Probably the most famous is Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind." Talk about an anti-war protest song - why isn't Bob Dylan writing songs like that any more? You added the "became a hit" caveat, otherwise we could name his "Masters of War," and a bunch of others.
Another one - monster hit - as a matter of fact it was the only hit for Barry McGuire would be "The Eve of Destruction" which with just a few lyric changes here and there, would still be appropriate today. "The Eastern world, it is explodin'.....you don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'?.....Tell me over and over again, my friend, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction." That could have been written just very recently about Iraq or Israel and that mess.
I'm on a roll here, you do realize that, don't you??
How many people remember Pete Seeger's early 1960's hit "Little Boxes?" A protest song against everything being the same. "Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky, little boxes, little boxes, little boxes all the same...." Obviously, a protest against the growing number of subdivisions in America's suburbs.
Then there was John Fogerty's "Fortunate Son" which he did while still a member of Creedence Clearwater Revival which spoke out against the fortunate rich getting out of going to war, and was essentially an anti-war song by itself. I'm glad to see John hasn't lost the fire because his latest album contains an anti-war-anti-Bush song.
Ok - last one - also a Seeger song - a monster hit for the Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn." "To everything there is a season....a time to be born, a time to die.....a time for war....a time for peace...." You have to wonder when that time will come because we're still waiting for it.
I'd like to include John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance," on this list, but it wasn't really what you could call a protest song.
So many great songs from the "good old days." With a few exceptions, they don't write songs like these any more!
