Music and Politics

They say driving reflects a person’s personality, while movies & music reflect a country’s culture. If you want to understand a country’s political culture, you may need to know something about their media, press, political parties or political organizations, and so many other things including watching their movies and listening to their political bands. Political bands? Yes, a kind of bands that never existed in Egypt or let me say not welcomed.

Let us go back to the 50s and beginning of the 60s, remember Abd el-Helim’s nationalistic songs that commended the revolution and praised Egypt? The songs that celebrated nationalizing the Suez Canal, praised the soldiers, the farmers, the labor? This era was full of songs that told us a lot; they were stronghold to the political regime and reflected the Nassirist thoughts that were prevailing at that time. But did they reflect any opposition to the regime? Any objection? Any criticism? Of course no! They were just the regime’s tool of propaganda. And who denies the role of propaganda when it comes to brain wash? And who forgets Goebbels cynical techniques to influence the Germans? Yea they have their own ways.


In Mubarak’s era, Has anyone heard a band or a singer singing against the government policies? Against the police humiliation? Against taxes? For revolting? For a certain group or ideology? Against nothing?  Yea there were people singing against nothing. there were just these crappy nationalistic songs that expressed how lovely Egypt is.

This doesn’t mean that I blame and piss whoever sang nationalistic songs, of course no, on the contrary I see them vital. But I blame those who decided to build up a wall and accepted the limits that the regime and the culture created, A basic feature of democracy is to be able to express whatever radical opinions you have, And the society & the regime must accept their existence. Let the beginning be by hearing radical lyrics.


In the U.S & the U.K, the idea of political bands dates back to the late 70s. A lot of bands were formed such as the American band Dead Kennedys in 1978, they brought politically charged lyrics that were full of sarcasm and irony of social and political issues. In the U.K, the clash band was formed in 1976, was much known for the politicized lyrics and rebellious attitude. Their album “London calling” remains one of the most influential rock albums.

There are hundreds of punk political bands, here are some of them:

Anti-flag: formed in 1988 much of the band's lyrics have focused on anti-war activism, criticism of United States foreign policy, corporatism, U.S. wealth distribution, and various sociopolitical sentiments.

Rise Against: formed in 1999 and are known for their activism. They appeared on the “Rock against Bush, Vol. 1” an album released in 2004 that contains a collection of songs by other punk rock band.

System of a down: an Armenian-American rock band, their songs reflect their views of the Armenian genocide 1915 and the ongoing war on terrorism.

Rage against the machine: American band, formed in 1991. Critics have noted Rage Against the Machine for its "fiercely polemical music, which brewed sloganeering leftist rants against corporate America, cultural imperialism, social inequality, and government oppression into a Molotov cocktail of punk, hip-hop, and thrash"

Napalm death: English band formed in 1988. Their songs address racism, feminism, militarism, and capitalism.

Immortal technique: He is an American rapper and not a band. His name is Felipe Andres Coronel. His lyrics address issues like class struggle, poverty, religion, government and institutional racism.

The Coup: American hip hop band formed in 1992, their lyrics criticize capitalism, American politics, patriarchal exploitation, and police brutality, among other things.