Favorite protest songs of other Substack writers passionate about music

My ongoing series on (and fascination with) protest songs

Welcome, everyone, to a very special post in this series about protest songs.

I have invited 25 Substack writers to share one of their favorite protest songs and tell us why it’s a favorite. These are writers who are engaged with and passionate about music and with whom I have a relationship here on Substack as either a reader or writer.

They range from indie musicians to journalists to academics to music industry insiders, and some, like me, are simply people who fell in love with music at some point in their lives and, as one writer says, were ‘deputized’ to spread the gospel of music.

I was curious: what songs would these writers choose?

All I can say is wow. This is an amazing group of songs and fascinating explanations about why they chose what they chose.

The songs come from a wide range of genres and sub-genres. Besides classic rock-and-roll, genres include folk, jazz, pop, soul, punk, hip hop, heavy metal, and combinations thereof, as well as some interesting sub-genres — for example, progressive folk, country Americana, a bush ballad, Afrobeat, and Dutch hardcore punk.

They are arranged in chronological order — from 1956 to 2024 — to enable you to follow the progression of protest songs over time. Are they time-bound or timeless? A question some writers address.

For each song, you will find the following:

• a brief bio of the writer who chose it, with a link to their substack

• an explanation, in their own words, of why that protest song is a favorite

• their preferred video for the song.

On this day of thanksgiving in my country, I feel grateful to have this community of readers and writers who have a passion for music and an enthusiasm for sharing it with others.

My deep and heartfelt thanks to all of the writers for the time, energy, and love of music they invested in their contribution to this post.

I am also thankful for the courageous artists who continue to protest against the ills and wrongs of the world through their work. In my view, we owe them an extraordinary debt for taking on the risk and carrying the torch.

Please share your reactions, favorites, observations, and feelings in the comments — for once, I’m going to let you all discuss without always putting my two cents in — and please be sure to check out the substacks of writers who intrigue you.

For the best reading and viewing experience and to see the entire post, I recommend opening it by clicking on the title. Enjoy!

“Whack Fol the Diddle” by the Clancy Brothers (1956)

Brian Kennedy is the founder of Lydwine (a substack and a vision of the arts), as well as the frontman and principal songwriter of the arthouse country band The Cimarron Kings. He lives with his wife and six children in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

“In the midst of the mid-century folk revival in the United States, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem released The Rising of the Moon: Irish Songs of Rebellion, which included a rendition of Peadar Kearney’s ‘Whack Fol the Diddle,’ a tongue-in-cheek appreciation of Mother England’s many conquering charms. I used to listen to this and other Irish songs with my grandfather, both of whose parents emigrated to the US from Ireland in the early 20th century. My grandmother’s people came earlier, fleeing the famine. That the Irish could still keep a sense of humor in the face of centuries of oppression, and sing songs of protest in the tongue of their conqueror, is admirable. That they could come to the States and make a living still singing these songs (dressed in Aran jumpers, no less) makes me proud. God bless England, indeed.”

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” by Peter LaFarge (1962)

NickS has lived in the Pacific Northwest most of his life and has worked for many years as a programmer at a small company. His parents were involved in the local folk music scene; he grew up around a lot of music, which has formed the basis for his musical appreciation. At the time, it felt intimidating, and it seemed like music was a serious, adult interest. So it took him a while to be interested in exploring his own musical tastes but, when he did, that was a good foundation, and now Substack has been a fun environment to start thinking about music again. He writes Earnestness is Underrated and posted his own take on “What makes a good protest song?” in response to this series.

“I've selected this as my favorite protest song, because it's the one that is most likely to grab me in a wide range of moods. Many protest songs feel like the right thing to give voice to or boost what I'm already feeling, but ‘Ira Hayes’ has a power that's hard to ignore. I first heard this on a collection of songs that influenced Johnny Cash and it stunned me. Peter LaFarge sings with passion and anger, telling the story of Ira Hayes fighting in WWII and then gradual decline and death after returning to the US. The chorus is unforgettable — when I think of the song I immediately hear ‘Call him drunken Ira Hayes / He won't answer anymore.’”

