On Tyranny: 10 Best Protest Songs/LPs, According to Major Spark’s Vocalist and Punk Vet Mark Goodman (Exclusive)

While working on The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series, an idea for a critical installment of the feature came to mind: a list of the best protest albums and songs, as presented to us by someone who knows their stuff. That person is Mark Goodman, who handles vocals, lyrics and composition for Major Spark. Goodman also had tenure in the band Magnet, which also featured Moe Tucker of The Velvet Underground. While Goodman was still a member of the band, Magnet guested for Madonna’s Erotica. (Just a reminder: Today is not April Fools’ Day.)

Meanwhile, multi-instrumentalist Brian Charles – whose friendship with Mark Goodman has lasted almost their entire lives – is the other central figure in Major Spark. The Bad Penny recently interviewed him as well. We’ll post a feature detailing much more about the band and its two central members in the near future. But in the meantime, Goodman gave us a very diverse and undisputed high-quality batch of the best protest songs ever made. We couldn’t hold off sharing the list until October 2, which marks the day Major Spark‘s next album, Kill the Truth, will be out.

1. Billy Bragg and Wilco’s “All You Fascists”
(with lyrics by Woody Guthrie)

Obvious choice.

2. The Clash’ “Guns of Brixton”

Very hard to limit the list to just one Clash song.

3. The Pogues’ “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda”

I watched my dad shed a tear when I played this for him. Hard not to. It’s just an incredible song.

4. Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen”

Their album is the closest I could find to a true protest album. But. As we know. There is a cartoonish aspect to it.

5. Bob Marley‘s “Get Up, Stand Up”

Hard to limit to one reggae song.

6. Toots & The Maytals‘ “54-46 That’s My Number”

This is the original version.

7. Buffalo Springfield‘s “For What It’s Worth”

This one got to me when I was around 11, 12 years old.

8. A Tribe Called Quest’s “We the People”

Great modern protest song.

9. Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War”

Hard to limit to one Dylan song. I like the direct vibe of this one.

10. Bright Eyes‘ “When the President Talks to God”

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Also, here is a “mini-international list,” featuring bands I discovered recently:

Les Breastfeeders’ “On Ne Prete Qu’aux Riches”

About inequality. This rocks.

Mandy, Indiana’s “Pinking Shears”

It’s worth reading the translation to this one.

This is what Google translate says:

I’m tired, you have no idea how tired I am

This shitty world has worn me out

I’ve been wiped out for years

Fuck, I’m so tired

There’s no way to stay positive

Nothing makes me want to keep going

In this godawful society

I don’t want to wake up anymore

When we let human beings die

In the Mediterranean Sea

In unheated buildings

In our countries full of lunatics

When we pick and choose our refugees

Only the blond ones get let in

We tell the ones we bomb to go fuck themselves

And then we elect bankers

And rich snobs and trust-funders

And act surprised when we get screwed over

[Verse 2]