Dolly Parton answered my call to make music for Climate Justice!

I began this year by deciding to commit all my musical energy to making music for protest – especially climate protest – and have been bemoaning the fact that the topic simply doesn’t appear in the mainstream music scene. Dolly Parton seems have heard me and answered my call just a few months later, with the release of her song World on Fire. This is a moment in history – the first ever Climate Anthem by a worldwide household name! Who will be the first UK artist to follow, I wonder…

Yesterday at the 58th ACM awards, Dolly gave this powerful performance (above) dressed as the world, with apocalyptic dancers. Yes Dolly! Thank you!

The song, is in my opinion, absolutely ideal with a simple melody anyone can join in with and lyrics containing a good mix of calling out lies, stating the truth of how bad the Climate situation is, and yet also being inspirational and hopeful.

With a simple drumbeat, reminiscent of anthems of the past such as We Will Rock You by Queen, this song is not only fit for the charts, it is fit for the streets. Perhaps that was Dolly’s intention. I will certainly be immediately learning it and taking it out on Protests. Best of all, when I do, everyone will probably already know it – ’cause this song is already making a smash.

I can only imagine that Dolly has made a clear decision to keep this song mainly pentatonic, which makes it familiar and easy to pickup. It’s also loud and hard hitting which will make it work well belted out on the streets with a megaphone. There’s even a chant towards the end to shout along with. The incorporation of that accusation we used to shout as kids “liar liar! pants on fire!” but changed to “liar liar! The world’s on fire!” means we instantly recognise this song on first hearing. Drummers could easily join in with the beat, and I can imagine it with brass too…

Dear Dolly Parton, I’m sure you weren’t really reading this blog and answering my call for more music that addresses the climate crisis, but perhaps you are answering “the call” in general. Perhaps, like me, your New Year’s resolution was to devote yourself to music for Protest. I hope so, and I would appeal to as many big-name artists as possible to do the same.

Come on UK – who’s going to be the first on this side of the pond to put climate change in the charts?

Dolly, I would also appeal to you, and to big-name artists who are established in the music industry, to reach out and collaborate with smaller artists, even grassroots artists like myself who are struggling to break into the music industry perhaps partly because of our commitment to making Protest music – something the current industry doesn’t welcome easily.

Here is a list of all the music artists who played at The Big One, the enormous Westminster (London) climate protest hosted by Extinction Rebellion recently (April 2023), in case you’re interested in connecting with any of us: https://xrmusicandsounds.wordpress.com/climate-activist-artists/

Dolly, if you’re not already, I would also appeal to you to go along to your local Climate demos (there’s no need to fly – we are everywhere https://rebellion.global/groups/us-nashville-tn/ <— I think this one might be your nearest) and not only perform your songs, but also to meet the musicians on the ground who sing and write chants, go on marches, and who are making a new movement – the soundtrack to the revolution. Let’s make anthems for change together!

Love and rage

-Kimwei