Your Favorite "Political" Song?

[Muse]

Another one that survives the test of time. Seems Russia has picked up more fans in this country

I like this one, has passed the test of time, it's from ~1985:

Angst: Glad I'm Not in Russia

 

[nakedfrog]

Another one that survives the test of time. Seems Russia has picked up more fans in this country

Seems like their investments have paid off in that regard.

 

[cytg111]

Lets not forget this classic

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Most of these posts are completely blank for me, so if Eve of Destruction was posted, I wouldn't know it.

 

[nakedfrog]

Most of these posts are completely blank for me, so if Eve of Destruction was posted, I wouldn't know it.

It was.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Fucking youtube age restricting The Internationale

 

[HomerJS]

I saw the title Eve of Destruction and mixed it up with a verse from a song haven’t heard in years. Temptations made this song, an effort of political genius. I’m loving the songs in this thread.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Released in 1994 and still spot on to the lyric and verse more relevant than ever.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Personally I think one of the best is one almost no one has ever heard of. It isn't really a song as such, but there is some backing music.

The Americans, written by Gordon Sinclair as an editorial on CFRB radio in Toronto on June 5, 1973 and read on air by Byron McGregor on CKLW.

"By January 1974, The Americans record became one of the fastest-selling records in United States, reaching sales of 2 million within a month of its release.[1] The single eventually sold three and a half million copies in the United States,"

The Americans (commentary) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Full text here: https://www.lyricsmania.com/the_americans_lyrics_gordon_sinclair.html

 

[slpaulson]

A couple CCR songs that stick out to me

 

[BonzaiDuck]

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

Here's one of the best:

Also, my God:

DANG! I thought I would search through this entire thread, and nobody would've mentioned John Prine.

"Flag Decal" is my favorite, but "Sam Stone" is a close second: "There's a hole in daddy''s arm where all the money goes . . . . and Jesus died for nuthin' . . . I suppose . . . . "

 

[stargazr]

 

[Tsinni Dave]

Buffy Sainte Marie wrote Universal Soldier, later made famous by Donovan.
But this is a standout-Bury my heart at Wounded Knee

And this one is more about personal strength and embracing your culture. Starwalker.
Aim straight. Stand tall.

 

[Perknose]

The Unknown Solder by The Doors

And Peace Frog

 

[Perknose]

And imho, the most searing, haunting, deepest anti-war song ever. Can't believe I didn't think of it until now. Eric Bogle singing "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda," commemorating the 50,000 Australian dead amidst 250,000 Allied casualties from Churchill's bloody idea to invade Turkey in WWI.

Now when I was a young man, I carried me pack,
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback,
Well, I waltzed my Matilda all over.
Then in 1915, my country said "Son,
It's time you stopped rambling, there's work to be done".
So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun,
And they marched me away to the war.

And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As the ship pulled away from the quay
And amidst all the cheers, the flag-waving and tears,
We sailed off for Gallipoli.

And how well I remember that terrible day,
How our blood stained the sand and the water
And of how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay,
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
Johnny Turk he was waiting, he'd primed himself well
He showered us with bullets and he rained us with shell
And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia.

But the band played Waltzing Matilda,
When we stopped to bury our slain.
We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs
Then we started all over again.

And those that were left, well we tried to survive,
In that mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive
Though around me the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head
And when I woke up in me hospital bed,
And saw what it had done, well I wished I was dead
Never knew there was worse things than dying.

For I'll go no more waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and free
To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me.

So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay,
I looked at the place where me legs used to be
And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve, to mourn, and to pity.

But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
Then they turned all their faces away.

And so now every April, I sit on me porch,
And I watch the parade pass before me.
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reviving old dreams of past glories
And the old men march slowly, old bones stiff and sore
They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask "What are they marching for?"
And I ask meself the same question.

But the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men still answer the call,
But as year follows year, more old men disappear
Someday no one will march there at all.

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by that billabong
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

One Tin Soldier?

 

[SteveGrabowski]

What's not to love?

 

[Muse]

Here's a list of songs I have deemed politically themed that I've played on my radio show:



ARTIST TITLE
Paxton, Tom - If You Love That Politician Pull The Chain [don't See It Nov. 2016]
Raw Power - We Shall Overcome
Scott-heron, Gil - Reron
Bonzo Goes To Washington - Five Minutes
Uncle Sham And The Politicians - Vote For Me
Insane, The - Politics
Kahn, Doug - Reagan Speaks For Himself
Birchwood, Selwyn - Police State
Biafra, Jello - World Bunk And International Monetary Fraud [50%]
Biafra, Jello - And All I Got Were These Lousy Freedom Fries
Bishop, Elvin Big Fun Trio - Something Smells Funky 'round Here
Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles
Fogerty, John - Fortunate Son
Hasidic New Wave - Giuliani Uber Alles
Lavette, Bettye - Political World
Newman, Randy - Putin
Snider, Todd - Talking Reality Television Blues
They Might Be Giants - When Will You Die
Watson, Johnny Guitar - I Don't Want To Be President
Zinn, Howard - Various
Honey Drippers - Impeach The President
Jfk - Ask Not Waltz, The
Ariel - [i'm A] Wartime President
Times Beach - Presidents Wife
Savio, Mario - Two Speeches (start And 7/8" Into Side One)
Adolescents - Democracy
Bad Religion - Voice Of God Is Government, The
Baez, Joan - We Shall Overcome
Byrds - I Wanna Grow Up To Be A Politician
Chumbawamba - Always Tell The Voter What The Voter Wants To Hear
Cream - Politician
Fear - Foreign Policy
Hall, Tom T. - Monkey That Became President, The
Jackson, Mahalia - We Shall Overcome [cut Out Intro ! ]
Newman, Randy - Mr. President (have Pity On The Working Man)
Ochs, Phil - Love Me, I'm A Liberal
Rock, Chris - Marion Barry/million Man March
Seger, Bob - Her Strut
Smothers Brothers - Morons
Steppenwolf - Ostrich, The
Steppenwolf - Don't Step On The Grass, Sam
Vandals Legend Of Pat Brown
Zephaniah, Benjamin - No Politicians
Exploited - I Believe In Anarchy

