did a ska song denouncing
Theresa May as a ' Liar, Liar '
reach number 4 in the UK Sin-
gles Chart? What's grime got to
do with it all?
it is possible for individuals
with different experiences to
all share in their resonance
with a particular song or piece
of music. Shared expression
can most obviously be seen
through national anthems.
Take, for example, the passion
with which a Cardiff crowd
belts out ‘ Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ’
or the celebration of diversity
that is the multilingual South
African National Anthem which
flows wonderfully from the
hymn of pan-African liberation
‘ Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika ’ through
the Rainbow Nation’s 5 most
common languages, including
the old Afrikaans anthem ' Die
Stem van Suid-Afrika ’.
Music and politics are among
the most ancient of arts. Kings
and nobles would often com-
mission musical numbers to be
written and sponsor compos-
ers. Bach & Handel both
served as 'Kapellmeisters' to
nobility, the latter for King
George I. His composition
' Music for the Royal Fireworks '
was written under instruction
from George II to celebrate the
end of the War of Austrian
Succession. Here music was
used to create a sense of na-
tional pride, to display the de-
voutness of the composer's pa-
tron, to be anthems of success
and good fortune.
Just like anthems are used to
evoke a sense of national
pride, other songs can help
create a common purpose or
identity amongst a group or
movement. Russia is a great
example, as music has been
used quite extensively in both
opposition to and support for
the current regime. The femi-
nist punk band Pussy Riot were
arrested in 2012 for a guerilla
performance in a Russian Or-
thodox Cathedral in Moscow
and pop star Valeriya has been
a vocal supporter of the coun-
try’s annexation of Crimea.
Russian authorities are also
thought to be behind recent
music videos ridiculing opposi-
tion protesters and were out-
raged when Ukraine banned
their 2017 Eurovision entrant
Moving forward in time it was
music which helped give voice
to the repressed through pro-
test songs. From ' No More Auc-
tion Block ' and ' We Shall Over-
come ' to ' Strange Fruit ' and ' A
Change Is Gonna Come ', the
Abolitionist and Civil Rights
movements in the USA were
iconic in their use of music.
Music brought people together,
it inspired hope; it allowed a
shared expression. Having a
shared expression is vital in the
relationship between music
and politics. Because music
and lyrics can be interpreted
differently by different people,
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