There are many great protest songs, from many different eras. Scores can often be found online, free.
From Bob Dylan’s haunting “Blowin’ in the Wind” to Sam Cooke’s soul-stirring “A Change Is Gonna Come,” protest songs transformed music into a weapon of truth and hope. The Civil Rights Movement gave us Pete Seeger’s “We Shall Overcome,” the raw anger of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” exposing Vietnam War hypocrisy, and the grief expressed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in “Ohio,” after the Kent State tragedy.
New Bette Midler Protest Song: “All You Fascists (Bound to Lose)”
In April 2026, Bette Midler released a new protest song / video. It’s worth a listen. “You know I’ve been around a long time, but I have never lived through what we are living through now. The great Woody Guthrie wrote this song many years ago. I changed some of the words to fit our times, and I hope you’ll sing it when you are marching. Because sometimes people, sometimes you just gotta SING OUT!”
“This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie (1940): Guthrie wrote this as a response to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.” Its original, more subversive verses challenged wealth inequality, property lines, and corporate greed. Full description in the Smithsonian National Registry.
Curated Lists of Protest Songs with Audio Links
- Archival & News Lists: Read the A Protest Playlist by the National Archives Foundation, or explore the 10 Songs for Social Change on Amnesty International for human rights-focused tracks.
- Spotify: Discover the The 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time on Spotify curated by Rolling Stone, or browse the 800 Songs of Protest, Resistance, and Revolution on Spotify.
- Apple Music: Stream the Protest Songs Playlist on Apple Music, featuring tracks by Tracy Chapman, Public Enemy, and Bob Marley.