Student Demonstration Time

Annotation

The track "Student Demonstration Time" (Brother Records # RS 6453) is an adaptation of the Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller classic R&B song "Riot In Cell Block #9", covered by many artists. Mike Love re-wrote the lyrics, making it one of the most political songs performed by the Beach Boys. It took an interesting look at the overall protest movement, one of the few to chronicle several events, almost as an observer explaining what happen, displaying the views of each side of the debate. But it also sent out mixed signals - on the one hand Mike Love encouraged people to "stay away" during a riot even though people were "fed up with useless wars". Why? Because of the threat of violence? Or did Mike Love agree with Nixon that the "bums" were causing havoc on campuses? At the same time, it also displayed its opposition to "useless wars", and the violence perpetrated by the National Guard and police forces. A look at the verse on Kent State Ohio displays this tension. The narrator suggested that the "students scared the Guard", yet the "troops were battle dressed" - thus presenting both sides of the story. The narrator concluded that the "four martyrs earned a new degree: the Bachelor of Bullets" - an ambiguous statement, it implied that the students got what was coming to them for demonstrating: "earned" the "bullets". The other high profile demonstrations and riots referenced in the lyrics were the Berkeley Free Speech Movement (August 1964), People's Park (May 1969), rioting in Isla Vista, California (June 1970), and a rare mention of the Jackson State killings (15 May 1970): "violence spread down South to...Jackson State brothers". According to Love, they "learned not to say nasty things" to the police, which either implied that they had been provocative, and even disrespectful to the police, or that they now knew the futility of demonstrating against the might of the police. Putting aside the detailed analysis, the overall impression given by the narrator, the chronicler of events, to those listening as the song came on over the radio, was to display a degree of sympathy with the protest movement, while not actually wanting to participate in demonstrations himself, mixed with a hint of criticism of the protesters for disturbing the peace and aggravating confrontations.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs

The track "Student Demonstration Time" (Brother Records # RS 6453) is an adaptation of the Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller classic R&B song "Riot In Cell Block #9", covered by many artists. Mike Love re-wrote the lyrics, making it one of the most political songs performed by the Beach Boys. It took an interesting look at the overall protest movement, one of the few to chronicle several events, almost as an observer explaining what happen, displaying the views of each side of the debate. But it also sent out mixed signals - on the one hand Mike Love encouraged people to "stay away" during a riot even though people were "fed up with useless wars". Why? Because of the threat of violence? Or did Mike Love agree with Nixon that the "bums" were causing havoc on campuses? At the same time, it also displayed its opposition to "useless wars", and the violence perpetrated by the National Guard and police forces. A look at the verse on Kent State Ohio displays this tension. The narrator suggested that the "students scared the Guard", yet the "troops were battle dressed" - thus presenting both sides of the story. The narrator concluded that the "four martyrs earned a new degree: the Bachelor of Bullets" - an ambiguous statement, it implied that the students got what was coming to them for demonstrating: "earned" the "bullets". The other high profile demonstrations and riots referenced in the lyrics were the Berkeley Free Speech Movement (August 1964), People's Park (May 1969), rioting in Isla Vista, California (June 1970), and a rare mention of the Jackson State killings (15 May 1970): "violence spread down South to...Jackson State brothers". According to Love, they "learned not to say nasty things" to the police, which either implied that they had been provocative, and even disrespectful to the police, or that they now knew the futility of demonstrating against the might of the police. Putting aside the detailed analysis, the overall impression given by the narrator, the chronicler of events, to those listening as the song came on over the radio, was to display a degree of sympathy with the protest movement, while not actually wanting to participate in demonstrations himself, mixed with a hint of criticism of the protesters for disturbing the peace and aggravating confrontations.Songs referencing Jackson State shootings: "Jackson-Kent Blues" (Steve Miller Band) "Student Demonstration Time" (The Beach Boys) "H20 Gate Blues" (Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson) "41,000 Plus 4" (Ruth Warrick) "Kent" (Magpie) "What I Know" (KRS-One) (Unreleased)

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Starting out with Berkeley Free Speech and later on at People's Park / The winds of change fanned into flames, student demonstrations spark / Down to Isla Vista where police felt so harassed / They called the special riot squad of the L. A. County Sheriff... / The violence spread down South to where Jackson State brothers learned not to say nasty things about southern policemen's mothers... / America was stunned on May 4, 1970 / When rally turned to riot up at Kent State University / They said the students scared the Guard, though the troops were battle dressed / Four martyrs earned a new degree, the Bachelor of Bullets / I know we're all fed up with useless wars and racial strife / But next time there's a riot, well you best stay out of sight / Stay away when there's a riot going on Songs referencing Jackson State shootings: "Jackson-Kent Blues" (Steve Miller Band) "Student Demonstration Time" (The Beach Boys) "H20 Gate Blues" (Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson) "41,000 Plus 4" (Ruth Warrick) "Kent" (Magpie) "What I Know" (KRS-One) (Unreleased)

About the artist

American rock band formed 1961 in Hawthorne, California. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Anti-War · Kent State · Jackson State · Demonstration · FSM

In collections

Kent / Jackson State Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]