Music serves as one of humanity's favorite mediums of expression. Sometimes, when words alone cannot adequately express one's emotions, combining them with an arrangement and making them flow as poetry does the trick. Protest songs exemplify this perfectly, as they convey the passion and sentiments of movements calling out injustice and fighting for change. As we progress into the 21st century, here are 9 songs that I feel sum up what "progress" means in this day and age.

1. "None of Your Business" by Salt-N-Pepa

Released in 1993, this song was very much ahead of its time. The famed female rap trio didn't hold back in brazenly calling bullsh*t on the stigma around women having and enjoying sex. They eviscerated slut-shaming long before the term was widely used on this groovy, upbeat track, which, in addition to making a sound point, is just plain fun to listen to.

Now you shouldn't even get into

Who I'm givin' skins to

It's none of yo business!

So don't try to change my mind

I'll tell you one more time

It's none of yo business!

2. "Different Colors" by WALK THE MOON

A lesser-known song from the 2014 album Talking is Hard, the band dedicated this song specifically to the LGBTQ+ community, and it's easy to see the connection. Though not as dance-y as some of their other songs, like "Shut Up + Dance" and "Work This Body," the song conveys an uplifting message of progress, and the arrangement of guitar and synthesizers, plus frontman Nicholas Petricca's distinctive voice, make this progress anthem worth the listen.

Coming up slowly

Oh, sun over the hill

Daylight still a long time coming

But I know it will

Been under the spell

Oh, but we're coming away

So we'll be rude, we'll be loud

As long as it takes

3. "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye

This is a slightly more melancholy song released in 1971, nearing the end of Motown's prime. The central theme of the song is awareness of the injustices in the world, as Marvin Gaye laments how "there's far too many of you dying," which could be referring either to racially charged murders of people of color, or young men being killed in the Vietnam War, possibly both. In modern times, the song is very applicable to the current debate surrounding racial profiling and police brutality.

Picket lines, and picket signs

Don't punish me with brutality

Talk to me, so you can see

What's going on, oh, what's going on

4. "Renegades" by X Ambassadors

This 2015 hit single serves as an anthem for progress in general. The lyrics are brief and general, but with the catchy, guitar-heavy arrangement, and the distinctive voice of frontman Sam Harris, the track evokes a sense of individuality, and conveys the energy of people collectively fighting for change.

All hail the underdogs

All hail the new kids

All hail the outlaws

Spielbergs and Kubricks

It's our time to make a move

It's our time to make amends

It's our time to break the rules

Let's begin

5. "Look Out Any Window" by Bruce Hornsby

Never has there been a more underrated talent than Bruce Hornsby. He released this little-known goodie in 1988, and it could be considered his environmental anthem. Accompanied by an exquisite arrangement, including an elaborate piano solo, that's a treat for the ear and a characteristic of classic Hornsby, he communicates his concern for environmental degradation as a result of unregulated corporate greed. Now, as the threat of climate change looms and humans are starting to feel the effects and realize the implications, such a song is more relevant than ever.

Far away

Too many leaders let them get their way

Close their eyes

Let it all out into the bay

Said, "I'll clear it up another day."

6. "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke

This is a classic protest song from 1964, during the peak of Motown's glory days. Sam Cooke conveys the angst of this slow-moving, melancholy, bluesy track with his impressive vocal range, as he laments feeling like an outcast in society, and contemplates chilling existential questions, but finds slight encouragement in the faint glimmer of hope that "a change gon' come." The bridge is particularly applicable to the rhetoric surrounding many modern-day human rights movements, specifically Black Lives Matter:

Then I go to my brother

And I say, "Brother, help me please."

But he winds up knocking me

Back down on my knees

7. "Follow Your Arrow" by Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves is another grossly underrated talent, largely because of songs like this that push the boundaries and stray so far from the norm in country music. "Follow Your Arrow" is Musgraves's "live and let live" anthem, advocating same-sex intimacy and weed smoking, but above all, advocating "following your arrow," or living one's life in a way that makes you happy, and accepting the many different ways that can happen. For a generation that embraces an increasingly pluralistic society of multiple different lifestyles and life choices, this upbeat, joyful anthem is fitting and fun to listen to.

So make lots of noise

Kiss lots of boys

Or kiss lots of girls

If that's something you're into

When the straight and narrow

Gets a little too straight

Roll up a joint, or don't

And follow your arrow

Wherever it points

8. "Same Love" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert

Though a bit outdated, this list wouldn't be complete if I didn't include this song. Macklemore exploded onto the scene in 2013, and summed up the push for marriage equality superbly, with a beautiful piano-driven arrangement, impeccable songwriting, and a stellar performance, as Macklemore critiques homophobia within hip-hop music and certain religious spheres. Now that marriage equality is the law of the land, this song still holds relevance with a reminder in the last verse that marriage equality doesn't mean the fight is over, and that it will take more than a law to change hearts and minds:

A certificate on paper

Isn't gonna solve it all

But it's a damn good place to start

No law's gonna change us

We have to change us

Whatever God you believe in

We come from the same one

Strip away the fear

Underneath it's all the same love

About time that we raised up

9. "The Times They Are a-Changin" by Bob Dylan

I have saved the best for last. One of the most iconic protest songs, among many released by Bob Dylan and others in the 1960s, this song serves as the epitome of a progress anthem, suitable for any movement in any decade. With a simple arrangement consisting only of Dylan's own guitar and harmonica, Dylan sounded the rallying cry of the protest movements of the 1960s, including the civil rights and antiwar movements. In the 21st century, as the LGBTQ+ rights movement is continuing to gain ground, this influential classic -- covered superbly by Phil Collins, I might add -- brilliantly conveys the sentiments of a society that is moving forward.

Come senators, congressmen

Please heed the call

Don't stand in the doorway

Don't block up the hall

For he that gets hurt

Will be he who has stalled

There's a battle outside and it's ragin'

Will soon shake your windows

And rattle your walls

For the times, they are a-changin'