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As much as he is known for his introspective meditations about personal relationships going back to his early works from the ’70s, singer-songwriter Jackson Browne has also been a fearless chronicler of political and social topics. Starting from his 1983 album
Lawyers in Love and through
Lives in the Balance (1986) and
World in Motion (1989), Browne has used his music to address important and relevant matters such as war, the failure of government, class inequality, and the environment. The artist backs up what he believes in not only through song but also in the causes he is involved with, including Musicians United for Safe Energy, Nukefree.org, and the Guacamole Fund, a non-profit group that supports progressive initiatives. Three years ago, Browne performed at Occupy Wall Street in New York City.

Browne’s topical songwriting drew from what was happening in the world at the time of the recording, yet his lyrics are quite prophetic and prescient in this current political and social climate. The powerful title song from
Lives in the Balance was recorded during the Reagan era of Iran-Contra, but it could also speak for more recent times as America is being drawn into another overseas conflict:

But who are the ones that we call our friends 
These governments killing their own? 
Or the people who finally can’t take any more 
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone

After the overtly political
World in Motion, Browne returned to more personal songwriting with 1993’s
I’m Alive. Since then, his last couple of albums have balanced between introspective and politically/socially conscientious songs. But his views haven’t exactly mellowed as evident from a couple of songs from his previous records in the last 20 years: “Information Wars” targeted our mass media culture; “Casino Nation” addressed the issue of war; and “Where Were You” referenced Hurricane Katrina.