“Mississippi Goddam” by Nina Simone (1964)

Brianna Bartelt is a musician and architect in NYC who writes a new substack called Building Songs about songwriting and the built environment. Topics range from recording studio design to lyrical analysis to interviews with musicians. She writes and releases bedroom pop music under the name Bri Barte.

“It’s my favorite for a few reasons. Nina wrote it in 1964, but she updated the lyrics in the years following to reflect current events. The lyric, ‘this is a show tune, but the show hasn’t been written for it yet,’ adequately sums up her concept for the song. It has an upbeat, bouncy tempo and melody that allow her to deliver her biting lyrics with sarcasm and barely contained rage. Sixty years later, and we desperately still need to listen.”

“Laugh at Me” by Sonny Bono (1965)

Wayne Robins was a regular contributor to Creem, Rolling Stone, and The Village Voice from 1971-1975. He is a former editor of the original Creem, and contributor to newspapers and magazines around the world. Until his substack Critical Conditions, he was best-known as the pop music writer for Newsday (Long Island) and city edition, New York Newsday, from 1975-1995. He was inducted into the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2022, and recently retired from 12 years as an adjunct professor teaching music criticism, literature and film, at St. John's University.

“The year 1965 was the first popular peak of protest songs. I remember top 40 AM radio (the only kind then, really) playing the biggest crossover song of that kind, Barry McGuire's ‘Eve of Destruction,’ amid all the groovy songs from the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Motown. I was an angry teen and just starting to write poetry and song lyrics that year, and one of my first friends in school was Jeff Cohen, who was lead singer and rhythm guitarist for a popular local teen garage band called The Mongs. (No meaning: just The Mongs). I came to Jeff with a lyric I had written, a protest song called ‘You Gotta Be Kidding.’ The first lines of this non-masterpiece were: ‘If you think I'll be put down/Just because I act like a clown/who doesn't want to frown/You gotta be kidding.’ It found its way into the Mongs repertory. My song was inspired by Sonny Bono's ‘Laugh at Me,’ a much more approachable benchmark than say, Dylan: Don't bug me, man, I want to let my hair grow.” 

“Too Many People” by The Leaves (1966)

Joe Bonomo has written about music for many years. His books include: Play This Book Loud: Noisy Essays; Field Recordings from the Inside; Sweat: The Story of The Fleshtones, America's Garage Band; AC/DC's Highway to Hell (33 1/3 Series); and Conversations with Greil Marcus. See his other books here and visit him at his Substack No Such Thing As Was.

“The Leaves’ ‘Too Many People’ is a relentless wail of teenage angst, yet singer Jim Pons’s conviction and the band's menacing playing speak to anyone at any age who feels cornered, voiceless, and pissed off. Been there? Yeah me, too. You might also be interested in a small piece I wrote about ‘Too Many People’ a couple of years ago.”

“Draft Dodger Rag” by Phil Ochs, performed by the Smothers Brothers and George Segal (1967)

Robert C. Gilbert is a Toronto-born and now Oshawa-based record collector, music writer and critic who writes about the joy of listening to music on his Substack, Listening Sessions.

“There’s nothing like using humour to stick it to the man and Ochs’ ‘Draft Dodger Rag’ wields it like a razor, mercilessly mocking those who are long on words and short on action—the only ailment not besetting the song’s most willing unwilling combatant in history would appear to be bone spurs. In 1967, the Smothers Brothers, who knew a thing or two about using satire to expose the folly of politics, teamed up with George Segal to perform it for their legendary CBS show and have a whole lot of fun doing so.”

“If I Can Dream” by Elvis Presley (1968)

Nic Briscoe writes the substack The Song's the Thing, where he has posted about his experiences working as a sound engineer and musician at Trident Studios, CBS Whitfield Street, EMI Abbey Road Studios, and Maison Rouge Studios in London during the 80s and 90s. Links to his own music (in all the usual places) are available on his substack.

“Elvis didn’t write this song, and I’m not sure what the original writer intended for this song. However, it’s a perfect crystal clear example of an artist (who was not an activist) with a very focused social conscience that infused their work. The choice of song, the position in the show (last song I think), and the timing (post-assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King), demonstrated that Elvis really felt deep solidarity with various groups of people affected by these events. Since writing this paragraph, I’ve subsequently learned that this song was written late in 1968, especially for Elvis by Walter Earl Brown, who knew how devastated Elvis personally was by both these assassinations. According to Wikipedia — After Presley heard the demo, he proclaimed: ‘I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another movie I don't believe in.’”

