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Where have all the war songs gone?
Voices of dissent resound these days.
From John Mellencamp to the Beastie Boys, artists have ducked into the studio, and quickly emerged with their opinion on the toll that war takes. That got us thinking about the immense songbook of anti-war tunes - it's quite a canon. Here are 20 powerful tracks that capture the emotions surrounding the highly-charged subject. Let's hope we don't have to hear them being sung for too long.
*What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
By 1971, 45,000 Americans had died in Vietnam, and Motown?s top lover man turned pop music on its ear with this cry from the heart, a searching plea for peace that is set to a universal heartbeat.
*Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello
It?s a very seductive ballad that finds the singer wondering if the jobs created by war (and the food those jobs put on workers? tables) are more valuable than the process of sustaining peace. Robert Wyatt?s version of the tune is masterful.
*One - Metallica
The Bay Area beasts based their 1989 breakthrough on Johnny Got His Gun - a disturbing novel about a soldier who loses sight, speech, hearing and limbs in combat - and made it sound as ferocious as war itself.
*War - Edwin Starr
When Starr howls, ?War! What is it good for?? in this ?70 soul stomper, he does so with an authority that only leaves room for one answer - ?Absolutely nothing!? He?ll say it again, too, if your feet can stand it.
*Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
The greatest pain arrives when the battles are over. In his deceptively rousing anthem, Springsteen marches his hard luck kid to a far-away foxhole and back, where glory awaits him in an unemployment line.
*I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag - Country Joe & the Fish
An audience sing-along that earned its prominence at the Woodstock festival, it finds the hippie band mocking the hard realities of war with the line ?1, 2, 3, what are we fighting for?/ Don?t ask me, I don?t give a damn.?
*Boom! - System of a Down
Protest is their business, and this reaction to the Gulf War is an aural assault built on rat-a-tat guitar riffs and locomotive beats. Its accompanying video uses peace rally statistics and commentary from activists both young and old.
*99 Red Balloons - Nena
In which a young German girl?s peace offering leads to nuclear devastation. In 1983, with Ronald Reagan?s finger on the trigger, this synth pop classic seemed to illustrate a very possible scenario.
*Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) - The Temptations
In one of the trippiest tracks ever made at Motown, the Temps strongly suggest that war is just another sign of impending Armageddon - a whirlwind of modern madness that includes ghettoization and poverty.
*Bullet The Blue Sky - U2
Bono told the Edge to give him music that ?sounded like El Salvador.? He obliged with their most coruscating song, condemning covert U.S. involvement in Latin American regime change.
*Put Down That Weapon - Midnight Oil
From ecology issues to human rights, the Australian band were known for their sophisticated take on world politics. Law student Peter Garrett gave this anti-war anthem, from 1987's Diesel and Dust, a catchy hook and a ferocious delivery.
*Travelin' Soldier - Dixie Chicks
Bloodshed ruins everything, especially life's simplest pleasures, like chatting with a stranger. This 2002 track finds the Chicks speaking their mind by illustrating the kind of void war leaves in so many lives.
*Nuclear War - (version 1) - Yo La Tengo
Indie rockers with an immense record collection, Yo La Tengo dug deep to find a resistance chant by the jazz bandleader Sun Ra. Using the power of repetition, they state their position by intoning, "When they push that button, your ass gotta go."
*War Pigs - Black Sabbath
No one in Sabbath is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but their 1971 classic had air raid sirens, likened generals to witches, and boasted an unforgiving Tony Iommi riff that could scare the warmonger out of anybody.
*Us And Them - Pink Floyd
Roger Waters? dad died at the siege of Anzio in 1944 and he?s grappled with war?s futility ever since. Dark Side of the Moon's dreamy ode to battlefield confusion was originally called "The Violence Sequence."
*I Ain't Marchin' Anymore - Phil Ochs
The revered singer-songwriter trod in Dylan's footsteps, and in both poignancy and power he could occasionally equal the master himself. This 1966 broadside finds him tracing battles from Little Big Horn to Ho Chi Minh City.
*License To Kill - Bob Dylan
Dylan has returned to the subject of war again and again, and on 1983?s Infidels, he incisively questioned the arrogance of organized murder. Not as anthemic as ?Blowin? in the Wind,? its power is nonetheless irrefutable.
*It's A Mistake - Men at Work
In 1983, the lads from down under put aside their vegemite sandwiches to remind us that mutually assured destruction was madness. There's something strangely moving about an otherwise politically neutral pop band taking an adamant stand for disarmament.
*Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Hope you're quite prepared to die," howls John Fogerty in this twang tune that finds him being chilled by the late-60s political landscape. The music may bounce with a typical Creedence joviality, but the lyrics portray a sense of dread.
*Orange Crush - R.E.M.
Michael Stipe - whose father served in Vietnam - gives a fevered snapshot of lives enduring wartime, taking in the chemical killer Agent Orange and the hypocrisy of ?serving your conscience overseas.?
Thank you, brdemi!
Where have all the war songs gone?
Voices of dissent resound these days.
