More than three decades ago, artists such as Joan Baez, Edwin Starr and Crosby Stills Nash & Young took on the Vietnam War in their music. Many of their songs remain staples of classic rock today, even if their meanings are lost
to new listeners who don't realize that Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop the Rain" is about long lists of dead soldiers or that Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" celebrates dissent.
Now the country is at war again, and the nation turns its lonely eyes to musicians, who have responded with -- well, not a whole lot. If you hear a song about the conflict on the radio these days, chances are good that
you're listening to a stirring patriotic tribute on a country music station.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. But where are the protest songs?
It turns out that they're out there, and they're slowly getting more airplay. "The level of anti-war dissent on the radio has been ratcheted up steadily over the last year," says Sean Ross, a media analyst who monitors the radio industry.
When the Iraq war began, artists such as Darryl Worley and Clint Black rushed to defend the country, while war-related songs by more skeptical artists such as Lenny Kravitz and the Beastie Boys barely got a drop of attention on the airwaves. Then the Dixie Chicks got in hot water -- and bounced off San Diego's two country stations -- for daring to say something snotty about President Bush at a concert. There was a hit protest song -- "Where Is the Love" by the Black Eyed Peas ("A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover") -- which got plenty of airplay on stations such as San Diego's Star 100.7. But its criticism of war was blunted by a grab bag of other complaints about gangs, racism and the media.
Now, the tide is turning. Three new protest songs are making news in the radio world and beyond.
In San Diego, both Channel 933 and Jammin 'Z90 play the rap song "Why." At one point, singer Jadakiss asks this question: "Why did Bush knock down them towers?"
While many stations chose to air a version with the shocking line deleted, it's no secret that it's supposed to be there.
Meanwhile, the rock band Incubus is getting airplay with a song called "Megalomaniac," whose lyrics say: "You're no Jesus / Yeah, you're no (expletive participle) Elvis / Special, as you know yourself / Baby, just step down, step down." The song never mentions President Bush, but listeners assume he's the target.
And old-time rocker John Fogerty, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival, has just come out with an anti-war song called "Deja Vu (All Over Again)."
It's being played locally on KPRI and 103.7 The Planet.
Will more protest songs get airplay? It's certainly possible. But Ross suspects that the extreme commentary -- like Jadakiss' ludicrous Bush remark -- will be limited to the world of rap and hip-hop, where singers are freer to speak their minds.
It wasn't much different in the '60s, when most of the protest songs we remember today didn't directly attack the government. One that did become a minor hit -- Country Joe's acidic "Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" -- only
made it because it was played at Woodstock on a platform of peace and love, said Dave Mason, morning host at oldies station Kool 99.3. "Its extreme approach wouldn't have allowed it to stand on its own," he said. "You can't
have a hit if half the people hearing it don't like it."
A good lesson then, and a good lesson now.
Bob Edwards, the longtime National Public Radio morning host, has a new gig. Five months after NPR dumped him, he's landed at XM Satellite Radio as a morning host on a new channel that will debut in October.
Thousands of listeners and more than a few newspaper critics complained after he involuntarily stepped down. Edwards contributed to the drama by playing the victim to the hilt, saying he had no idea what happened.
According to one source, however, the real story is that Edwards increasingly sounded bored on the air and refused to accept the hiring of a co-host to spice things up.
A funny thing happened on the way to oblivion: the liberal talk-show network actually started to get its act together. And now it's coming to San Diego.
There's no word about where the Bush-bashing Air America network will land Monday. But the odds suggest the leftie hosts like Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo will find a home on golden oldies station KPOP.
After an extremely rough start plagued by horrible mismanagement, the network seems to be finally hitting its stride. In some cities, it's doing well in the ratings, proving that liberals have just as much tolerance for shrill political tirades as conservatives.
Randy Dotinga always thought "Who'll Stop the Rain" was about the weather. E-mail him at NCTimesRadio@aol.com.