“Percy’s Song” by Fairport Convention (1969)

Hugh Jones grew up in the New York City area during the 1960s with music-loving parents, and was deputized to rock 'n' roll by the Beatles in February 1964. He ended up in Seattle in the mid-'70s and went on to work in a used/collector's record store for 25 years, during which time he also published a successful Led Zeppelin fanzine called Proximity. He also played in a variety of bands in the late '90s & 2000's, and is currently telling the stories of his musical adventures here at The Record Store Years.

“One of my favorites is ‘Percy's Song,’ written by Bob Dylan and recorded by Fairport Convention on their 1969 album Unhalfbricking. I am not sure that it qualifies as a ‘protest song’ in the same sense that most of the others mentioned here do, it's a more personal story of protest against the injustice of a 99-year sentence served by a hard-hearted judge. ‘He's not a criminal and his crime it is none, What happened to him could have happened to anyone,’ sings the song's narrator — the song's form is that of an old folk ballad, with a recurring theme every other line (‘Turn, turn to the rain and the wind’) and many verses with no bridge or ‘middle eight.’ The moving lyrics, beautiful melody and gorgeous vocals on Fairport's version never fail to give me chills.”

“Something’s in the Air” by Thunderclap Newman (1969)

Lori Christian is a former Los Angeles music biz/scenester at BOMP! Records and Warner Bros. Records. Her husband is Chris Wilson, formerly of the Flamin' Groovies and The Barracudas. She writes Rock and Roll Girl.

“I was thinking of this song, an anti war song of sorts. We are fighting a war against hate right now. The song was released in 1969 and although the lyrics mention guns, I will refer to them as ballots. Thunderclap Newman was a project produced by Pete Townshend, my ‘father figure’ I mentioned in my article, ‘I Want My MTV.’ Thunderclap Newman featured the late Jimmy McCulloch from Wings on guitar and vocals. The song became a #1 hit in the UK. Godspeed Uncle Sam…” (Read the rest of her post here.)

“21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson (1969)

Jackie Ralston writes the Music of the Day substack and responded to this protest song series by sharing a brilliant song by Tom Lehrer that makes fun of protest songs. Music was Jackie's escape in childhood; she was exposed early to many genres and still enjoys exploring them. She was a flautist through high school and still plays occasionally; her doctoral dissertation explored the role of melodic and rhythmic accents in perceiving and remembering music.

“The ‘favorites’ game is hard for me, as that's always a moving target. Today's winner is ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’ by King Crimson. The spare, ‘free association’-style lyrics and frenetic music pack a powerful punch and were disturbingly prescient... and are even more relevant today.”

“Harvest for the World” by the Isley Brothers (1976)

Brad Kyle spent much of the ‘70s and early ‘80s behind the mic in FM rock radio, and peddling vinyl in several record stores in Houston and L.A. He takes you FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE, revealing the behind-the-scenes in the biz, as well as focusing on songs that may not have been hits, but may just become your new faves!

“My favorite “protest song” comes from 1976, and was the title song and single by The Isley Brothers on their Harvest for the World album (T-Neck/CBS Records). I was 21, and new to doing the 7-midnight shift on commercial FM-rocker, WFMF-102 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The entire album was a group/brother effort, with all six brothers producing and writing: Chris, Ernie, Marvin, O’Kelly, Ron, and Rudolph. The song became a Top Ten R&B hit in the US, and was a bigger hit in the UK, reaching #10 on the UK Singles Chart.

If a traditional “protest” song is meant to have you frowning along with angst and all due seriousness, fist in air, “Harvest” isn’t that. It may actually have you smiling and singing along, quickly discovering that good vibes travel around the world quite easily.”

“For the MTV generation, Paul Weller’s Style Council played a ‘Harvest for the World’ cover for a 1983 episode of UK TV’s sketch comedy show, Three of a Kind (which featured an early-career Tracey Ullman). I don’t think Weller and company ever recorded it (sound level is low…turn it up!):”

“Zombie” by Fela Kuti (1976)

Cal Cashin is a London-based freelance music journalist and “groove historian” writing about jazz, rock, funk and pop from all over the world for such publications as Loud And Quiet, Sonemic, The Quietus, Clash, Crack Magazine, MOJO, and So Young Magazine. He writes the substack …Musicawi Silt.

