Music

Top 10 Labor Day Songs

Top 10 Labor Day Songs Top 10 Labor Day Songs

In honor of Labor Day, here’s a stab at the impossible task of naming the best songs ever written about working people.

Sep 4, 2023 / Peter Rothberg

photo of oliver anthony singing, holding guitar

If the Left Doesn’t Channel Populist Resentment, We Know Who Will If the Left Doesn’t Channel Populist Resentment, We Know Who Will

What tone-deaf liberals can’t hear in Rich Men North of Richmond.

Aug 24, 2023 / Erica Etelson

Oliver Anthony

The New Bard of the Right The New Bard of the Right

When a video of his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” went viral, Oliver Anthony claimed he was politically “dead center.” His lyrics say otherwise.

Aug 18, 2023 / Editorial / Chris Lehmann for The Nation

The Return of Noname

The Return of Noname The Return of Noname

In her new album, Sundial, the rapper melds her activism and artistry seamlessly.

Aug 17, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

Pupil Slicer lead vocalist Katie Davies during a performance at the Bloodstock Open Air Festival in 2022.

How the UK’s Metal Scene Became a Haven for Trans People How the UK’s Metal Scene Became a Haven for Trans People

Amid Britain’s relentless transphobia, the metal community is creating an ever-growing number of trans icons.

Aug 17, 2023 / William Elisabeth Cuthbert

Robbie Robertson circa November 1994 at The National Museum of the American Indian in New York City.

The Indigenous Roots of Robbie Robertson’s Rock and Roll Revolution The Indigenous Roots of Robbie Robertson’s Rock and Roll Revolution

The music called Americana was created by a Jewish-Canadian-Cayuga-Mohawk.

Aug 14, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Sinéad-O'Connor

Sinéad O’Connor (1966–2023): Premature Anti-Fascist Sinéad O’Connor (1966–2023): Premature Anti-Fascist

For years, O’Connor had been raising an alarm about pedophile priests exploiting children with impunity while an enabling Vatican hierarchy looked the other way.

Aug 1, 2023 / Obituary / Margaret Spillane

Jason Aldean’s Town Without Pity

Jason Aldean’s Town Without Pity Jason Aldean’s Town Without Pity

The country star’s new single and video cash in on long-running racial resentments.

Aug 1, 2023 / Ben Schwartz

Sinead O'Connor performs on Rock Torhout, Torhout, Belgium, on July 7, 1990.

Sinead O'Connor Began Singing Her Black Lives Matter Anthem in 1990 Sinead O'Connor Began Singing Her Black Lives Matter Anthem in 1990

Sinéad O’Connor explained the point of her career in her 2021 memoir: “Everyone wants a pop star. See? But I am a protest singer.” And her protests were epic. After O’Connor’s deat…

Jul 28, 2023 / John Nichols

Sonny Rollins on the Williamsburg Bridge.

The Monumental Improvisations of Sonny Rollins The Monumental Improvisations of Sonny Rollins

Though his life had its ups and downs, Rollins never wavered in his determination to get things right, and often that meant reinventing himself and, along the way, jazz as well.

Jul 24, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Gene Seymour

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