“Baraye” (“For…”) is a 2022 power ballad by Iranian singer-songwriter Shervin Hajipour. Widely referred to as “the anthem” of the protests, the song was inspired by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who was arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly and whose death in police custody was alleged to have been […]
Bella Ciao
“Bella ciao” (Goodbye beautiful) is an Italian protest folk song from the late 19th century. The origins of the song are unclear, although one hypothesis is that “Bella Ciao” was originally sung as “Alla mattina appena alzata” (“In the morning as soon as I woke up”) by seasonal workers of paddy fields of rice, especially […]
Debout Les Femmes
The MLF Anthem , sometimes called the Women’s Anthem , Standing Women or Debout les femmes , is a song created collectively in March 1971 by feminist activists in Paris. It has become an emblem of the Women’s Liberation Movement (MLF) and more generally of French-speaking feminist struggles. The words are performed to the tune […]
La Compagnie Jolie Mome
La Compagnie Jolie Mome is a troupe that has celebrated its 40th anniversary! Who perform plays, their own pieces or a repertoire inherited from Brecht, Prévert… Who often sing, on stage as well as in the street or at dinner shows. Who sometimes fight for their rights or in support of other workers. Who created […]
Do You Hear The People Sing?
“Do You Hear the People Sing?” (“French: À la volonté du peuple“, literally To the will of the people, in the original French version) is one of the principal and most recognisable songs from the 1980 musical Les Miserables. It is sung twice in the opening and closing section of the stage musical. The song, […]
Poverty Knock
When not being assigned the traditional tag, ‘Poverty Knock’ is most commonly attributed to a weaver from Batley, West Yorkshire, called Tom Daniel. It was collected by A. E. (Tony) Green in 1965. Some claim he merely recalled the song. Others suspect he actually wrote it. It recounts the experiences of a weaver in the […]
Kae Tempest
Kae Tempest (formerly Kate Tempest) is an English spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist and playwright. Kae Tempest grew up in Brockley, South East London, one of five children whose father was a corporate media lawyer, and their mother a teacher. Tempest worked in a record shop from age 14 to 18. They went […]
Lowkey
Kareem Dennis. better known by his stage name Lowkey, is a British rapper and activist from London. Lowkey was born to an Iraqi mother and an English father. From the age of twelve he began to rap, initially imitating American rappers but soon began using his own accent. He began attending open mic sessions which […]
Hard Times of Old England
Hard Times of Old England is an 18th century song from the repertoire of the Copper Family. A 1955 recording of Ron Copper made by Peter Kennedy was published in 1963 on their EFDSS LP Traditional Songs From Rottingdean and was included in 2006 on the anthology Anthems in Eden. Billy Bragg and The Young […]
We Are The 99%
We Are The 99% is a political slogan widely used and coined during the 2011 Occupy Movement. The phrase directly refers to the income and wealth inequality in the United States, (and indeed the UK) with a concentration of wealth among the top-earning 1%. It reflects the understanding that “the 99%” are paying the price […]