“Fela Kuti was all about the music, when he left Nigeria to study in the USA in the late sixties. But after shrouding himself amongst the Black Panther, Pan-African and Black Nationalist movements, he returned to his home country full of righteous fury, and a desire to be a voice uniting the newly independent states of Africa. ‘Zombie’ is his best known work, a revelatory Afro-beat groover that feels like revolution. Tony Allen’s polyrhythmic drums are punched through by scrambled, rhythmic guitar riffs, and Kuti’s saxophone fanfare, as the legendary bandleader turns his ire to the brutal and corrupt Nigerian police force, the titular zombies. When asked about my favourite protest songs, this one rises above all others: it sounds, simply, like a group of musicians seeking to be the change they want for their world. And with the power coming absolutely from the propulsion of the music, this feels more than anything else, like a universal outcry against the forces of oppression.”

Note: This video is Fela’s edited version. He has disabled the longer version for use elsewhere, but check that out here.

“California Über Alles” by the Dead Kennedys (1979)

"Michael Acoustic" is the nom de plume of the Substack writer who publishes weekly under that name. He is a singer/songwriter living in the Pacific Northwest. His tagline “Saying I’m experienced just means I’m old and I’ve done some things…” sums up his approach to music, writing and life.

“A mocking protest against then Governor Jerry Brown would be my choice. Like so many ‘protest songs,’ it didn’t age well, as time sorta marches on. ‘Ohio’ is the only one that still resonates, I think. Maybe a few others, Nixon’s dead after all. But when Jello Biafra got wound up about something the result was always spectacular and a bit nutty!”

“I Wanna Destroy You” by the Soft Boys (1980)

S.W. Lauden edited the essay collections Go All the Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop, Forbidden Beat: Perspectives on Punk Drumming, and Generation Blue: An Oral History of the Hollywood Geek Rock Scene in the 1990s and 2000s (among others). His substack is Remember The Lightning. He has played drums in The Brothers Steve, Tsar, and Ridel High. Social: @swlauden

“This is one of the The Soft Boys’ most revered releases, an uncharacteristically aggressive track for a band who frontman Robyn Hitchcock has described as ‘a bunch of very non-confrontational, uptight, middle-class kids.’ Perhaps it’s their percolating, pent up rage that gave us one of the best anti-fascist/anti-war punk songs of all time.”

“Paid Vacation” by the Circle Jerks (1981)

John P. Strohm is a musician — Blake Babies, Lemonheads, Velo-Deluxe, Antenna, now solo — as well as an artist-supportive music and tech lawyer and former President of Rounder Records. He gives invaluable advice to artists on his substack Ready for Nothing.

“This is one of the first hardcore punk songs I ever heard, on a sampler titled Let Them Eat Jellybeans. This is a protest song about the U.S. funding of/potential involvement in the Soviet/Afghan war in the late 70s/early 80s in support of the Mujahideen fighters (which included future Jihadist enemies such as Osama Bin Laden). The key lyrics are ‘It's not Vietnam, it's another oil company scam/salute that flag for Uncle Sam/pick your money up, place your bets, it's Afghanistan!’ These South Bay surfer kids had a perfect read on the U.S. involvement in the Middle East that spiraled out of control in the ensuing years. Every kid in the 80s, myself included, had nightmares about being drafted into yet another remote theater of the Cold War. This song helped to shape my attitudes about Global politics at the time.”

“If I Had a Rocket Launcher” by Bruce Cockburn (1984)

MK Piatkowski doesn't know a time without music thanks to her Perry Como-loving parents. An AOR station was always on the car radio, leaving her with a love of the genre and a curiosity to discover more. Sneaking a radio to listen to John Mahjor on CHUM 1050 opened her up to a new world that she is still exploring. A singer all her life, she's now sharing the songs she loves on her blog, Song of the Day, which started its life on her Facebook page but has found its full expression on Substack. She also writes a weekly personal development blog, Catalysts of Change, and enjoys doing oracle card readings.

