Protest 100: Bad Brains – ‘Rock for Light’

Artist:          Bad Brains

Song:           Rock for Light

Album:        Rock for Light

Producer:    Ric Ocasek

Label:          Passport

Year:           1983

Notes:
All you need is love. And peace. And the absence of war and violence. We might have gotten used to the presence of the last two, but we can leave better for our kids. The fact that Cars vocalist and songwriter Ric Ocasek took time between ‘Shake It Up’ and ‘Heartbeat City’ to produce this album still fascinates me. 

Excerpt from ‘Unreality’  —
As an adolescent he’d partner with adults running pigeon drops and lookie loos and rocks in a box, interjecting as the sympathetic third-party to sink the hook in further.

Lyrics:
So you say you gonna live the truth
Well have you checked out the future of the youth
Doesn’t seem to be much left for them
But there is an answer for all of Jah Children

We don’t want no wars
We don’t need no violence
We just want what’s right
Some peace and love
We don’t want no violence
We don’t need no wars
We just want what’s right
Rock for light
Rock for light
Rock for light
Rock for light
Rock for light
Rock for light

We come
We come to rock for light
We come
We come to rock for light
We come
We come to rock for light

‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.

Protest 100: Bob Marley – ‘Get Up, Stand Up’

 

Artist:          Bob Marley

Song:           Get Up Stand Up

Album:        Burnin’

Producer:    Chris Blackwell

Label:          Tuff Gong/Island

Year:           1973

Notes:
Though overtly Rastafarian, this song has been adopted over the years as a universal call to action. Division is bad. It is the power broker’s tool. Once you understand this you need only walk towards the light to claim your spot in a newly united world. But the time to act is now. This was the last song Bob Marley ever performed on stage.

Excerpt from ‘Unreality’  —
This last contemplation returned him to the heart of the matter. He had to get to work.

Lyrics
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Don’t give up the fight

Preacher man don’t tell me
Heaven is under the earth
I know you don’t know
What life is really worth

He said all that glitters is gold
Half that story ain’t never been told
So now you see the light, hey
You stand up for your right
Come on

Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Don’t give up the fight
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Don’t give up the fight

Most people think
Great God will come from the sky
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high

But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now a you see the light
You stand up for your right
Jah!

Get up, stand up (Jah, Jah)
Stand up for your right (oh-hoo)
Get up, stand up (get up, stand up)
Don’t give up the fight (life is your right)
Get up, stand up (so we can’t give up the fight)
Stand up for your rights (Lord, Lord)
Get up, stand up (keep on struggling on)
Don’t give up the fight (yeah)

We’re sick and tired of your ism-schism game
Dy’n’ and go to Heaven in-a Jesus’ name, Lord
We know when we understand
Almighty God is a living man

You can fool some people sometimes
But you can’t fool all the people all the time
So now we see the light (watch you gon’ do?)
We gonna stand up for our rights (yeah, yeah)
So you’d better

Get up, stand up (in the morning) give it up
Stand up for your right (stand up right now)
Get up, stand up
Don’t give up the fight (don’t give it up, don’t give it up)
Get up, stand up (get up, stand up)
Stand up for your rights (get up, stand up)

Get up, stand up
Don’t give up the fight (get up, stand up)

Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Don’t give up the fight
Get up, stand up

‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.