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33 Revolutions per Minute: A History of Protest Songs, from Billie Holiday to Green Day by Dorian Lynskey
Excellent. Much better researched and written than it needed to be.
Yes, I bristled at Green Day. And I questioned a few other selections.
But each chapter is more about the social context of the song, usually in proximity to an historical flashpoint, whether Vietnam, the miner's strike or WTO protest in Seattle. What emerges is a mini-history of fighting the power in the 20th century, and the songs themselves usually take a backseat. A ton of tricky issues are explored, and this is by no means a blind "celebration" of the protest song genre.
A good blend of US and UK, although clearly written by a Brit. Refreshingly, Chile, Nigeria and Jamaica get a 50 page chunk.
The whole thing is nearly 700 pages, and I wish it was twice as long.
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