is shot and killed by a British soldier in Belfast. He was a friend of the band Spandau Ballet, and sold merch on their True tour. His death would inspire the band's song "Through The Barricades" and the Bananarama song "King Of The Jungle."

November 6, 1979 Running on a platform that includes making businessmen wear clown suits, Jello Biafra of the punk band Dead Kennedys comes in fourth in his run for mayor of San Francisco. Dianne Feinstein is the winner.

June 7, 1979 President Jimmy Carter decrees June as Black Music Month, which Barack Obama changes to African American Music Month in 2009.

June 24, 1978 Jackson Browne and Pete Seeger perform in Seabrook, New Hampshire, to protest a nuclear reactor planned for the site. It's one of the first "no nukes" rallies where musicians get involved, and it leads to a more organized effort: Musicians United For Safe Energy (MUSE), which also involves Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor. The Seabrook plant is built, but efforts to build more are thwarted, as opposition to nuclear power becomes more vociferous.

December 5, 1976 Two days after he is shot in an assassination attempt, Bob Marley performs at the Smile Jamaica concert, which he organized in an effort to promote peace in the country. The concert becomes more of a political event after the shooting, which was carried out by a political party who saw Marley as a threat. About 80,000 Jamaicans attend the concert, where Marley takes the stage for 90 minutes.

April 30, 1975 The Vietnam War ends with the fall of Saigon. Many returning veterans suffer ill effects, which is the subject of the song "Still in Saigon" by The Charlie Daniels Band.

August 8, 1974 Richard Nixon says he will be resigning as president of the United States. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, on tour in New Jersey, announce the news from the stage before playing their anti-Nixon song "Ohio."

March 14, 1972 California Governor Ronald Reagan grants a pardon to Merle Haggard, absolving him of his 1957 burglary that sent him to prison for three years.

June 4, 1970 Just one month after the Kent State Shootings, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young release "Ohio," a song about the tragedy.

June 3, 1970 Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," with a funky descending bass line courtesy of Motown Funk Brother Bob Babbitt, is released as a single.

Page 8
1 ... 7 8 9
Back to Categories

©2024 Songfacts®, LLC