Politics/Music

charli xcx

Taylor Swift

The dixie chicks

Bruce Springsteen

Joan baez

Standout Moments

Notable times musicians spoke out

1963 2024

1963

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1984

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2003

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2018

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2024

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Charli XCX describes the “brat” persona as “that girl who is a little messy and maybe says dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but then also maybe has a breakdown but parties through it.”

After Charli XCX’s post “kamala is brat,” a reference to her summer hyperpop album, blew up, Harris’ campaign has fully embraced the identity, playing on it to attract Gen Z voters.

2024

Kamala IS Brat: Charli XCX Endorses Harris in The Presidential Race

July 21, 2024

"Oh deep in my heart I know that I do believe We shall overcome, someday"

Paly Graduate Joan Baez Performs “We Shall Overcome” at The March On Washington Alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

August 28, 1963

We Shall Overcome is a staple of civil rights anthems. First appearing as a protest song for a labor strike in 1945-1946 where African American women protested to raise pay to 30 cents an hour, it quickly gained fame, providing the soundtrack for the Civil Rights Movement. “I had people around me who were smart enough to let me know that “We Shall Overcome” does not mean we will do that overnight,” Baez said. “Peace doesn’t come right away. It means that you do it in increments. And [the Civil Rights Movement] was a huge increment.” Joan Baez has long been known for her political advocacy. She often covers songs featuring prominent themes in social justice. Besides singing at The March on Washington, she has also protested against the Vietnam war, co-founding the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence in response, and been vocal about prison reform, LGBTQ rights, and most recently the war in Ukraine. “My voice is my greatest gift…the second greatest gift was a desire to use it,” Baez said, in her 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech.

1963

The Dixie Chicks Speak Out Against The Iraq War

March 10, 2003

2003

Throughout their career, the Dixie Chicks had been encouraged to be very apolitical. Their pop-country fan base largely consisted of more conservative voters. At a London concert in 2003, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and Emily Strayer of the Dixie Chicks denounced Bush for his war on Iraq. “Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States [Bush] is from Texas,” Maine said. The slang term ‘dixie-chicked’ evolved as a term to describe women who were told to “shut up and sing.” Speaking out was almost career ending for the band. “While we support our troops, there is nothing more frightening than the notion of going to war with Iraq and the prospect of all the innocent lives that will be lost,” Maine said. “One of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view”

Bruce Springsteen's “Born in the U.S.A” Comments on The Drafting of Young Boys to Vietnam

June 4, 1984

Although Springsteen dodged the Vietnam draft due to health issues, he often felt guilt wondering who “took” his place, watching the young boys return traumatized. This experience was what prompted him to write Vietnam, later to be revised into what we now know as Born in the USA celebrating Vietnam veterans, who, after returning to the US were often “treated like dirt." Born in the USA has often been misrepresented as a song solely about American pride and hope after a Ronald Reagan speech name dropping the song. “That particular song fell into a certain social context,” Springsteen said, “Born in the USA was a song of rebellion." and a “ demand for a ‘critical’ patriotic voice along with pride of birth.”

1984

2018 taylor encourages voting in the presidential primaries

2022 taylor engourages voting in the midterms

2020 taylor shows support for black lives matter

2019 taylor releases "you need to calm down" to support lgbtq+

2019 taylor shows support for the equity act

2018 taylor Shows support for march for our lives

Taylor Swift Endorses State Politicians for The First Time

October 7, 2018

Taylor Swift has a long history of advocacy, but the 2018 Tennessee Midterm elections were the first time she put out an endorsement. “I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country,” Swift said. She has continued this trend during the 2020 elections, endorsing Joe Biden. And more recently, in 2024, she endorsed Kamala Harris. Although she hasn’t explicitly told her fans to vote for them, she’s always encouraged them to vote. “Your vote is your voice, which is why it’s so important that you use it,” Swift said.

2018