protest music comes back

I have to wonder if Cat Stevens’s recent troubles with the US government (or “How to alienate moderate muslims in one easy step”) will lead to a resurgence in popularity for hits like Peace Train [iTMS].

. . . . just now driving home I had a revelation: perfectly ordinary station, perfectly ordinary night, and the next song was Cat Stevens singing “Peace Train”. I laughed aloud at the thought that the unintended consequence of this particular bit of nonsense is that the Department of Homeland Security has now created the anthem of the opposition movement. Nobody will be able to hear that song, and especially not Stevens singing it, without thinking of it in a new way. Will this make us more secure or less?

I see Keb’ Mo’ has a collection of 60s-era protest standards [iTMS] as well. Where will it all lead?

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