Political Folk & Protest Songs

Folk music quite often takes on the establishment or espouses a certain political agenda. In the 1960s, artists such as Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs recorded blistering indictments of cultural and political forces; Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and Ochs' "I Ain't Marching Anymore" are two of the most representative songs, both in terms of popularity and critical acclaim. Today, artists like the comic folk-poet Billy Bragg and the do-it-yourself icon Ani Difranco continue to address society's ills through clever lyrics and an acoustic guitar.