ELECTION fever is sweeping over some states and what fun it is to scroll through the latest trending topics on Twitter and the like.

I gave a lecture to my music degree students yesterday about the history of the modern protest song, tracing it back to Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”.

A couple of years back, I presented a paper at a conference in Seoul, South Korea, about “indie protest songs” during the politically fertile era of 2008-2013 and I came up with a list of recent local protest songs you should listen to from that period. 

So, here’s the list (in no particular order) that you should blasting while catching up on the latest state election gossip:

1. “I.S.A. (Ikut Suka Aku)” by Meor Yusof Aziddin (2009)

The late Meor (as he was called in person) authored a number of modern Malay language classic songs (at least in my book) in the folk and blues vein that has yet to reach the general public’s ear since his works are hard to find online (mostly on YouTube).

This song is from his 2009 political album “Dari Rakyat Untuk Rakyat” (“From the People to the People”) released at the peak of the pre-2013 general election momentum.

Playfully exchanging the acronym of the once-ubiquitous, now-defunct Internal Security Act into a song critical of whims that political power brings, this song still resonates as a document of the era.

2. “Yellow Day” by Ray Cheong (2011)

I got to know Ray Cheong during my gig-organising days in the late 2000s when he had transitioned from a singing contest winner (destined for the pop singer career path) to a bluesy singer-songwriter with great guitar chops that would keep audiences entertained.

During this period, he and his then-manager did a stint in London, United Kingdom, playing at every available venue and hitting every open mic in town to give himself a shot overseas.

It was during this time when he composed this endearing number celebrating the colour associated with the Bersih movement from the eyes and experience of a patriot abroad.

3. “We Didn’t Start the Fire (edisi Malaysia)” by the Have-nots (2011)

The Have-nots is the pre-Putrabumi band fronted by singer-songwriter and Merdekarya head honcho Brian Gomez.

It was this song – shared by friends from the art scene – that brought my attention to his original songs later on.

While I personally think his brilliant “pendatang”-denouncing song “Rokok Sebatang” is far superior, this “cover version” of the Billy Joel classic with a touch of political “Weird Al” Yankovic playfulness using local politics is a brilliant introduction to the man’s work.

I recall Gomez telling me at a Merdekarya gig post-2018 general election, “We’re out of a job, bro (as protest singers)!” I cheekily replied, “Don’t worry bro, politicians will always screw up!” Oh, how I wish for once I was wrong.

4. “Don’t Need You” by Inverted Coma (2012)

I had seen the alternative rock band’s name around town in gig posters and such but never had the chance to get acquainted with the its music until this song’s music video was released a couple of months before the 2013 general election.

I would eventually meet the band’s guitarist by chance at a pharmacy in Subang Jaya (he worked as a pharmacist) where I recognised him from the music video and we added each other on Facebook.

The band’s take is one from the perspective of the so-called “non-Malays” and it hits home with its direct, earnest and pragmatic call to change and message of unity without resorting to the usual cliched patriotism.

5. “Asalkan Bukan UMNO” by Nik Jidan (2012)

As I wrote about Meor and Nik’s contribution as folk artists last week, this song was pretty much the anthem at Bersih rallies of the period with it’s very clear political and moral message of rejecting the then Najib-led Umno ahead of the 2013 general election.

Taken from his 2012 political album “Dendang Anak Muda”, this song is the most steeped in the Woody Guthrie-esque form of the protest song: simple, direct, and easily participatory with its call-and-response refrain.

Check out the link of the video of the song I shared featuring him performing the song on the streets of Dataran Merdeka the night before the 2012 Bersih rally. – July 14, 2023.

* Azmyl Yunor is a touring underground recording artiste, and an academic in media and cultural studies. He has published articles on pop culture, subcultures and Malaysian cultural politics. He adheres to the three-chords-and-the-truth school of songwriting, and Woody Guthrie’s maxim “All you can write is what you see”. He is @azmyl on Twitter.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.