“Fight the Power,” Public Enemy
If you’ve seen Spike Lee’s 1989 film, Do the Right Thing, you likely remember Rosie Perez dancing in the opening credits. Girl power is pretty old hat by now, but at the time it was a bit edgy for a Hollywood film to open with a hispanic actress in boxing gloves bopping to a rap song that encouraged listeners to “fight the powers that be.”
“The Great Nations of Europe,” Randy Newman
“Hide your wives and daughters, hide the groceries too / The great nations of Europe comin' through…” On the surface it’s a playful piano piece, until you realize it’s about the genocidal plundering of the New World by the great nations.
“What God Wants,” Roger Waters
Early on, the kings, clerics and conquistadors of the great nations believed they found justification to colonize and kill in the Good Book (Jehovah commanding the Israelites to exterminate the Canaanites and other heathen). But what does The Most Powerful Dude in the Universe really want? Everything! At least according to this explosive track from Waters’ 1992 album, Amused to Death, with the late Jeff Beck on guitar.
“Radio Baghdad,” Patti Smith
A thunderous, savagely literate, and lesser known antiwar song from the pen of Patti Smith, in 2004. The great nations were still up to their age-old tricks into the 21st century, this time targeting Mesopotamia. “They’re robbing the cradle of civilization…”
“Running the World,” Jarvis Cocker
I’ll bet you haven’t heard this one before. Take a listen to the lyrics and you’ll know why. “Running the World” caught me by surprise on Jarvis Cocker’s 2007 album, Jarvis. The invisible, unlisted final track on the CD was preceded by a full minute of silence. I suspect the former Pulp singer snuck it past the label.
“Living Like a Refugee,” Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
At the top of the pyramid there’s the most powerful. At the base there’s the least powerful. Among the latter are millions of dark-skinned men, women and children fleeing across borders from wars and conflicts exploited by bankers, bomb-makers, and other buccaneering bastards.
“People Have The Power,” Patti Smith
“People have the power / The power to dream / To rule / To wrestle the world from fools.” Let’s hope so, and soon - it’s only a few minutes before midnight. Another standout song from Patti Smith on my favourite album by her, 1988’s Dream of Life.
“The Power of the Heart,” Peter Gabriel
It’s important to remember the greatest power on Earth isn’t national, political, corporate, or even dynastic. It resides in deceptively humble places. With a full orchestra in 2011, Peter Gabriel performs Lou Reed’s aching confessional to his wife, Laurie Anderson.
BONUS SONG!
“I’m Justin Uhh Trudeau,” John Julian
I can’t do a Sunday Songbook about power and those running the world without a shout-out to the dear leader of my glorious homeland! Here’s the brilliant Vancouverite John Julian performing a cover of Louis Prima’s “Just a Gigolo” as Justin Trudeau.
Great whistle-stop tour of some fantastic and heartfelt songs. The one that springs to mind for me is the song Zombie by The Cranberries, and it's so sad that we've recently lost Dolores O'Riordan, as also the world has lost another great protest performer, Sinead O'Connor. I've never gotten into Patti Smith, a huge oversight on my part, and I think now I'll have to delve deeper. Her book, Just Kids, is one of the most sought after, as I'm continually learning, and one that I see in the hands of all the hipsters. You're not some kind a beatnik hipster there are you Geoff?