Yesterday Once More

9 Jun 2015

Social Comment

Hi Listeners,

Throughout the history of pop music there have been songs about different social issues. This probably peaked in the swingin’ sixties with the Protest movement where many songs were written about the futility of war and its consequences on innocent people. In this program I’ve attempted to present some different social issues.

Starting off with Bill Parson’s tongue in cheek ‘All American Boy’ followed by Aussie Margaret Roadknight’s gentle but incisive look at ‘Girls In Our Town’. There are issues such as poverty (Another Day In Paradise) gender identity (Real Men) loneliness (Eleanor Rigby) and the plight of the everyday housewife (One’s On The Way). Simon and Garfunkel savagely attack consumerism and the advertising industry in ‘The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine’ while ‘Gee Officer Krupke’ (from ‘West Side Story’) is a cheeky portayal of juvenile delinquency in the fifties.

Another savage song is Buffy Sainte Marie’s ‘Suffer The Little Children’ which attacks how children are brought up. Finally, an unusual song is the Buggles ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ which depicts the effect of technological change on the music industry. A topic which is just as relevant today.

So this week listen to the lyrics as you sing along with the catchy songs about social issues

Playlist