Rockers Speak Out

Today, Neil Young joins the ranks of rockers speaking out against the policies and actions of the Bush administration. Seems that interviews aren't making out to the public, so might as well let the lyrics do the talking for you...

"I raise my hand in peace ... I never bow to the laws of the thought police ... I take a holy vow ... to never kill again ...

"In the big hotels ... in the mosques and the doors of the old museum ... I take a holy vow ... to never kill again."
from Living With War

Other artists who have spoken out include Steve Earle, Willie Nelson and the Rolling Stones.

According to CNN:

Veteran rocker Neil Young has recorded a protest album featuring an anti-Iraq war track with "a holy vow to never kill again" and a song titled "Let's Impeach the President," the singer said on Monday.

The New York Times reports on Neils' renewed activism:

Neil Young, who has periodically touched on political themes during a four-decade career, plans to release a hastily recorded new album ruminating on the war in Iraq and directly calling for the impeachment of President Bush.

The 10-song album, "Living With War," will probably represent Mr. Young's most overtly partisan work since the song "Ohio," recorded and quickly released by the group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as a response to the Kent State shootings in 1970.

I am finding more songs on the radio, specificaly the alternative radio stations, taking a stand against either the Bush administration or the Iraq war. System of a Down and Pearl Jam have songs critical of the war. Again, from the NY Times article:

The album comes at a time when major record companies and radio stations appear to have developed a degree of comfort with bluntly political material. The latest song from the band Pearl Jam, "World Wide Suicide," which accuses the president of taking soldiers' sacrifices for granted, recently logged three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard modern-rock airplay chart. And Green Day's 2004 album "American Idiot" which addresses themes of alienation but also includes lyrics like "Sieg Heil to the president gasman," has emerged as a blockbuster, selling more than 5.4 million copies so far, according to Nielsen SoundScan data.

Green Day's web site is www.greenday.com.

Neil Young's web site is www.neilyoung.com.

Pearl Jam's web site is www.pearljam.com.

Rolling Stones' web site is www.rollingstones.com.

Steve Earle's web site is www.steveearle.com.

Willie Nelson's web site is www.willienelson.com.


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