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Watching now

That admonition was itself prophetic, in a self-fulfilling way. “Biko” sparked increasing attention to human rights abuses in South Africa, especially within the music world, and among portions of the North Atlantic public who may have been relatively apathetic about the struggle. We can now enumerate “Biko’s” credentials for being the single most significant protest song of the 1980s, at least within the Anglophone world outside of South Africa. This is not to say it is the best, or most affecting for all. Tastes differ. It will also depend on what one means by “significant,” “protest song,” and “of the 80s.”

The first credential for its significance is that the South African government banned the single and the album as “harmful to the security of the State.” The Directorate of Publications expressed particular concern about the song’s “considerable emotional impact on the average black listener.” The African music at the beginning and end would increase that impact.

Michael Drewett relates his own story of obtaining a copy of Melt imported through a British record store. Even as a South African high school student in the early 80s, he was unaware of Steve Biko’s story. The song inspired him to research it. Despite his own success in importing the banned album, Drewett believes the ban was largely successful. The censorship kept the song separate from the indigenous movement for political change. It “restricted” the audience for the song to the rest of the world.

Whether the rest of the world cared that it was censored in South Africa, “Biko” proved enormously successful outside it. The Melt album was Gabriel’s first #1 in the UK. As a single, “Biko” made it to #38 on the British charts. Its significance and influence would grow beyond these initial indicators of its popularity.

“Sun City”

Perhaps the most famous instance of its influence arose from a movie projectionist in California playing the song over the movie theater’s P.A. system in 1980. Former and future E Street Band member, Little Steven Van Zandt was in the audience for the movie. Van Zandt explains (cited in Drewett):

“The projectionist put this tape in, and it was the most extraordinary thing. I had no idea who it was or what he was singing about, but it was very, very moving. I went upstairs and said to the projectionist, ‘What is that?’. It turned out to be Peter Gabriel singing ‘Biko’ and I went out and got it. I got such an emotion from that song I had to find out what it was all about. That’s the ultimate musical accomplishment, I guess, to move you to do something.”

So moved, Van Zandt read up on the matter, and established Artists United Against Apartheid. AUAA added additional cultural and artistic pressure to the global opposition to apartheid, especially among American artists. Its Sun City project focused attention on promoting an artistic boycott of the South African casino resort, Sun City. Many big name American and British artists, including Rod Stewart, Queen, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Tina Turner, and Dionne Warwick, had performed there. The resort tried to perpetuate the pretense that it was not actually located in South Africa. It was, however. The Sun City boycott intensified the pressure for a further cultural and economic boycott of South Africa.

The broad and highly diverse cast of artists contributing to “Sun City” took aim at the apartheid regime, as well at the Reagan Administration’s foreign policy strategy of “constructive engagement” and “quiet diplomacy.” Van Zandt explicitly credited “Biko” in the liner notes for the “Sun City” recording, released in 1985.

Amnesty International

“Biko” also put Peter Gabriel on U2 frontman Bono’s radar for further political activism through music, including benefit concerts organized by Amnesty International. Gabriel commented in 2011, “That song was my calling card, a ‘come and get me’ for anyone who had a cause.”

It is more difficult to draw a direct line from “Biko” to the other major musical cause célèbre of the 80s, African famine relief. Gabriel was not a part of Band Aid, and did not perform at Live Aid in 1985. It is not difficult, however, to find clips of Gabriel singing “Biko” at other political mega-concerts of that era.

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