A topical song is a song that comments on current political and social events. Typically, these songs offer a mix of narrative and commentary, although some (such as Neil Young's song "Ohio", reacting to the Kent State shootings) assume that the events are so well known that only commentary is called for. For the former Canadian politician see Neil Young (politician) Neil Young with guitar (from the 1991 Weld tour) Neil Young (born November 12, 1945 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has become one of the most respected and influential musicians of his generation. ... Mary Ann Vecchio kneels over the body of Jeffrey Miller The Kent State shootings, also known as May 4th or The Kent State Massacre, occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of students by the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4...

Topical songs are often (but needn't be) protest songs. Two examples whose titles should be self-explanatory in this respect are "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues" by Bob Dylan (c. 1963) and "The Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo" by Phil Ochs (1965). However, they may also celebrate the events described, such as the 1936 calypso song "FDR in Trinidad" (a.k.a. "Roosevelt in Trinidad") recorded by several artists in Trinidad at the time (probably most famously by a singer who went by the name Atilla) and covered decades later by Ry Cooder, or Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock", about the Woodstock Festival. A protest song is a song intended to protest perceived problems in society which can include injustice, racial discrimination, war, globalization, inflation, social inequalities and so on. ... The John Birch Society (JBS) is a right-wing conservative organization that was founded in 1958 to fight the perceived threat of Communism in the United States. ... Portrait photograph by Daniel Kramer Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and poet. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military. ... Santo Domingo from space, May 1992 Plaza Colón Santo Domingo, population 2,061,200 (2003), is the capital of the Dominican Republic. ... Phil Ochs (1940-76) Photograph from the Michael Ochs Archives Philip David Ochs (December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was a protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer) of the early 1960s, perhaps best known for his songs Power and Glory, There But for Fortune, Changes, When I... Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in the British and French colonial islands of the Caribbean at about the start of the 20th century. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a nation located in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. ... Ry Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is a guitarist especially well known for his slide guitar work. ... Self portrait by Joni Mitchell, on the cover of her album Both Sides Now Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943, in Fort Macleod, Alberta), is a legendary Canadian musician and painter. ... Woodstock redirects here. ...

Generally speaking, one would call a song "topical" only if the events referred to were at least reasonably recent at the time the song was written. Thus, Al Stewart's songs about historical events are generally not considered topical. However, "Biko" by Peter Gabriel, written in 1980, three years after Steve Biko's death in a South African prison, would generally be considered topical because the anti-apartheid struggle of which Biko was part was still in full flower when the song was written. Al Stewart (born September 5, 1945) is a songwriter and musician. ... So, Gabriels biggest commercial success Peter Brian Gabriel (born February 13, 1950, in Cobham, Surrey, England) is an English musician. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Stephen Biko Stephen Bantu Biko (December 18, 1946 – September 12, 1977) was a noted nonviolent anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ...

Tom Lehrer's 1965 album That Was the Year That Was consisted entirely of satirical topical songs on topics ranging from Nuclear proliferation ("MLF Lullaby") to the Second Vatican Council ("The Vatican Rag"). He originally wrote these songs for the television show That Was the Week That Was; most of them were written and first performed in the very week of the events referred to. The album also contains a song — "Folk Song Army" — which takes a satirical look at protest songs. Tom Lehrer in 1960. ... Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... World map with nuclear weapons development status represented by color. ... The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, was a satirical television comedy program that aired on the BBC in 1962 and 1963. ...

Although English-language topical songs are more associated with the political left than the right, this is by no means a given. Two examples of right-wing topical songwriters are Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler who had a hit in 1966 with "Ballad of the Green Beret" or Toby Keith, who has written numerous songs in favor of aggressive U.S. military policies in reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Although Merle Haggard is not particularly on the right politically, his 1969 song "Okie from Muskogee" was seized upon by the cultural right for its putdown of hippies. In politics, left-wing or leftism are terms that refer to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially but not exclusively in the American sense of the word), or with opposition to right-wing politics. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the Right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... SSgt. ... This article is about headgear. ... Toby Keith (right) visits with fans during brief breaks in filming the music video American Soldier in hangar 1600 at Edwards Air Force Base, November 17, 2003. ... ... The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of suicide attacks against civilians of the United States conducted on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. ... Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 in Bakersfield, California) is an American country music singer and songwriter. ... Hippies (singular hippie or sometimes hippy) were members of the 1960s counterculture movement who adopted a communal or nomadic lifestyle, renounced corporate nationalism and the Vietnam War, embraced aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism, and/or Native American religious culture, and were otherwise at odds with traditional middle class Western values. ...

The tradition of topical songs extends to many parts of the world. Some examples from non-English-speaking countries include "Rock 'n' Roll-Arena in Jena" by the Udo Lindenberg of Germany, "Criogenia salvează România" ("Cryogenia saves Romania") by the Romanian band Taxi and "Fora da ordem" ("Out of order") by the Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso. Map of Germany showing Jena Jena is a town in central Germany on the River Saale. ... Udo Lindenberg (1946, Gronau - ) is a german rock musician and composer. ... Taxi are a Romanian pop-rock band. ... Caetano Veloso (born 7 August 1942) is one of the most popular and influential Brazilian composers and singers. ...