Popular Culture Review Vol. 24, No. 1, Winter 2013 | Page 95

A Historical OverView of Philanthropy In Rock from the 1950s to the 2000s Introduction Sometimes, the social and political involvement of rock musicians goes beyond simple songwriting or protest and instead takes the form of concerts, songs or televised events, for the purpose of fundraising and raising public awareness in social and global issues. Somewhat lost in these charity performances was the sense of rebellion, Opposition, violence, or radical politics that have been associated with rock music by the public. Even though rock music inherited the folk tradition of protest songs by making political commentary on topics such as war, poverty, religion, justice, civil rights, and the environment (Scheurer 170), the social activism in rock music might have reached a mainstream peak with the “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” single by Band Aid in 1984 and “We Are the World” by USA for Africa in 1985, but with a different sense than in the past. Though the two singles were not the first of their kind, they signaled the arrival of the Philanthropie movement in rock music in a completely new way, showing that Contemporary music can still carry compassionate and challenging ideals on a much higher level than anyone could have ever imagined. While philanthropy from one field can have an impact on the other fields, the endeavors in rock music to help the welfare of others have often been overlooked in the field of academia. Rock music has historically played an important part in shaping the social, cultural, and political history of the second half of the last Century, and it has constantly reminded us that it can