Emotional responses are key to experiencing art, and the evocation of emotional experience is often one of the primary aims of artistic expression in all its forms. Among emotions, anger stands out as one of the most potent and universal.
This playlist delves into how music has served throughout history as a powerful tool for individuals and groups to articulate anger. From divine wrath and the frustrations of human relationships and self-loathing, to unprocessed rage at social injustice, music has provided both an outlet and a platform for communicating and channelling this complex and encompassing emotion.
Anger at social injustice
‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ by Gill-Scot Heron
The playlist opens with Gill-Scot Heron’s, iconic spoken word poem ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’. First released in 1970, it is a powerful critique of the way that mass media can trivialise, flatten, and package for general consumption even the most pressing concerns of those systematically disadvantaged in society.
Scott-Heron expresses his outrage, and indignation about this oppression, particularly as it relates to racial injustice and societal complacency, channelling it into a sarcastic critique of the way media, government, and society as a whole fail to address or even acknowledge the deep-rooted problems facing marginalised communities, especially Black Americans.
‘Burnin’ and Lootin’’ by The Wailers
In “Burnin’ and Lootin'”, The Wailers express deep anger against the oppression, poverty, and particularly police brutality rife in Jamaican society in the 1970s. The song reflects the frustration of people who feel trapped in a system where peaceful means have failed to bring about change, and rebellion seems like the only remaining option.
Rather than aimless violence, the “burnin’ and lootin'” represents a desperate response to the injustice and helplessness felt widely in a population. It’s an outcry against a system that has ignored their suffering for too long.
‘Mississippi Goddam’ by Nina Simone
Released in 1964, ‘Mississippi Goddam’ was one of the most influential songs Nina Simone ever wrote and performed. It initiated a long career of supporting the civil rights movement in the USA, and of standing up to those who wanted the message of equality silenced or toned down.
The song plainly declares frustration with the ‘go slow’ message of those who only wanted change if it didn’t upset the apple cart. Nina Simone’s uncompromising dedication to principle, resulted in an almost conspiratorial ban by record companies and led her, ultimately, to leave the USA.
Love and anger
‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’ by Dionne Warwick
The lyrics of “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” by Dionne Warwick transform the speaker’s anger after being hurt in a relationship, into a bittersweet song about the disillusionment and emotional exhaustion that can come from love.
With its upbeat melody, the song describes the physical and emotional pain of love, using humour to mask feelings of loss, recognising that the deeper human need for companionship doesn’t always respond to logic.
‘Don’t Think Twice, it’s Alright’, by Bob Dylan
This classic, relaying the story of a relationship breakdown, quietly seethes with a love that has turned, first to indifference and then to loathing. The language, although apparently conciliatory, becomes more pointed as the song progresses and ends with overt rancour – ‘You just kinda wasted my precious time…’
Operatic Fury and Jealousy
No art form distils the essence of anger quite like opera. In the famous aria from Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’, the Queen of the Night sings in the highest possible register, and with extreme virtuosity, “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” (“Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart”) as she places a knife into her daughter’s hand with instructions to murder Sarastro, the Queen’s rival.
In Handel’s opera ‘Orlando’, the eponymous hero goes mad with jealousy, nearly killing the object of his affections, Angelica, and Prince Medoro whom she favours. In this aria, the soldier Orlando argues with Angelica saying he will demonstrate his devotion through combat.
In ‘Rodelinda’ another Handelian opera, one of the male characters, Grimoaldo, expresses archetypical fury and jealousy in the combative aria ‘Tuo drudo é mio rivale’ (Your lover is my rival, your husband is my enemy, and he will die.)
Sweet, sweet revenge
‘The Payback’ by James Brown
For many fans, ‘The Payback’, James Brown’s greatest, if not his most popular song, is an unapologetic funk anthem emphasising his right and willingness to exact revenge. The catchy, driving rhythm and strong brass sections contribute to its infectious sound, which helped it gain prominence in both the R&B and pop charts.
Having been sampled in numerous songs and films, ‘The Payback’ became an avatar in popular culture for personal retribution.
‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’’ by Nancy Sinatra
‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin” transforms anger into empowerment and self-assertion. Released in 1966, when women’s struggle to assert their equality in relationships was resonating widely in the feminist movement, the lyrics express one woman’s resolve to confront a deceitful partner. She confidently announces her readiness to leave a toxic relationship and seek a better life, no longer putting up with an unfaithful, and possibly also abusive, partner.
The lyrics declare an evening up of the score, that ‘one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you’, turning it into an iconic anthem for women asserting their independence and wresting back control of their lives.
Divine Wrath
‘Messa de Requiem III. Dies Irae and IV. Tuba Mirum’, by Giuseppe Verdi
Verdi’s Requiem Mass (religious service for the dead), particularly the third movement, Dies Irae (which translates literally as Day of Wrath), is a powerful and dramatic section of this choral masterpiece. It captures the terror and awe of Judgment Day, a theme common to Requiems.
Verdi uses forceful orchestration, with thunderous percussion and a blazing brass section, to evoke the fury and chaos associated with the end of the world. The choir chants, “Dies irae, dies illa” (Day of wrath, that day) with intensity, reflecting the fear and despair of souls facing divine judgment.
Verdi’s use of dynamics and tempo shifts heighten the sense of impending doom, making Dies Irae one of the most memorable and intense sections of the Requiem. It is followed directly by the sounding of the trumpets of judgement day – the Tuba Mirum.
The Art of Anger
Composers’ music often references other art works. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op.31/2 was nicknamed ‘Tempest’ after Shakespeare’s play.
The story has it that one of Beethoven’s contemporaries who asked the composer how to interpret the piece was told to read ‘The Tempest’. The music has elements of storm and tragedy throughout, but the first movement is extraordinary for its innovative ‘conversation’ between a single plaintive treble voice and a raging multitude in the bass.
‘The Rumble’ from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein’s musical, West Side Story, is a modern retelling of another Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. The music selected here accompanies the rumble, or turf war, between two opposing gangs, The Sharks and The Jets, as one member is murdered.
In Thea Musgrave’s composition, ‘Anger’, she references Night Windows, a painting of oppressive loneliness by the American artist, Edward Hopper. This is the second movement of the suite for oboe and piano, which stirs and depicts other emotions including Nostalgia, Despair and Frenzy.
Redemption
Ultimately, anger left to seethe is destructive. The playlist concludes with music that expresses different ways of turning anger’s elemental energy into something constructive.
‘Forgive Them Father’ by Lauryn Hill
“Forgive Them Father” by Lauryn Hill addresses the themes of betrayal, anger, and ultimately the power of forgiveness. The lyrics reflect on the pain caused by betrayal, using poignant examples: ‘like Cain and Abel, Caesar and Brutus, Jesus and Judas, backstabbers do this’ to illustrate how even the most trusted relationships can fracture.
Hill highlights historical injustices faced by marginalised communities, validating the rage that follows societal oppression. Yet, the song advocates forgiveness as a means to heal, suggesting that while betrayal and injustice are an inevitable part of life, finding compassion and understanding is essential for overcoming anger and achieving inner peace.
‘Instant Karma (We All Shine On)’ by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Instant Karma also holds out the universal hope for redemption. The song itself seems to give an example of processing change from expressing raw anger (Instant Karma’s gonna get you…) to arriving at some sort of reconciliation (We All Shine On) – a hopeful note on which to finish.
Hey Jukebox
Listen to a playlist of the songs discussed in this blog on Spotify, or in the Museum on Tuesday afternoons from 2.30pm.