Political song

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A political song is a song with a socio-political tendency. By listening and singing, it can convey togetherness to people on the one hand or act as a factor of identification and on the other hand stimulate reflection and change in social conditions. But it can also reinforce prejudices, glorify violence, call for the use of violence or, for example, incite racial hatred.

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Examples

The following aspects of political song material can be distinguished: the (nationally or socially colored) battle and freedom song, which is supposed to convey the confidence of victory and a feeling of togetherness; the often religious hymn, the funeral song for one's own “martyrs” and the more or less openly protest song against grievances. Often several aspects are realized; for example, the complaint about the victims leads to a call for vengeance.

Examples of peasant songs:

Examples of nationalist songs:

Examples of workers' songs :

Examples of anti-militarist songs:

  • Oh, King of Prussia (with the lines "... how tired are we of your service ..." and "... you gentlemen are not surprised if someone deserted ...") - year of origin unknown; estimated 1750, around 1800, 1815, author unknown.
  • Universal Soldier - composed at the time of the Vietnam War in 1964. Written and sung by Buffy Sainte-Marie , later also by Donovan , 1965. The German version Der Ewige Soldat sung a. a. by Juliane Werding .
  • Le Déserteur (Monsieur le Président) - Created in 1954 during the Algerian War; Banned in France in 1955. Author: Boris Vian . German versions by Gerd Semmer , Leo Kowald and Wolf Biermann .
  • Soldier, soldier, in gray norm - text and music: Wolf Biermann, 1968.
  • It's time - song from Champagne. German version 1974 Hannes Wader .

Examples of revolutionary songs:

  • In spite of all this - for the 1848 revolution.
  • Cancion del Poder Popular - programmatic song of the Chilean parties united in Poder Popular, written in 1970.
  • Grândola vila morena - playing this song, composed and written by José Alfonso, on the Católica Radio on April 25, 1974 triggered the Carnation Revolution in Portugal.

The Resistance Song:

Examples of mocking songs:

  • La Caramagnole - song (and dance), celebrates the victory of the French Revolution in 1792.
  • Who did se de Krone jeklaut - the (forced) resignation of Kaiser Wilhelm II on November 9, 1918 was celebrated in Berlin in particular.

Hymns of the African American civil rights movement :

New left after 1968:

Examples of anti-nuclear songs that were sung during Easter marches :

  • Walk with us - text from English, music: By an 'By .
  • Strontium 90 - Text and Music: Fred Dallas.
  • Our march is a good thing - text and music: Hannes Stütz .
  • Wendlandlied - several versions.
  • Defend yourself, offer resistance - canon, author unknown, music: after Hey, ho, start the car .
  • Song of the bird of life (Gorlebenlied) - text and music: Walter Mossmann .

Examples of feminist songs:

  • The beach lies under the pavement - text and music: Snow White .
  • Break the Chain - song of the worldwide movement One Billion Rising , text: Tena Clark, music: Tena Clark, Tim Heintz.
  • Women together are strong (dolls in advertising ...) - song of the German women's movement (around 1975), text: Frauenzentrum Frankfurt am Main, music: Lotta Continua.
  • Women come slowly but powerfully - text and music: Ina Deter .

Songs created in political struggles or movements accompany people in their attempts to defend themselves against oppression or to bring about a change in society. Often existing, catchy melodies are provided with new text, the authors of these songs are not always unknown, the formulations in the case of massive repression are metaphorical and ambiguous.

National fighting and liberation songs originated, for example, in connection with the fight against Napoleon and the national unification process in Germany, with the Irish uprisings around 1919 ( The Foggy Dew ) on the theme of the "Easter Rising" of 1916 or in connection with the Catalan national Song movement against the Franco dictatorship (for example L'Estaca by Lluís Llach ). The political song category also includes the campaign hits (especially common in the USA) , the marching and fighting songs of the political right and left of the German interwar period and the propaganda songs of the dictatorships (e.g. Stalin, Freund, Comrade ) as examples of musical personality cults . In particular, battle songs often tend to massively devalue the opponent and to mobilize feelings of hatred.

See also

literature

  • Walter Moßmann , Peter Schleuning: We are fed up with old and new political songs . Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1978, ISBN 3-499-17159-7 .
  • Karl Adamek : Political song today: on the sociology of singing workers 'songs: empirical contribution with pictures and notes (= writings of the Fritz Hüser Institute for German and Foreign Workers' Literature of the City of Dortmund, Volume 4). Klartext, Cologne 1987, ISBN 3-88474-600-6 .
  • Marc Sygalski: The “political song” in the Federal Republic of Germany between 1964 and 1989 using the example of Franz Josef Degenhardt, Hannes Wader and Reinhard Mey. Master's thesis, published in the Department of German Philology, University of Göttingen 2011, The “political song”, free download (PDF; 1.0 MB).
  • Christian Bielefeldt, Marc Pendzich: Music and Politics, workbook for music lessons in upper secondary level at general schools . Text and CD. Lugert, Marschacht / Cornelsen, Berlin 2009. ISBN 978-3-06-081868-6 .
  • Manfred Sievritts, Peter Mühlbauer: Political song, a nasty song? Volume 2: Lied - Song - Chanson . Eres Verlag, Lilienthal. ISBN 978-3922557067 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. State Center for Political Education (ed.): Historical songs from eight centuries. Hamburg undated , ISBN 3-87474-851-0 .
  2. Texts in song box, ed. von Student für europa eV, Bad Soden 1st edition 1977, pp. 55 and 54.
  3. State Center for Political Education (ed.): Historical songs from eight centuries. Hamburg undated , ISBN 3-87474-851-0 .