introduction to protest music

what are magnetic songs?

songs used to recruit and mobilise people, attracts attention of people who are part of the cause, or sympathetic with it. Clear political message, creates unity. Tied to particular movement

(Serge Denisoff)

what are rhetorical songs?

songs to educate, provoke, and convert listeners outside the movement. Doesn’t offer solution, but aims to show disconent. Designed to influence public opinion. More passive, a call to action

what movement implemented the song ‘happy birthday’ as a symbol of protest?

the Umbrella movement - a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong

what is Mouleitau?

a slapstick comedy style in Hong Kong culture, characterised by absurd humour and nonsensical dialogue

Winnie Lai - “mouleitau, a cultural…

“mouleitau, a cultural phenomenon that appears in Hong Kong films and other media platforms to represent a sense of localism” Lai, Winnie. 2018. ‘Happy Birthday to You: Music as Nonviolent Weapon in the Umbrella Movement

In Bowman’s words, Adorno believes that…

that “truly great music has a fundamental social obligation to advance human consciousness and thereby social progress”

Bowman, Wayne D. Philosophical Perspectives on Music

Born, Georgina 2013 “Introduction: Music, Sound and Space: Transformations of Public and Private Experience.”

“The agentive nature of the musical acts serves to actuate thoughts and discourses about local protests through performance”

“This actuation draws individuals from a state of subjective expression to one of collective engagement and social legitimacy, provoking a “musical and sonic public” that nonetheless buttresses or transforms individuals’ identities and actions”

what term does Tausig propose, instead of protest music? - what is this composed of?

sonic vernacular (or vernacular of sonic dissent) as an analytic that might aid the recognition of the diverse ways that political dissent is made audible”

“Sonic vernaculars are composed of locally trenchant sonic and aural practices and the symbolic meanings that they transduce and mediate”.

(Tausig, 2018. ‘Sound and Movement: Vernaculars of Sonic Dissent’)

what does Tausig’s term actually mean?

the ‘sonic vernacular’ is the locally meaningful ways sound works in a specific social and political setting - not just explicit lyrics, but listening practices which are meaningful for the people in that context. Tausig explains that these sounds are NOT universal and may lose their meaning outside of the local context. (HOWEVER these meanings can shift and change)

what is it called when sound is used to claim, control, or mark a space?

sonic territorialisation

example of country using sound to control, and how

The People’s Republic of China (under Moa) - millions of loudspeakers placed all around the country used to spread Mao’s slogans, as well ad dictate lifestlye, eg. when people is rural areas should start/stop work

the use of music is one of the ways social movements “gain…

“gain a hearing to serve as vehicles of cultural change’” (Taylor and Van Dyke, 2004. ‘Get up, Stand up’)

nuclear power was a _______ subject

Manabe, 2015, 'The revolution will not be televised : protest music after Fukushima' (chapter 3)

nuclear power was a taboo subject

what did artists risk in making anti-nuclear or political statements?

• social penalties

• loss of fanbase

• loss of labels and broadcasters

• censorship

anti nuclear censorship example

RC Succession - album release was cancelled when he did not remove 2 covers on the album. They were translated into Japanese, and lyrics changed to have explicitly anti-nuclear message (Manabe, 2015, 'The revolution will not be televised : protest music after Fukushima' Chapter 3)

japanese artists were expected to remain as _____

japanese artists were expected to remain as “entertainers”

what genres were more likely to take (or shift to) a political stand point? and which could not

(Manabe, 2015, 'The revolution will not be televised : protest music after Fukushima' Chapter 3)

"so-called rebel musics like punk, hip-hop, reggae, folk, indie rock” WHERAS more commercial genres like J-pop were less able

how did the size of the artist affect their ability to take political standpoint? Manabe, 2015, 'The revolution will not be televised : protest music after Fukushima' Chapter 3)

their "ability to take career risks" varied. Smaller more independent artists were less dependent on major corporate media systems, and extremely popular stars with loyal fanbases and good reputation were able to persist.

b________ t_______ were found among activist-musicians. (what are the missing words, and explain further)

(Manabe, 2015, 'The revolution will not be televised : protest music after Fukushima'

Chapter 3)

There was also recurring biographical traits found among activist-musicians eg. childhoods marked by frequent moving, outsider status, discrimination, working-class experience, or exposure to political discussion at home. - could you possibly say then that making music for protest is not easy, and might require the motivation, and resilience (discipline) found in such individuals

During 19-century slave advertisements, enslaved people were described…..

Stoever, 2016, 'The sonic color line: race and the cultural politics of listening'

Chapter 1 The Word, the Sound, and the Listening Ear

During 19-century slave advertisements, enslaved people were described not only by physical looks, but also sonically eg. “coarse voice,” “fine voice,” “loud,” or “whiny”

how did white vs. black listeners interpret song differently

Stoever, 2016, 'The sonic color line: race and the cultural politics of listening'

Chapter 1 The Word, the Sound, and the Listening Ear

people were listening in different ways, white listeners misinterpreting slave songs as happy, when they were in fact full of grief and pain

what is the sonic colour line?

The "sonic colour line" is the idea that race can also be heard, as well as just seen, and this has allowed the division of race to go beyond visual features, and discrimination to take places on a sonic level also

(the line was constructed when people began discriminating on a sonic level too)

 

Manabe discusses chants in which 2 forms.

