The Black Lives Matter movement is at the forefront of political debate right now. While many are campaigning for what they perceive to be institutional racism against black people, others are arguing that black-on-black crime and the number of whites killed by cops make the social justice movement flawed.
Third Eye Blind, an American rock band formed back in 1993 in San Francisco, has made it clear that they stand with Black Lives Matter, with a brand new single dedicated to a 16-year-old black girl who was arrested by a campus police officer and dragged out of her seat.
The lead singer of the band, Stephan Jenkins, penned the new political track to address police brutality and racism. He also explicitly references the Black Lives Matter movement in the lyrics, which include the words:
“Tossed across that room face down on the deck. He put his hands on a 16-year-old girl’s neck…On the classroom floor there’s a little blood spatter…Was it so hard to say Black Lives Matter?”
Of course, this isn’t the first ever song written to campaign for social justice. The message of peace has been championed in music ever since the famous Give Peace a Chance track by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Though not too controversial, it has remained a soundtrack for peace and justice for decades now. That doesn’t mean the peaceful pair never dipped their toes in a pool of controversy, though.
Back in 1972, John and Yoko released a song entitled ‘Woman is the Nigger of the World’ in their album ‘Some Time in New York City’, which drew criticism from radio stations across the United States. Before that, back in the 60s, they shook the world by releasing an album called ‘Two Virgins’, which featured the pair standing naked on the front and back of the album.
Social justice songs are nothing new, and while there has been controversy in the past, new tracks about Black Lives Matter are probably the most controversial in history. Let’s hope that America can stop this ongoing conflict very soon.