Your Favorite Political Songs

[Science_Penguin]

I was surpised to find this hadn't been done before. I mean it's a political board on a forum full of musicians, right? So what are your favorite political tunes? Doesn't even have to be relevant today or to your political beliefs, just as long as it's political.


This is one I tend to reference when summing up my political beliefs, especially nowadays.


This one's lyrically pretty generic, but hell I like it.

 

[zappatton2]

 

[Adieu]

 

[narad]

 

[BenjaminW]

Do national anthems count? If so, I’m going with the Star Spangled Banner.

Other than that, I’d probably go with Killing in the Name since that’s what I first came up with initially.

 

[Hollowway]

Not metal, and perhaps more religious than political, but I just adore this tune:

 

[MFB]

 

[PunkBillCarson]

Eye of The Beholder by Metallica.

 

[Mathemagician]

1) Prayer of the Refugee - Rise Against

 

[Fenriswolf]

I used to hate this because of how disrespectful I thought it was, but now that I realize what he's doing I think it's beautiful.

 

[jaxadam]

 

[Ralyks]

Hulk Hogans theme was already posted, were not going to top that.

On a more serious note, this was the first one that came to mind

 

[BlackSG91]

Here's a great seasonal song that will fill your heart with Xmas cheer.




;>)/

 

[Carrion Rocket]

 

[vilk]

 

[Randy]

 

[Drew]

Interesting topic.

There's some obvious stuff here like a fair amount of Floyd and RATM and whatnot but for less obvious choices:

Tom Waits - "The Day After Tomorrow," a sad, haunting song about life on the front lines of a war you don't understand, written as the Iraq war dragged on.
John Prine - "Illegal Smile." sort of borderline political but pro-marijuana legalization, which is kind of a political subject. I knew a lot of stoners back in college and someone would always play a show on April 20th, and there was always an assortment of songs about weed. Somehow this never made the cut, and it's such an awesome song.
OSI - "OSI" Kevin Moore's reaction to 9/11. The whole album really is worth a listen ("Looks Like Rain" is gorgeous), but the title track... Badass song, named after the Office of Strategic Influence, an actual government office created post 9/11 to release disinformation to America's enemies through the US media, which was quickly shut down once its existence leaked and people got understandably outraged.

Idunno, those are good for a start.

 

[Randy]

Do national anthems count? If so, I’m going with the Star Spangled Banner.

Not my favorite patriotic tune. I don't even know what "spangled" means and there's so many weird words in there that most people don't get right. I'm also not a big fan of the "rocket's red glare" high note thing. Without googling it, I think I recall it being about the War of 1812, which I don't think is defined as an especially pivotal point in this country.

I vastly prefer "America the Beautiful"

 

[Randy]

Also

 

[Drew]

Not my favorite patriotic tune. I don't even know what "spangled" means and there's so many weird words in there that most people don't get right. I'm also not a big fan of the "rocket's red glare" high note thing. Without googling it, I think I recall it being about the War of 1812, which I don't think is defined as an especially pivotal point in this country.

I vastly prefer "America the Beautiful"

It was also an old British drinking song, though, and a British drinking song repurposed as a patriotic ode to a star-covered flag notorious because it did not get blown to bits in a minor war no one gives a shit about, and then fiercely defended as a song of our own is about the most American thing I can think of.