A protest song is a song that's so specific that you…

I understand why people get desensitized and roll their eyes when they hear a protest song, or even a politician making some flowery speech.…

— Conor Oberst

The hardest song to write is a protest song, a topical song with meaning.

— Joan Baez

The nice thing about a protest song is that it takes the complaint, the fussing, the finger-pointing, and gives it an added component of…

— Nicholson Baker

In the '60s, when I was growing up, one of the great elements of American culture was the protest song. There were songs about…

— George Clooney

I suspect many readers might associate [Bob Dylan] with one of the shortest phases of his career, the time from 1963 to '65 when…

— Jay Michaelson

Long live protest songs, in whatever form they take.

— David Levithan

You have to write a song around this specific character or to enhance a specific scene. A lot of other craft goes on.

— Mick Jagger

I usually have a very clear idea of where I want a song to go, sometimes very specific notes, but I'm generally open to…

— John Lennox

Every improv must be song specific. It has to grow organically out of the particular elements involved or it's just glib self-expression. I hate…

— David First

I'm not one of these people who sits down and writes to say I'm gonna write a song about this or that, or a…

— Creed Bratton

I love when a song is so specific that there's not much room for interpretation.

— Gracie Abrams

In the '60s and '70s, a protest song was a genre in music.

— Sixto Rodriguez

My rules for a protest song are, if it's going to be hectoring or if it's going to be naive or ridiculously idealistic, just…

— Matty Healy

We talk too much of black art when we should be talking about art, just art. Black composers must be free to write rondos…

— Alvin Ailey

I won't be indulging in anger anymore, vehemently and self-righteously singing protest songs, and expecting them to bring peace to me or anyone else.

— Susan Schneider