From John Mellencamp to the Beastie Boys, artists have ducked into the studio, and quickly emerged with their opinion on the toll that war takes. That got us thinking about the immense songbook of anti-war tunes - it's quite a canon. Here are 20 powerful tracks that capture the emotions surrounding the highly-charged subject. Let's hope we don't have to hear them being sung for too long.
*What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
By 1971, 45,000 Americans had died in Vietnam, and Motown?s top lover man turned pop music on its ear with this cry from the heart, a searching plea for peace that is set to a universal heartbeat.
*Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello
It?s a very seductive ballad that finds the singer wondering if the jobs created by war (and the food those jobs put on workers? tables) are more valuable than the process of sustaining peace. Robert Wyatt?s version of the tune is masterful.
*One - Metallica
The Bay Area beasts based their 1989 breakthrough on Johnny Got His Gun - a disturbing novel about a soldier who loses sight, speech, hearing and limbs in combat - and made it sound as ferocious as war itself.
*War - Edwin Starr
When Starr howls, ?War! What is it good for?? in this ?70 soul stomper, he does so with an authority that only leaves room for one answer - ?Absolutely nothing!? He?ll say it again, too, if your feet can stand it.
*Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
The greatest pain arrives when the battles are over. In his deceptively rousing anthem, Springsteen marches his hard luck kid to a far-away foxhole and back, where glory awaits him in an unemployment line.
*I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag - Country Joe & the Fish
An audience sing-along that earned its prominence at the Woodstock festival, it finds the hippie band mocking the hard realities of war with the line ?1, 2, 3, what are we fighting for?/ Don?t ask me, I don?t give a damn.?
*Boom! - System of a Down
Protest is their business, and this reaction to the Gulf War is an aural assault built on rat-a-tat guitar riffs and locomotive beats. Its accompanying video uses peace rally statistics and commentary from activists both young and old.
*99 Red Balloons - Nena
In which a young German girl?s peace offering leads to nuclear devastation. In 1983, with Ronald Reagan?s finger on the trigger, this synth pop classic seemed to illustrate a very possible scenario.
*Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) - The Temptations
In one of the trippiest tracks ever made at Motown, the Temps strongly suggest that war is just another sign of impending Armageddon - a whirlwind of modern madness that includes ghettoization and poverty.
*Bullet The Blue Sky - U2
Bono told the Edge to give him music that ?sounded like El Salvador.? He obliged with their most coruscating song, condemning covert U.S. involvement in Latin American regime change.
*Put Down That Weapon - Midnight Oil
From ecology issues to human rights, the Australian band were known for their sophisticated take on world politics. Law student Peter Garrett gave this anti-war anthem, from 1987's Diesel and Dust, a catchy hook and a ferocious delivery.
*Travelin' Soldier - Dixie Chicks
Bloodshed ruins everything, especially life's simplest pleasures, like chatting with a stranger. This 2002 track finds the Chicks speaking their mind by illustrating the kind of void war leaves in so many lives.
*Nuclear War - (version 1) - Yo La Tengo
Indie rockers with an immense record collection, Yo La Tengo dug deep to find a resistance chant by the jazz bandleader Sun Ra. Using the power of repetition, they state their position by intoning, "When they push that button, your ass gotta go."
*War Pigs - Black Sabbath
No one in Sabbath is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but their 1971 classic had air raid sirens, likened generals to witches, and boasted an unforgiving Tony Iommi riff that could scare the warmonger out of anybody.
*Us And Them - Pink Floyd
Roger Waters? dad died at the siege of Anzio in 1944 and he?s grappled with war?s futility ever since. Dark Side of the Moon's dreamy ode to battlefield confusion was originally called "The Violence Sequence."
*I Ain't Marchin' Anymore - Phil Ochs
The revered singer-songwriter trod in Dylan's footsteps, and in both poignancy and power he could occasionally equal the master himself. This 1966 broadside finds him tracing battles from Little Big Horn to Ho Chi Minh City.
*License To Kill - Bob Dylan
Dylan has returned to the subject of war again and again, and on 1983?s Infidels, he incisively questioned the arrogance of organized murder. Not as anthemic as ?Blowin? in the Wind,? its power is nonetheless irrefutable.
*It's A Mistake - Men at Work
In 1983, the lads from down under put aside their vegemite sandwiches to remind us that mutually assured destruction was madness. There's something strangely moving about an otherwise politically neutral pop band taking an adamant stand for disarmament.
*Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Hope you're quite prepared to die," howls John Fogerty in this twang tune that finds him being chilled by the late-60s political landscape. The music may bounce with a typical Creedence joviality, but the lyrics portray a sense of dread.
*Orange Crush - R.E.M.
Michael Stipe - whose father served in Vietnam - gives a fevered snapshot of lives enduring wartime, taking in the chemical killer Agent Orange and the hypocrisy of ?serving your conscience overseas.?
Thank you, brdemi!
Yeah...where's SBS? That's the first song that came to mind when I saw the heading...bizarre...
hell even Please should be on the list too.
Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!
