"33 Revolutions Per Minute" tracks the turbulent relationship between popular mu
sic and politics, through 33 pivotal songs that span seven decades and four cont
inents, from Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit" to Green Day raging against
the Iraq war. Dorian Lynskey explores the individuals, ideas and events behind e
ach song, showing how protest music has sound tracked and informed social change
since the 1930s. Through the work of such artists as Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan,
Stevie Wonder, Fela Kuti, The Clash, Public Enemy and Gil Scott Heron, Lynskey e
xamines how music has engaged with racial unrest, nuclear paranoia, apartheid, w
ar, poverty and oppression, offering hope, stirring anger, inciting action and p
roducing songs which continue to resonate years down the line.
