Gigwise came up with Neil Young’s “Ohio” and I can see that -even if only because it was from a pinciple speaking to his constituency about the moment in political history.
You could this about some of Woody Guthrie’s song, stuff like “Do Re Mi” and the entire punk rock UK division had a lot of that torn from the headlines of the newspapers. But again, a song like, say “White Tiot” wasn’t especially specific.
Bob Marley put political speeches to song and John Lennon wrote the highly specific (and totally awesome) “John Sinclair: “They gave him ten for two…” SInclair had GIVEN an undercover cop a coupla joints and got ten years.
I think I’d go with Dylan’s “The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll”. This despite Dylan versions of the facts are disputed.
For the sake of this post let’s just give you the broadstrokes. Hattie Carrol, the servant in a house, was beaten by the son of the house and died in the hospital.
The son received a six month sentence.
Whatever the truth of the matter is, the chorus it builds to the ridiculous prison term the rich guy received) is the reason why it remains so moving. Hattie carrol receives one ignoble act after another but Dylan won’t allow our grief till the songs end:
“But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears.”