Progressive Top 50 at last- Get back in touch. Meet the Youth Movement.

Originally Published on Music for America, 8/2/06.

I was waiting for someone to come along, some young singer eighteen-to-twenty-two years old, to write these songs and stand up… I waited a long time. Then I decided that maybe the generation that has to do this is still the '60s generation."
–Neil Young on why he released "Living with War"

It was bound to happen- despite a non-stop 30 year career, countless albums with over 50 appearances on various charts and billboards, and even two inductions into the rock and roll hall of fame, Neil Young is finally out of touch with what’s happening in the music biz.

Though "Living with War" may have been a potent protest album, the truth is that Neil's most recent release comes way too late, and the reasoning behind it is way off the mark. It’s time for older progressives everywhere to wake up and realize the truth. The Youth Movement is here. We’ve been here. And we don’t listen to our parents' protest music.

Many people like to wax poetic about the cultural movement that surrounded the music of the 60s, but the truth is that today’s young musicians are speaking out just as loudly and powerfully as the musicians of 30 years ago, despite attempts by big media to silence their voices. Musicians today understand that it takes more than singing a song to create real change. "Let's impeach the President" is a catchy chorus, but it's no stained blue dress, if you get my drift.

When I first started interning with Music for America (MFA) in 2005, the non-profit had already been working with musicians to engage young people in progressive politics every night at concerts across the country for almost 2 years. In the lead-up to the '04 elections, bands big and small- like Sonic Youth, Green Day and the Beastie Boys- partnered with MFA to register young concert-goers and bring an intelligent, progressive vision of America to young people across the nation. We were doing it when it really mattered- during the presidential elections. (2 years before Neil released "Living with War") And most importantly, we were effectively creating change.

In 2004, young people age 18-30 turned out to vote at the highest percentage since 1972, and they were the only age group to vote for Kerry. 2005 proved that this youth movement was no fluke, when young voters in Virginia once again turned out in record numbers and became the difference-makers in electing a democratic governor to a once solidly red state

Despite achieving some success, older progressives like Senator Hillary Clinton (born only two years apart from Neil) love to rag on young people, saying that we "think work is a 4-letter word."

Don't get me wrong. I love the boomers. Civil rights was an amazing achievement. But my generation is achieving as well, and maybe its time for everyone to stop and take notice.

Young people today feel like their future is being mismanaged. We want to make a difference, we’re willing to work for it, and with numbers rivaling the Baby Boomers (60 – 70 million), we have huge potential.

Like any cultural movement, our music reflects our values. Last month, when the National Review published an article called "Rockin’ the Right," a list the top 50 conservative rock songs of all time (including great protest tunes such as "Revolution" by the Beatles and "Won’t get fooled again" by the Who), we over here at MFA had our own idea. We'd create our own list of the Top 50 progressive songs. They'd be songs by our generation, songs from the last 10 years. Some of them would be protest songs, but others would just be great tunes by artists working to create change. Because a band doesn't have to shove their politics down someone's throat to be political. All they have to do is make a difference. Below is a list of our Progressive Top 50 and the reasons why they’re in there. You can download a podcast of our playlist here. The songs are in no particular order... we opted to go for a good-sounding playlist rather than bicker over who is more progressive, more revolutionary, more whatever.

We asked our members, over 70,000 young music fans with a healthy interest in contemporary politics, to help us out. Here’s what we came up with- our gift to all the Neil Youngs and Hillary Clintons of the world. Get back in touch.

Meet the Youth Movement. Listen to MFA's Progressive Top 50 Podcasts!