“This song really captures the anger at seeing atrocities. It was inspired by Cockburn's visit to Guatemalan refugee camps in Mexico following the counterinsurgency campaign of dictator Efraín Ríos Montt.”

“Sun City” by Artists United Against Apartheid (1985)

Amy McGrath wrote for a New England regional music paper 1989-1994. Interviewed musicians as diverse as Don Henley, Bob Geldof and local bands, covered gigs in the alternative music scene and then... life! Her substack is Write Hear - Pop Culture & the Beatles.

“Released in October 1985, this song was the vision of Steven Van Zandt and producer Arthur Baker. Sun City, a luxury resort and casino, was located within Bophuthatswana, South Africa. South Africa, then still an anti-apartheid government, painted Sun City as an enticing entertainment independent retreat, which had attracted musicians as diverse as Queen, Elton John and Rod Stewart to play by offering large sums for their services.”

“There Is Power in a Union” by Billy Bragg (1986)

Matty C is a middle aged musician, songwriter, and graphic designer who's spent most of a lifetime pondering deep and meaningful questions about music, film, literature and art. He recently took his readers along as he did a 17,000-mile tour playing his way across America and back, through regular posts on his substack, What Am I Making.

“My favorite protest song is 'There Is Power In A Union' by Billy Bragg. It perfectly echoes the strength of the masses when they work together. Bragg was a force that radicalized me with the compassion and progressivism inside his brilliantly written pop songs.”

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 (1988)

Nic Briscoe gave us the Elvis song above and asked if he could offer another. I couldn’t say no when I learned that it was this one and watched the live performance he’d chosen.

“I think this song speaks for itself, however, just in case it doesn’t, here’s my take. ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ is not sectarian, nor is it political. Neither is it about a specific event in a speccific location. U2 aren't taking sides. They went out of their way to tailor the lyrics to ensure this was clear. This song is composed by young men who directly experienced first-hand the horrors of the ‘Troubles’ throughout Ireland (both in the North and the South). They wanted to convey how they and thousands of other Irish people felt. They wanted the killing to stop. They wanted a peaceful dialogue to begin. This applied to similar situations globally. This song is imbued with lived social conscience. It’s not an activist call to arms or rebellion. It’s exactly the opposite.”

"Tell It Like It T-I-Is" by the B-52s (1992)

Dan Pal has been studying and enjoying pop music his entire life.  On Substack he’s written a Top Ten Memoir covering every year of his life focusing on the events and songs that shaped each of those years.  Check it out at PalCinema, Television, & Music.

“So, I’m not typically a politically-oriented person.  However, in 1992, I was noticing a strange conservatism in my midst and was feeling like it didn’t connect with who I was and how I was raised.  The B-52s released their album Good Stuff that year which was led by the song ‘Tell It Like ItT-I-Is.’ One might not normally think of this LoveShack/RockLobster/MyOwnPrivateIdaho band as anything more than a party band but ‘Tell It Like It T-I-Is’ suggested, after years of Reagan and Bush Sr., that it was time for someone to step up to the plate and stand up for social issues. For me, Bill Clinton was that man. The B-52s called for everyone to stand up and speak for what they believed in: ‘Seems like things are gettin’ so bad, That you can smell it. Yeah, so open those eyes And get the real picture, It's time to tell it. I wanna talk, baby. I wanna say something. I've got to tell it like it T-IE-IE-IE-I is.’”

“Waltzing Matilda” by Slim Dusty (1999)

David Drayer is a solo guitarist and singer-songwriter (‘guitar bum,’ as well as antebellum farmsteader) and has performed “Waltzing Matilda” before audiences many times. He has written a post about the song on his substack, Strange and Unusual Places, which includes his own recording. (His label is Dead Strings.) No matter where he plays it, people recognize and love “Waltzing Matilda.”

“It has been said that all Western Pop, Blues, Country, Jazz, etc. derived from Celtic music, and ‘Waltzing Matilda’ is no different in that respect, but as a statement in protest of tyranny it stands alone in its clarity and intent. It might very well be the most reproduced protest song of the last century, certainly this one as well, and indeed there is a great deal of passion around ‘Waltzing Matilda,’ and a very binary division. There has always been a swagman, a rancher and a trooper, and lots of folks are waltzing Matilda even as we speak; ‘Waltzing Matilda’ is not the first or the last march.”

