When Woody Guthrie, Sinéad O’Connor and others took a stand — the stories behind 21 protest songs

More from this Series

• Punk Prayer — Pussy Riot’s howl of outrage reverberates a decade on

  Members of the Russian collective continue to protest against Vladimir Putin’s regime

  
• Fortunate Son — Creedence Clearwater Revival’s era-defining anthem of dissent

  
• Is The Message by Grandmaster Flash the greatest ever hip-hop song?

  Sampled by Ice Cube, Blackstreet and the musical Hamilton, it changed the direction of rap

  
• ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free’ — Nina Simone took the song to another level

  A track that began life as an instrumental was transformed by the singer

  
• ‘Born in the USA’ — politicians have missed the anger in Bruce Sprinsteen’s track

  Far from been triumphalist, the 1984 song tells the story of a Vietnam veteran with PTSD and no job

  
• The Revolution Will Not Be Televised — Gil Scott-Heron’s track paved the way for hip-hop

  His spoken-word song was a call to black Americans to rouse themselves

  
• Morning Dew — how Bonnie Dobson reclaimed her anti-war song

  The folk singer found success with her 1961 track, though it took decades for her to be awarded full royalties

  
• Hurricane — Bob Dylan’s howl of protest still resonates today

  The hard-hitting 1975 ballad tells the story of a black boxer framed and jailed for murder

  
• Bella Ciao — Italy’s liberation anthem has deep roots

  Now adopted as a protest song worldwide, the song has its origins in the rice fields of the country’s north-east

  
• I Am Woman — Helen Reddy’s 1971 song became an anthem for feminism

  The Australian-born singer’s record company was initially unimpressed by her paean to empowerment

  
• ‘Shipbuilding’ — Elvis Costello’s song tackled war with a light touch

  Written during the Falklands conflict, the track went on to be widely covered

  
• ‘Ghost Town’ — The Specials’ song was a soundtrack to UK-wide riots

  The chilling 1981 track emerged from a tense session in a tiny recording studio

  
• Little Boxes — Malvina Reynolds’ 1962 song captured the mood of the times

  The activist and folk singer’s protest against consumerism and suburban malaise became a hit, but she remained obscure

  
• Russians — Sting’s 1985 hit is a reminder of more hopeful times

  The track was released in the Gorbachev-Reagan era that eventually led to the end of the cold war

  
• Beds Are Burning — Midnight Oil’s 1986 song was a plea for justice for indigenous Australians

  The track has been adopted and adapted globally — and revisited by the band in a fiery Sydney Olympics performance