The Protest Song is Back!!

Every generation has their fair share of protest songs. When there is government turmoil, civil unrest, a war or whatever event occurs that rubs people the wrong way, we get a protest song. I asked AI what is their definition of a protest song and was given this excellent definition:

A protest song is a musical composition that conveys dissent, social critique, or a call for action against injustices and prevailing political, social, or environmental conditions. These songs serve as, or are adopted by, social movements to raise awareness, mobilize communities, and articulate grievances.

The 60/70’s had a bunch of protest songs from “We Shall Overcome” by Pete Seeger and Joan Baez in 1963 about the civil rights movement and Sam Cooke in 1964 with A Change is Gonna Come” on racial equality. War is always a popular subject with “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye in 1971 as he plead for peace during the Vietnam War and don’t forget “Fortunate Son” by Creedance Clearwater Revival talking about the inequalities with the military draft.

The 80’s saw “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy rapping about systematic racism and oppression. Bruce Springsteen with “Born in the USA” in 1984 voicing the harsh treatment of the Vietnam veterans. “Biko” from Peter Gabriel speaking on South African apartheid. The early 2000’s saw a bunch as well with “American Idiot” in 2004 by Green Day criticizing the media and politics during the Iraq War and in 2018 “This is America” by Childish Gambino as he talked about gun violence and racism. The list could go on and on with all the great protest songs.

Here we are in 2026 and the protest song is seeing a revitalization thanks to the turmoil we are a seeing in America under the Trump Administration. And let me tell you, in the 14 months Trump has been back in office for a second term, it has been utter chaos. From his push to make Canada the 51st state, his desire for Greenland, overthrowing the Venezuela government, to the ICE raids, the Epstein Files and so many more. And the head of the Board of Peace starts a war with Iran…It is way past the point of ridiculousness. Well, the ridiculous happened when he changed the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America…now we are way into the realm of ludicrous.

I have total respect for the “Office” of the President, but I have ZERO respect for this President. I am a registered Republican that did not vote for this man and knew what kind of chaos we would be in for four years under his term. And he has not proven me wrong once. And holy crap, it has only been 14 months and I’m already exhausted from the chaos. I don’t want to be quiet anymore. He is the most despicable human being I’ve ever seen, the biggest man child to ever be and a complete and utter disgrace to the Office that he holds.

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My Sunday Song – “Icky Thump” by The White Stripes

For My Sunday Song #463, we are going to talk the still applicable song today, “Icky Thump” by The White Stripes. Why do I say still applicable today? Well, the song is about immigration and was written back in the George Bush administration in 2007. As you know, immigration is a hot topic today with all the ICE raids and Border Patrol operations (who were recently in Charlotte arresting a lot of people). It is a topic that I don’t see going away anytime soon. The song was released on April 26, 2007 and went to #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and even #1 on the Alternative Charts going Platinum selling over a 1 million copies. Very successful for sure.

The song was written by Jack and Meg White and they were really having fun this track. The title, ‘Icky Thump’ comes from a Northern English phrase called ‘Ecky Thump’ which are both euphemisms for the word ‘Hell’. I guess that means the song means Hell Hell. Jack is a staunch Democrat and was completely against all the immigration talk back in the day and wanted to remind everyone that the Whites in the U.S. were immigrants at one time too. If they have a problem with immigration they should kick themselves out for that very reason. He was pointing out the hypocrisy of it all. This whole idea of the song is still relevant today.

The song is about a guy that takes a trip to Mexico and has no problems going South into Mexico (unlike those trying to go North into the U.S.). He meets a woman who houses him and feeds him, but she then assaults him and holds him hostage. Which I am sure he greatly deserved. A very weird song lyrically, but the flow is something only Jack White can do.

Musically, it is pure garage rock with lots of distortion. Jack makes his guitar speak a language that is hard to fathom how he does it, In case you are wondering, Jack used a 1959 Univox synth and during the solo he used Zvex Wooly Mammoth and a DigiTech Whammy pedal to get that really cool sound. Meg’s drums were a constant pounding beat like a marching army. It is a rip roaring track that is everything I love about The White Stripes. It is amazing that these two people can make so much incredible music.

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The Collection: Ep. 56 – Noble Records Exclusives (Part 1 of 2)

This week, we have Part 1 of 2 Noble Records Exclusives shows. Noble Records is my local record store and they do monthly exclusives of private press album releases from lost gems of the past. The exclusive part is the colored vinyl that is exclusive to his store. We have psych rock, funk, hard rock, southern rock and some really obscure stuff at times. Check it out as there is some really cool stuff such as Orang-Utan, Poobah, Farm, Randy Holden and so much more.

Check out Dillon’s YouTube channel for some really cool vinyl content! https://www.youtube.com/@noblerecords

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, May 12, 2025 at 7pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

The Collection: Ep. 31 – August Wrap-Up 2024

As we end another month, it is time to go back and see what 2 Loud 2 Old Music added to the collection. This is August 2024 and we have vinyl, CDs and even some 7″ Singles. So much to go through including not one…not two…but four Noble Record Exclusives and or Label records. And to top that off we have another addition to the Rock Candy, the Kiss collection and now starting a Box Set collection. We even hit up a big $5 CD sale at MNRK Records. So much to show for this month so I hope you enjoy the show!!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, September 2, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And here it is for those that won’t watch video…