Protest!

Pearl Jam's "VH1 Storytellers" installment that aired the week before last was typically poignant for said series, but there was one moment that overshadowed all the rest. Near the end of the program, Eddie Vedder introduced a cover of Phil Ochs' "Here's to the State of Mississippi" that tore the Bush Administration a new asshole and brought a tear to my eye. Independence Day wasn't far off, and understanding that nothing was more inherently American than dissent, I was inspired to piece together my list of the top 12 protest songs ever sung.\nTHE LIST:\n1. (tie) Bob Dylan - "Masters of War" / "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" / "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (1963, 1964) All written and recorded in 1963 and 1964, these three Dylan originals defined the modern protest song. Railing literately against warmongers, impending nuclear war and national responsibility shifting from parents to children, these tracks convey a furious anger by way of Dylan's already gruff voice and assured acoustic strumming.\n2. Bob Marley & the Wailers - "Redemption Song" (1980) Nothing less than an indictment of old-school thought and remaining vestiges of slavery throughout the world, this short acoustic track from Marley's final album remains his most affecting call to arms; a call that had the power to instill fear in governments.\n3. Ten Years After -- "I'd Love to Change the World" (1971) Forget "For What It's Worth" and "Fortunate Son." This track from British blues-rock outfit Ten Years After is the real sound of the world imploding in the midst of the Vietnam conflict, with blazing guitar solos giving way to an appeal to the U.S. Senate to call off the madness.\n4. N.W.A - "Fuck tha Police" (1989) Still a right-wing talking point of controversy 17 years later, N.W.A.'s diatribe against crooked LAPD officers placed the group at the forefront of rap music, and rendered Ice Cube, MC Ren and Easy-E the African-American equivalents of Tom Joad. Dr. Dre's production is, as always, both energizing and superbly catchy.\n 5. Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On" (1971) One of the prettiest anti-war songs ever recorded finds Marvin Gaye lamenting brother killing brother and invoking that ancient appeal for love to conquer hate. Motown was never more relevant.\n6. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - "Ohio" (1970) When four college students were murdered and nine injured by the Ohio National Guard during a Vietnam conflict protest at Kent State University in Ohio, CSNY fired back with this sobering lament for a nation gone wrong. The pained calls of "Why? How many more?" that closes the track rings true with every soldier killed in Iraq.\n7. The Clash -- "Death or Glory" (1979) Who knows exactly what they were speaking out against on this classic track from London Calling. No matter what their cause, Joe Strummer and company are at their melodically hellraising best here.\n8. Eminem -- "White America" (2002) Marshall Mathers finally let it all hang out on this opening track from his third album by lashing out against the government, his critics, censorship, racism and record companies all with unparalleled lyricism, production and flow.\n9. Rage Against the Machine -- "Guerilla Radio" (1999) Rage built their career on thumbing their noses at the system, but this track from their final LP packed all the rage into one concise packing, boiling over with searing invective against election fraud and governmental corruption.\n10. Guns N' Roses -- "Civil War" (1991) The most significant statement Axl Rose ever made begins with a soundbite from "Cool Hand Luke" and established itself as the best anti-war song ever penned by a former 80's hair-metal act.\n11. Pink Floyd -- "Two Suns in the Sunset" (1983) It's certainly the most subtle song on the list, but Roger Waters' bleak vision of a man-made nuclear apocalypse is also a scathing condemnation of man's senseless war against himself.\n12. (tie) Sex Pistols -- "Anarchy in the UK" / "God Save the Queen" (1977) They didn't invent punk, but Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious were its first truly controversial figures, and they injected these two tracks off their only proper studio album with a bitter, angry sense of malice against complacent British life.