Take Five: Timely Alt-rock Songs from Minneapolis

There’s a proud – and sometimes overlooked – tradition of social protest in the lyrics of rock and roll songs. Sometimes listeners merely gloss over what is a direct critique of social ills – the appropriation of Bruce Springsteen’s classic protest song “Born in the U.S.A.” by jingoistic activists is merely one example; the wrongheaded use of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” as a pro-military tune is another instance.

Minneapolis, Minnesota and its sister city St. Paul have been and remain home to a legion of great musical artists. Prince is perhaps the most renowned, but in the college- and alternative-rock era, a legion of acts came out of the Twin Cities with creativity and passion to burn. In honor of Minneapolis’ musical contributions, here are four protest songs – and one song whose misappropriation was protested by its creators – from artists closely associated with the city.

Loud Fast Rules – “Black and Blue” from Barefoot and Pregnant (1982)
Before he co-founded alt-rock/grunge band Soul Asylum in Minneapolis, vocalist Dan Pirner led Loud Fast Rules. Though he’d play guitar in Soul Asylum, in the earlier group he was behind the drum kit. Loud Fast Rules’ sound – captured on a pair of songs released on compilations, and later on a collection of demos released once Soul Asylum broke through – show an edgy, powerful style that hinted at the approach to come with Pirner’s subsequent band. “Black and Blue” first appeared on a 1982 cassette from Reflex Records; the song’s lyrics decry police brutality.

Hüsker Dü – “Divide and Conquer” from Flip Your Wig (1985)
Bob Mould, Grant Hart and Greg Norton launched hardcore punk trio Hüsker Dü in 1979. The band remained together for nearly a decade, exerting a major influence on the direction of alternative rock. Along the way, the strong pop songwriting sensibilities of the three composers came to the fore, setting the stage for – among other things – Mould’s later success as a solo artist and with Sugar. Hüsker Dü’s collective and principled social awareness shone through on tracks like “Divide and Conquer” from the trio’s fourth LP. The song’s lyrics focus on government surveillance and the rise of a police state.

Craig Finn – “Be Honest” from We All Want the Same Things (2017)
Literate rockers The Hold Steady are based in Brooklyn, but the band members – especially songwriter Craig Finn – have strong Minneapolis roots. Many of The Hold Steady’s songs focus on characters and themes set in that city. Alongside his work with the group, Finn maintains a creatively fertile solo career, with six solo albums to date. A highlight of his third release, 2017’s We All Want the Same Things is “Be Honest.” The song paints a musical picture of an empire in ruins, with overly aggressive law enforcement. But Finn’s lyrics seek to express optimism in the darkest times: “If revolution is really coming, then we all need to be well / So maybe it’s best if we both take care of ourselves.”

Jayhawks – “Illuminate” from XOXO (2020)
The college rock scene of the ‘80s and beyond was a big tent: there was room for a wide variety of styles including country-influenced rock like The Long Ryders, Jason and the Scorchers and The Jayhawks. Coming out of Minneapolis in 1984, The Jayhawks sported a rootsy yet sophisticated style that earned critical praise and influenced bands like Uncle Tupelo. The group has gone inactive for extended periods while its members worked on other projects, but The Jayhawks remain active and vital to this day. A highlight of the band’s 2020 album XOXO (their 11th studio album) is “Illuminate.” While the song’s lyrics are impressionistic, big themes within clearly concern a violent mob mentality, false prophets and blame-shifting, all of which feel relevant when set against the current political landscape.

Semisonic – “Closing Time” from Feeling Strangely Fine (1998)
An outgrowth of earlier (and criminally under-recognized) Minneapolis band Trip Shakespeare, Semisonic combines alt-rock muscle with smart lyrics and sublime instrumentation and vocal harmonies. The band’s biggest hit to date is 1998’s “Closing Time,” an optimistic song written by guitarist Dan Wilson is intentionally vague: it may be about the birth of a child, or perhaps last call at a bar. What it most certainly is not about is the rounding up and forceful removal of undocumented persons. But a 2025 social media post created by the Trump White House celebrated the work of its masked ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents, using “Closing Time” as its soundtrack. The band strongly objected to the unauthorized – and in their view, offensive – appropriation of the hit song, noting that the administration “missed the point entirely.”