Mick Jagger distances himself from “whole songs about politics”
“You don’t want to lecture.”
politics
Politics has long shaped music, film and popular culture, inspiring artists to challenge authority, confront injustice and reflect the social issues of their time.
From protest songs of the civil rights movement and anti-war anthems to politically charged films, documentaries and television, politics has influenced some of the most significant cultural works in history.
This collection explores the intersection of politics and the arts, examining how musicians, filmmakers, actors and writers have responded to political events, ideologies, elections, activism and social change across generations.
The 1999 Jeff Bridges movie that became a political minefield: “Putting the attention on the wrong spot”
“He’s not a man to talk when he’s bombing villages”.
How Kurt Vonnegut foresaw America’s broken democracy
“We have constructed a collapse-proof government”.
When George Clooney paid for a satellite to spy on a dictator: “Welcome to my life, Mr War Criminal”
Gave him a taste of his own medicine.
Who is the only US member of Congress to ever score a number one hit?
From Billboard to House Bills.
10 movie scenes from 1981 that you’d never get away with today
It was a different industry 45 years ago.
‘The Future’: Why Leonard Cohen’s peak bleakness suited the early 1990s
“We were tossed out of the garden; this isn’t paradise”.
More About politics
Political art uses music, film, literature or visual media to comment on political issues, social movements, governments or public policy, often encouraging debate or inspiring change.
Artists including Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Woody Guthrie, Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, The Clash, Billy Bragg, Neil Young and Patti Smith have all produced influential music addressing political and social issues.
Politics has shaped countless films through stories about war, civil rights, government, corruption, elections and social justice, with acclaimed examples including 'All the President's Men', 'Dr. Strangelove', 'The Battle of Algiers', 'JFK', 'Milk', 'Selma' and 'The Lives of Others'.