Musicians Play Music... or Politics?

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer maintains that the political song plays an important part in the politics of the United States. The writer discusses that a political son is not only an expression of ideas of the songwriter, it is also the message which ordinary people and politicians hear and interpret for themselves in different ways. The writer notes that the relationship between musicians, politics and audience is evident. The writer also points out that it does not matter that the musicians cannot stop the government to make the unwelcome decisions. What matters is that they are concerned. The writer concludes that music as a part of culture is involved in social and political life.

From the Paper:

"If there is a performing artist, there is an audience who will like what he does. This audience is the main reason for the artist to exist, to move on, and to create and develop the art. These people support and promote the artist by buying his or her records, going to the concerts, talking to other people. This audience consists of those people who can be called followers of the artist, who feel like sharing the same ideas and emotions. The same pattern can be seen in politics. There are politicians and those people who share the same ideas, who see the future of the country in the same specter. So, this people surely support the politicians they agree with. Now, how are these three parties connected? The hard relationships between them create something similar to the knot. If there are people who do not like somebody's music, they just do not listen to it. Of course they also may critique it, but there is no too much importance in this matter. The situation is more serious, when there are politicians in the head of the government, whose decisions do not satisfy people, and musicians in particular. So in the country of democracy and freedom of speech they have the ability to speak against the government out loud. In this case the connections are visible. That is why the most of the political music is seen as opposition to the politics of the country."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Crowley, Michael. Heavy Meddle, New Republic. 2004, 231-19:38
• Jannone, John. E-mail interview. 3 May 2005.
• Langer, Andy. Serj Tankian. Esquire. 2004, 142-6:199
• Levine, Eric. "It is time to write political songs! Yes!!! But what do they do?" March 2003 http://polsong.gcal.ac.uk/articles/levine.html
• McNair, Janis. "Favourite Political Song Project". July 2001. http://polsong.gcal.ac.uk/articles/mcnair5.html.18 April 2005

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