“Tragedy of the Commons” by Delain (2014)

Charles in San Francisco is a music blogger, novelty-seeker and science nerd. Most of his writing focuses on women in music (from classical and jazz to rock and metal), and on legacy rock and jazz. He is also collaborating with other writers on a project titled “Beginner’s Guide to Heavy Metal.” He writes Zapato’s Jam: Music Without Borders.

“It is not widely known, but heavy metal originated with English working-class protest music. Raw and not very technical, it eventually merged with acid and psychedelic rock (think Hendrix and Cream) and became early metal. Social protest remains a significant part of the metal scene today.

This is an anthem about humans’ failure to stop greed from destroying our planet. The soprano vocalist is Delain’s long-time lead singer, Charlotte Wessels. The whispers and death vocals are performed by Alissa White-Gluz, whose day job is as lead vocalist with the Swedish band Arch Enemy.”

“Thoughts and Prayers” by Drive-By Truckers (2020)

Steve Goldberg writes the Substack newsletter Earworms and Song Loops. He describes it as “a humorous and heartfelt look at the songs that gets stuck in our heads and the life stories they conjure.” Steve has always found writing at the intersection of music and memoir to be both cathartic and illuminating and hopes it inspires in readers similar feelings as well.

“In terms of modern day protest songs, the two artists/bands that popped in my head were Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Drive-By Truckers. Of course, you're probably aware that Jason Isbell used to be a member of the Drive-By Truckers. Both Isbell and Patterson Hood are exceptional songwriters and have tackled many important issues in their songs. ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ is ostensibly about school shootings and the proliferation of guns, but it could fit for any senseless tragedy that leads to… What's mind-blowing is that last year Jason Isbell wrote a similar song about guns and school shootings called ‘Save the World’ that I almost chose instead.”

“Fulfilment Center” by Richard Dawson (2020)

Richard Elliott has written about protest songs in his published work, for example: Chilean nueva canción; protest songs around the time of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal (as part of his book about fado); and civil rights music, in his 2013 book on Nina Simone. His day job is teaching and researching at Newcastle University in the north east of England. His substack is Songs and Objects.

“‘Fulfilment Centre’ relates the experiences of workers slogging to meet orders in a warehouse, with the work depicted as relentless and dehumanising. While the song is structured around people, events and feelings of frustration, it also uses the device of verbless listing as a way of underlining the endlessness of the ‘tat’ contained in the centre and of the labour required to process it. Trying to keep up with the nonstop demand for ‘trainers and tarot cards, dash-cams and wall-art, Lego and shaving foam, onesies and retractable extension leads’, the pickers are doomed to Sisyphean repetition. As well as being a favourite of mine, this song is also featured in a project called Our Subversive Voice: The History and Politics of the English Protest Song.”

“Alles Moet Better” by Hang Youth (2020)

Jasper Van Loy is a music journalist from Belgium, writing for the magazine Humo and the newspaper De Morgen. His brand new substack is The Notes in My Ears. (Welcome, Jasper!)

“In my opinion, protest songs are tools to gain attention for a case and to raise awareness in the clearest way possible. This song is 85 seconds long and the title says: 'Everything needs to be better!' Plain and simple, also funny in a way regarding the complexity of the world these days.”

“American Requiem” by Beyoncé (2024)

Thea Wood is a Recording Academy member who produces Herizon Music: The Newsletter & Podcast featuring women in music and the issues that affect them. She is also writing the nonfiction First Ladies of Music: A Rockin’ Activity & Coloring Book for music lovers of all ages. 

“While this is a new protest song, ‘American Requiem’s’ roots run deep. Richard Danielpour released his 2001 ‘American Requiem’ orchestral and choral work honoring WWII, Vietnam, and Korean soldiers and their families who sacrificed so much fighting fascism/communism. Dr. James DeMars was commissioned to compose his ‘American Requiem’ after the 1992 Los Angeles riots with the intention of bringing the American community together. Beyoncé’s anthem carries a similar call for unity and bravery at a time when we need it more than ever: ‘Can we stand for something? Now is the time to face the wind. Now ain't the time to pretend. Now is the time to let love in.’”