Your Favorite "Political" Song?

[Perknose]

Anyone can (and should) name Four Dead in Ohio, of course.

Besides that, I'm going with Iris Dement, married to MR Greg Brown and a good friend of the late John Prine.

 

[Pohemi]

I remembered this track almost immediately. Not everyone cares for hip-hop, but this is more spoken word than anything IMO. It's not 'political' in a partisan way, it's all societal commentary.

American Dream, by The Crest

from the album Binge Thinking

thecrest.bandcamp.com

Of course you could go with many of Rage Against the Machine's tracks. I figured those were low-hanging fruit, haha.

 

[BoomerD]

 

[nakedfrog]

Can't limit myself to one
Old time classic:

More contemporaneous punk (the whole album is good, but I'll just post these two)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j765xAl4PMM

 

[brycejones]

When I get to Arizone and 911 is a Joke by Public Enemy (so many choices from PE's early work)

 

[IronWing]

I’m Changing My Name to Chrysler


Have a Nice Day

All of Phil Oches music

 

[Oyeve]

Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

 

[cytg111]

Well....

 

[Paratus]

 

[shortylickens]

I mean, it should be obvious, but I guess I have to say it out loud:

 

[Indus]

26 years ahead of its time

Hey
Detroit got stupid, it was time to blow
I can't dig people when they play control
I rocked to Manhattan and what'd I see
Some great big buildings that could set me free
The bars are open all night
But that damn AIDS test got me so up tight
I said that damn AIDS test got me so uptight
Pay your money to the landlord
Donald Trump is just a money whore
Under my bed there's a baseball bat
Goddamn taxes gonna break my back
I'm in the wasteland, I'm in the wasteland
I'm in the wasteland, I'm in the wasteland
I'm in the wasteland, mama you know it's true
No motherfucker's gonna tell me what to do
I'm in the wasteland
The gangs are doin' drive-by's in L.A.
Quinn is drillin' ink and we're gettin' laid
Your shotgun cops are goin' to hell
L.A.P.D's got an awful smell
In Hollywood the scene's all there
Tommie's always got the drugs to go on a bender
Every time I go I never wanna come back
Breathe the summer air, you'll have a heart attack
You're in the wasteland, you're in the wasteland
You're in the wasteland, you're in the wasteland
You don't buy what the government sells
The goddamn President can go to hell
You're in the wasteland
Here we go
I can't live unless I'm free
You've gotta run to stay with me
I move from town to town
I'm livin' on the underground
Hey baby, come with me
I meet a lot of good company
To beat the system move around
It's the only way to freedom today
Find your freedom today
Find your freedom today
Find your freedom today
Find your freedom today
If I make bail, tell you where I'll go
Gonna cross the border into Mexico
Tequila's cheap as sunshine
Wind up bangin' everythin' in sight
I'm free and that's a fact
Once I leave I ain't never comin' back
I'm in the wasteland, I'm in the wasteland
I'm in the wasteland, I'm in the wasteland
I'm in the wasteland, yeah, I'm in the wasteland, yeah
I'm in the wasteland, yeah, I'm in the wasteland, yeah
I'm in the wasteland

 

[woolfe9998]

Lots of great songs with political themes and content. Was going to say "Ohio" but OP pre-empted that one. There's also this:

 

[woolfe9998]

Oh, and also this:

And to think this was written like 15 years ago.

Well, maybe I'm the f**got, America
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda
Now everybody, do the propaganda
And sing along to the age of paranoia

 

[esquared]

I like a lot of what's already been posted.

We forgot this one.

 

[nakedfrog]

I like a lot of what's already been posted.

We forgot this one.

I play this one at jam sessions every so often.

 

[esquared]

There's also War by Edwin starr and Fortunate Son by CCR

 

[pcgeek11]

Four dead in Ohio and the Vietnam Song are the two that has stuck with me for all these years.

 

[esquared]

Four dead in Ohio and the Vietnam Song are the two that has stuck with me for all these years.

Not to be anal retentive but that song by CSN&Y was just called Ohio.

 

[Perknose]

^^^ How I could have overlooked this one I don't know.

Here's one of the best:

Also, my God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mki2ygLT0A

 

[Hans Gruber]

Randy Newman (Political Science)

 

[outriding]

 

[outriding]

I think this relevant in todays climate because of all the stupid censorship going. And this song was featured in the PMRC because the the “drug use”

 

[akugami]

Oh, and also this:

And to think this was written like 15 years ago.

This came to mind after seeing the thread title.

It's insane how much the lyrics apply to society today.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Yankee Doodle Dandy. American exceptionalism and absurdist defiance at it's finest. If you could bottle that energy, we'd be an intergalactic species at this point.

 

[Moonbeam]

Not necissarily a favorite but one that reminded of it by having been sung by the same group that did a version of 500 Miles, a song that for me relates to the real politics, Jihad, the war with the false self, the one that the false self won't let go home, and the only war there really is.