Week 8: Can popular music really achieve genuine political change?

Shuker describes how popular music ‘can be a means of raising both consciousness about and funds for political causes.’ However, the success of popular music in achieving political change depends greatly on its context. There is the example of Band Aid, in which the Christmas single released by celebrities including Bob Geldof raised £8 million for famine relief. USA for Africa followed Band Aid and raised a subsequent $50 million for the same cause; clearly this was a massive help for the charities. Interestingly, Red Wedge’s similarly preaching popular music did not achieve its goal of helping the Labour party win the 1987 general election. However, although both groups’ music was listened to by the masses, Band Aid was also a social cause, whilst Red Wedge was purely political. Indeed, Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ is another example of how popular music can have an enduring influence on social causes. Whilst popular music is not always a guaranteed way to achieve political change, it has certainly demonstrated its potential to do so.