And what positive affect do these forms have

sentence form

period form

- they make repetition easy, and chants more memorable

what were japanese protests like?

Manabe, 2019,‘Chants of the Resistance: Flow, Memory, and Inclusivity’ Music & Politics

In Japan, protest were highly controlled and policed, with people often herding protesters into one lane, or breaking the, into smaller groups. Protesters were made less visible

<<< so what did japanese protestors do?

to combat this reduced visible presence, they tried to be more audible, focusing on loud demonstrations, often with lots of chanting, drumming, and other sonic tactics

In contrast, what was the Women’s March in New York in 2017 (anti-trump) like?

It was far larger (40,000 people) and there were often large stretches of silence

what did the larger size of the 2017 women’s protest mean in terms of sound? AND what question does this raise?

The visual impact was enough, so less sound was required - raises questions about the effectiveness of the use of sound (is sound still less effective than pure number of people)

what are the pros of chanting? (4 points including 2 scholars)

• it creates social bonding and participation

• Chants "fit Thomas Turino’s description of participatory music" (Turino, Music as Social Life)

• As well as what William McNeill describes as “muscular bonding” - synchronised muscle movements (McNeill, 1997, 'Keeping Together in Time: Dance and Drill in Human History')

• they are accessible, with no musical skill required (easy melodies, or no pitch, simple rhythms)

• Accessible because you can participate in any way (you can just take it in and reflect as opposed to singing)

what affect does humour have on chants

humorous chants are more catchy and memorable (2017 womens march often features humorous chants about trump)

2 ways songs/chants etc. have been/can be repurposed

• Bruce Springsteen "born in the USA", despite anti-vietnam war ideas in the verses, republicans heard the “born in the USA” lyrics and claimed it pro-america song, despite it NOT being originally patriotic. Possible interpretations of “born” as anti-immigrant

• sonic meme - MMLPQTP obscene chant against President Mauricio Macri became ‘sonic meme’ because it would be repurposed, captioned and altered, but still recognisable

^^^ these show the flexibility and versatility of sound in a protest or political context, even opposing sides (liberal and republican) can implement the same song for their cause

(O’Brien, 2020. “From Soccer Chant to Sonic Meme:)

Mr Wei example

(Xiao, 2019 ‘performance as intervention’)

Mr Wei and his band are playing in a government-organised performance, but officials gradual began banning more and more of their songs before the show. Mr Wei attempted to play the rhythm of one of the songs, but without the lyrics, but he was still shouted at to stop, and then hit by an officer. This act of censorship, overreaction, and even violence showed the rising anxiety of officials in regards to Chinese punk bands.

You could also argue that it is less about the specific message they are conveying, but instead the act of defiance against the government, and officials. Mr Wei didn’t sing any lyrics, or suggest a specific viewpoint, yet he was still abused simply for his defiance

Orr… you could argues this shows the strength of music? or its ability to convey a message? because not lyrics were use yet it still had a message

more general points aad arguments…

on the next cards!!

sound is powerful because…

sound is powerful because it is hard to ignore - you can close your eyes not your ears

music is c_____

music is collective, creating unity and enabling easy participation (eg. chants)

sound can be highly effective when what is reduced?

sound can be highly effective when visibility is reduced (Manabe japanese chants, 2009 Iran “Allah-O-Akbar” rooftop chants

______ meaningful sounds can

locally meaningful sounds can make sonic protest more effective

point about meaning, and is it just lyrical

music does not just exaggerate, or draw attention to meanings that arise from lyrical content. Music also conveys its own meanings (eg. Mr Wei, no lyrics used, but rhythm still evoked meaning)

chants are v_____

chants are versatile, can be applied and implemented to almost any movement

what can also be used as protest?

silence can also be used as protest, perhaps more appropriate in cases of mourning and sensitivity. You can argue that this lack of sound, is still sound in a way

sound can e______ and d_______

sound can escalate (Mr Wei), and de-escalate

point about positivity

humour and positivity can aid protest, boosting morale and making joining movements more appealing to those unsure about joining. (eg.humour in chants (trump, MMLPQTP), Marvin Gaye, funk/soul style in ‘whats going on?’)

however… (leading on from positivity point)

however humour can be misinterpreted, trivialising serious political issues and making the movement seem less significant (diminishing it)

sound can be used to o_______ and t________

sound can be used to occupy and transform a space, both negatively in cases of oppression (china under Mao), and positively for protest and change (Japanese loud protests making use of densely built up space)

sound can be n______

sound can be negative, trigger authorities to increase surveillance, censorship, and threats to those who protest and disobey (Mr Wei, Chinese punk)

does the sound create change?

it is not the sound creating the change, or shifting viewpoints. It is the effect the sound has on human feelings, emotions, and connections with each other that causes the change. It is still human action resulting in change

The music may make people feel connected, and this gives them motivation to fight for change. Or the music may raise painful or upsetting emotions, causing individuals to truly realise the grave events taking place in their lives, and again be prompted to act on this.

it is less the music…

it is less the music, and more what it represents. Eg. none of the musical or lyrical content of Happy Birthday suggest any dissent, or political standpoint, but it is the associations that have been made with it and a specific movement that becomes effective in protest.

Perhaps this could happen similarly with an object eg. anarchist ‘A’ symbol, Hong Kong Umbrellas, or Argentinian ‘Cacerolazo’ (banging lids of pots and pans). However the one thing that makes music and sound superior may come from its difficulty to be ignored