Dan Mangan likes to joke that his most-beloved song, “Robots,” was written about his least-liked politician, Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
In fact, Mangan actually has written about the Conservative leader. On the chorus of his stormy “Mouthpiece” from Club Meds, the affable Vancouver songwriter took aim at the prime minister’s lack of accountability when he murmured: “Question period’s over, don’t you feel it?”
But Mangan never mentioned Harper by name. Virtually no prominent Canadian artists have, even though the prime minister is about as popular in musician circles as busted monitors or meddling record company execs.
“Back in the day there was more room for that — really specific mentioning of politicians names in songs,” Mangan said. “But I think most of the best political work doesn’t happen in that shrill, soapbox way.”
Perhaps Mangan is right. Still, it’s hard to think of a recent political figure who has inspired so much angst and so little art.
Margaret Thatcher galvanized a generation of punks to conjure darts sharp enough to pierce iron — not to mention the non-punk likes of Pink Floyd, Elvis Costello and Morrissey — while Tony Blair weathered attacks from an astoundingly diverse lot, including Radiohead, Chumbawamba and Dizzee Rascal, who memorably flowed: “If you want beef, you’ll get your share … I’m a problem for Anthony Blair.”
On this side of the pond, one could carve an entire wing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for musicians who lyrically lacerated Ronald Reagan, including Prince, Bryan Adams, U2, R.E.M., and the Clash. Rapper Killer Mike devoted an entire song to eviscerating the divisive politician, ending with the unambiguous phrase: “I’m glad Reagan’s dead.”
More recently, George W. Bush was targeted by Eminem, Neil Young, Pearl Jam and Green Day, whose 2004 opus American Idiot perhaps marked both the recent peak of musical muckraking and the moment it faded from fashion.
“Nobody wants to be Green Day circa American Idiot,” said Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs and now Operators. “That direct style of political songwriting is, for lack of a better word, not cool anymore.
“I just finished the next Operators record and there are many pointed political songs, but they don’t mention Harper’s name. Maybe that’s a problem. Maybe somebody does need to write a boneheaded political song, naming names.”
Boeckner does wonder, however, how well such a tune would travel.
“It’s easier for American bands to write about a bad president than it is for Canadians to write about a bad prime minister, because we have less of a global impact,” he argued. “It’s not going to resonate as much as saying Bush is terrible. People in France will be like, ‘Stephen Harper who?’ ”
“Maybe a lot of musicians are hesitant to write something that’s so specific to a time and place,” agreed New Pornographers frontman Carl Newman. “But in the ’80s, UK bands would talk about Margaret Thatcher negatively, and somehow that translated.
“That kind of political rage can translate even if it’s about something you don’t know about.”
Mangan and Stars’ Torquil Campbell are among the musicians to support the #ImagineOct20th movement, intended to inspire young people to oust Harper from office. Concerts supporting the cause have been organized. Now, all they need is a theme song.
But perhaps the reason no one writes songs about Harper is that he’s simply not as colourful a character as the unpopular politicians of yore.
“We could write the most boring song in the world about Stephen Harper,” said Raphaelle Standell-Preston of Montreal art-rockers Braids.
“But no one’s going to like it because it’s about Stephen Harper.”
Five politicians frequently skewered in song
Richard Nixon
Tricky Dick couldn’t escape the scorn of some of his generation’s most eloquent songwriters, including Neil Young, Stevie Wonder and Randy Newman.
Margaret Thatcher
The Iron Lady needed to be made of strong stuff to endure all the vitriol sent her way, from the likes of Morrissey, Sinead O’Connor and Elvis Costello, who once spat: “When they finally lay you in the ground/ I’ll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down.”
Ronald Reagan
Contempt for this Republican president knows no genre boundaries, with U2, Frank Zappa, the Ramones and Kendrick Lamar among the many artists to have taken shots at the former actor.
Tony Blair
The long-serving Labour Party leader found little love in Britain’s flourishing music scene, with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, George Michael and Pet Shop Boys among the artists to go literally on the record with their feelings on Blair.
George W. Bush
When it came to Dubya, angry musicians doubled down on the severity of their criticism, with Pearl Jam, LL Cool J, Neil Young and the typically apolitical Eminem all getting in on the anti-Bush venting.
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