Uh, Lex, Classic Rock was <b>very</b> much about protest, and grew out of the Folk Revival's protest songs, which were influenced by historical periods of strife and protest, such as the Great Depression.  It was a very important force in the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 60s and 70s.  Not ALL of it, and it certainly got diluted by the end of Vietnam, but even back to the morphing of Rockabilly to Rock, Blues to R&amp;B and Funk, Reggae, Afrobeat, Rolas de Aztlán (Chicano), and racially diverse American pop, protest messages were a huge component.  A lot of it made it onto pop radio, esp in the early 60s, because programmers didn't realize it WAS protest music.  LOLOL