Protest singers renew their cry

He's a sideburned folk singer with a local following. She's a pop-rock princess, her jeans worn low. And there are others: grunge masters, indie-rock heroes, and country legends.

They are protest singers, circa 2006. While they might not sound anything alike, a number of musicians -- from Mark Erelli and Pink to Morrissey, Merle Haggard, Pearl Jam, and the Dixie Chicks -- share an opinion on the war in Iraq. It should end, several new songs say. And when the name George W. Bush comes up in a tune, it's not to wish him luck with the midterm elections.

In fact, a flurry of recent and upcoming albums take a strong antiwar stance. They're aggressive and unapologetic, ranging from the abstract musings of the Flaming Lips -- who don't name Bush on their new album but have repeatedly invoked him in interviews as the inspiration for it -- to the 69-year-old Haggard's blunt lyric, ''Let's get out of Iraq an' get back on track," on the recently released song ''America First."

This isn't the first time musicians have mobilized against the Iraq war, and against Bush in particular. In 2004, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and dozens of other big-name stars raised millions for Democratic hopeful John Kerry's campaign through a series of concerts, some organized by Rolling Stone magazine founder Jan Wenner. But the pop community hasn't made many waves politically since Bush's second-term victory, other than hip-hop star Kanye West's unexpected slam on the president during a Hurricane Katrina telethon last fall.

''While the Republicans were out there going door-to-door getting votes, we were getting high at the Bruce Springsteen concerts," says Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne. ''Who had more fun? We did. Who won the election? They did."

But now many pop artists are making themselves heard once again. Amy Ray, who along with her Indigo Girls partner Emily Saliers backs Pink on the new song ''Dear Mr. President," isn't surprised by the sudden spate of new protest songs.

''What I'm surprised about is that there can be such low approval ratings and such a cultural outcry against Bush and he can just keep doing what he does," says Ray. ''We can talk about it and write songs about it and show up at marches and nothing's really changing."

During the last presidential campaign, Republican National Committee leaders said they weren't concerned about the wave of anti-Bush performances or the relative dearth of musicians supporting the president. Two years later, their stance hasn't changed. When asked to comment on the new protest songs, RNC spokesman Aaron McLear sent the Globe a statement reading in part: ''While we recognize that protest and dissent are hallmarks of our democracy, we hope these artists and their fans recognize the incredible importance of a self-sustainable democracy in Iraq."

That's not the sentiment emerging in many of the songs now hitting airwaves. On Pearl Jam's new single, ''World Wide Suicide," Eddie Vedder sings: ''Medals on a wooden mantel. Next to a handsome face. That the president took for granted. Writing checks that others pay."

''He can't wash the blood of the fallen from his cowboy boots," Mark Erelli sings about the president on his new album, ''Hope & Other Casualties."

Taking an antiwar stand is unlikely to affect sales for groups like Pearl Jam, known for its liberal leanings. But it has hurt the Dixie Chicks, who were virtually eliminated from country radio after speaking out against Bush at a concert in England in 2003. Nevertheless, their new album, ''Taking the Long Way," set for release May 23, includes the song ''Not Ready to Make Nice," in which they reference the backlash -- including death threats -- they received after their onstage comments.

That will not do anything to win back fans alienated by their criticism of Bush, according to John Hart, the president of Nashville-based Bullseye Marketing Research, which has conducted phone surveys to determine how people feel about the group. Hart says music fans typically don't want to be told who to vote for.

''I'm sure that Pink, she's delivering a message from her heart, as are the Dixie Chicks," says Hart. ''I don't think they're bad people. I just think they're expressing an opinion. Unfortunately, they think most of their listeners or fans feel that way, and they're wrong. All the fans want is to hear their music."

That may be true, but as Bush's approval ratings sink -- and the war in Iraq grows more unpopular -- it's only natural that music would reflect popular opinion, says Stephanie Miller, the nationally syndicated talk radio host heard on the left-leaning Air America weekday mornings in Boston. Miller started playing ''Dear Mr. President" on her show this week, and was immediately flooded with e-mails and phone calls asking to hear the song again.

''I've never seen, at least in my life, the level of political frustration people have," says Miller. ''It's not just me saying it or Pink. Even the Stones had an anti-Bush song [''Sweet Neo Con]."

It's that anger toward the administration, and its policies, not the hope of influencing an upcoming election, that drove Erelli, a Massachusetts songwriter whose new album includes ''Seeds of Peace," a song taking Bush to task for his famous 2003 landing on an aircraft carrier that was adorned with a banner reading ''Mission Accomplished."

''This was a very conscious decision," says Erelli. ''How do I express this frustration? How do I give voice to this anger that has risen in my mind the last few years with the war? For me, now is the time for questions and truth and debate, in between the elections. Any little contribution that my song can make to that debate, I'm proud. Even if it did nothing but identify with somebody in the audience."

Coyne, of the Flaming Lips, also doesn't expect his band's latest to register at the polls. Though he's been letting interviewers know that ''At War With the Mystics" was inspired by the president, Bush isn't named anywhere in the lyrics. Instead, Coyne explores the influence and power of the commander in chief by imagining himself in that role.

''I'm not really under the impression that singing songs about ending a war can do anything," says Coyne. ''They're just songs. But I think singing is like praying. It changes you. It gives you some reason to scream into the dark. There are elements of the world you can't control so you battle them the best way you can.

''People will say, 'Wayne, are you interested in politics?' I say, 'Not as interested as I am in making music. Otherwise, I'd run for office.' "

Geoff Edgers can be reached at gedgers@globe.com.