Inspired by 
For me, the source for politics in songs really starts with Crass. A (quint)essential anarcho-punk bank, based out of a commune called Dial House in the UK. I came across them probably in late 81. I would have been 14. I was starting to be aware of politics, Thatcher was getting into her stride, riots in Brixton had spread to other cities, the Falkland War was just around the corner with the miner's strike coming up and the poll tax riots at the end of the decade. Crass set my agenda for much of that, and were a sountrack as the events unfolded. I still rank Christ - The Album as one of my favourite, and most influential albums of all time.
Crass were always about more than the music - they walked the walk. A proper collective with an awesome art style and a touch for some nifty slogans, ripe for chanting. Stunts like The Thatchergate Tapes got them discussed in parliament. They were such a vital force to the teenage gribbles.
Hard to choose a song - they were uncompromising and covered a huge range of political topics. I've settled for this - it was an early favourite of mine, and actually has a good positive message about being yourself.
So now I've exposed my punk roots, I'd better balance that out by choosing a song from one of my all time music heroes Roy Harper. I adore this man. With a career starting in the folk clubs of Soho in the mis 60's, he is still on the go. He's one of those artists that not many folk have heard of - but many musicians will cite him as an influence.
Although it'd be easy to label him as an old hippy, he is so much more. A poet. A staunch critic of the worse inclinations of the human race. An incredible songwriter. I've seen him live more times than anyone else - and the anger that this man can wring out of an acoustic guitar and microphone is breath-taking. And live, his in between song banter is often as vital as the music. And yet, he has a turn of phrase and melody that can have such a light touch. There are songs of his that easily move me to tears (For the record: When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease, Another Day)
Again - hard to choose a single song. I've assimilated this man into my musical landscape so completely. But right here, right now - this feels appropriate (and is also a lovely example of how he could get distracted mid song. I've seen him simply stop and talk about what had occurred to him.We loved it.)
I also want to give an honourable mention to this.
I will happily recommend more Harper at the drop of a hat. Another time, another post, maybe...
Finally, another musical hero of mine - Matt Johnson who records as The The. Consistently cracking albums, there were two in the mid 80's that had song that were true then, but also felt uncannily prescient for modern times as well. I guess it just shows that things don't really change.
But I would heartily recommend listening to [Infected] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infected_(The_The_album)) and Mind Bomb. And marvel at how relevant most of the songs are considering they were written in 1986 and 1989 respectively.
Another artist who was also a commentator - he was broadcasting though his Radio Cineola on his website before podcasting was really a thing...
There's more, of course. I've just lost 30 minutes listening to The The tunes and obsessing over which one to add. Still not sure I've made the right choice. I'll just slip this in here... that this was a top 20 hit is awesome.
So, as with Steevc's original post, I'll finish with something I've done. For a while I recorded as part of a duo called quiddity. As well as our own stuff, we did a small number of covers with a political edge.
We were quite proud of this one - he was gone a few weeks after we released it. 😉 It's a cover of a Beat song from the 80s calling for another Tory PM to go...
Phew! That'll do I reckon. Although I think I'm now going to grab a drink and go on a deep dive for other political stuff I've enjoyed over the years...
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