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Here's a list of songs I have deemed politically themed that I've played on my radio show:



ARTIST TITLE
Paxton, Tom - If You Love That Politician Pull The Chain [don't See It Nov. 2016]
Raw Power - We Shall Overcome
Scott-heron, Gil - Reron
Bonzo Goes To Washington - Five Minutes
Uncle Sham And The Politicians - Vote For Me
Insane, The - Politics
Kahn, Doug - Reagan Speaks For Himself
Birchwood, Selwyn - Police State
Biafra, Jello - World Bunk And International Monetary Fraud [50%]
Biafra, Jello - And All I Got Were These Lousy Freedom Fries
Bishop, Elvin Big Fun Trio - Something Smells Funky 'round Here
Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles
Fogerty, John - Fortunate Son
Hasidic New Wave - Giuliani Uber Alles
Lavette, Bettye - Political World
Newman, Randy - Putin
Snider, Todd - Talking Reality Television Blues
They Might Be Giants - When Will You Die
Watson, Johnny Guitar - I Don't Want To Be President
Zinn, Howard - Various
Honey Drippers - Impeach The President
Jfk - Ask Not Waltz, The
Ariel - [i'm A] Wartime President
Times Beach - Presidents Wife
Savio, Mario - Two Speeches (start And 7/8" Into Side One)
Adolescents - Democracy
Bad Religion - Voice Of God Is Government, The
Baez, Joan - We Shall Overcome
Byrds - I Wanna Grow Up To Be A Politician
Chumbawamba - Always Tell The Voter What The Voter Wants To Hear
Cream - Politician
Fear - Foreign Policy
Hall, Tom T. - Monkey That Became President, The
Jackson, Mahalia - We Shall Overcome [cut Out Intro ! ]
Newman, Randy - Mr. President (have Pity On The Working Man)
Ochs, Phil - Love Me, I'm A Liberal
Rock, Chris - Marion Barry/million Man March
Seger, Bob - Her Strut
Smothers Brothers - Morons
Steppenwolf - Ostrich, The
Steppenwolf - Don't Step On The Grass, Sam
Vandals Legend Of Pat Brown
Zephaniah, Benjamin - No Politicians
Exploited - I Believe In Anarchy

You young people! So lucky! You've got your OWN RADIO SHOW! I'll be happy in a couple days, just to resurrect "internet radio" on my HT/AVR . . . .

 

[hal2kilo]

The words rings true today as they were when written shortly after the first big Watts riot.

Trouble Every Day

[Verse 1]
Well I'm about to get upset from watchin' my TV
Checkin' out the news until my eyeballs fail to see
I mean to say that every day is just another rotten mess
And when it's gonna change, my friend, is anybody's guess

[Chorus]
So I'm watchin' and I'm waitin', hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin' every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay that trouble comin' every day
No way to delay that trouble comin' every day
[Verse 2]
Wednesday, I watched the riot, I seen cops out on the street
Watched 'em throwin' rocks and stuff and chokin' in the heat
Listened to reports about the whisky passin' 'round
Seen the smoke and fire and the market burnin' down
Watched while everybody on his street would take a turn
To stomp n' smash n' bash n' crash n' slash n' bust n' burn

[Chorus]
And I'm watchin' and I'm waitin', hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin' every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay that trouble comin' every day
No way to delay that trouble comin' every day

[Verse 3]
Well, you can cool it, you can heat it
'Cause, baby, I don't need it
Take your TV tube and eat it
And all that phony stuff on sports
And all the unconfirmed reports
You know I watched that rotten box
Until my head begin to hurt
From checkin' out the way
The newsman say they get the dirt
Before the guys on channel so-and-so
And further, they assert
That any show they'll interrupt
To bring you news if it comes up
They say that if the place blows up
They will be the first to tell
Because the boys they got downtown
Are workin' hard and doin' swell
And if anybody gets the news before it hits the street
They say that no one blabs it faster
Their coverage can't be beat
And if another woman driver
Gets machine-gunned from her seat
They'll send some joker with a Brownie
And you'll see it all complete

[Chorus]
So I'm watchin' and I'm waitin', hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin' every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay that trouble comin' every day
No way to delay that trouble comin' every day

[Bridge]
Hey, you know something, people?
I'm not black, but there's a whole lots a times I wish I could say I'm not white

[Verse 4]
Well, I seen the fires burnin'
And the local people turnin'
On the merchants and the shops
Who used to sell their brooms and mops
And every other household item
Watched a mob just turn and bite 'em
And they say it served 'em right
Because a few of them are white
And it's the same across the nation
Black and white discrimination
Yellin' "You can't understand me!"
And all that other jazz they hand me
In the papers and TV
And all that mass stupidity
That seems to grow more every day
Each time you hear some nitwit say
He wants to go and do you in
'Cause the color of your skin
Just don't appeal to him
No matter if it's black or white
Because he's out for blood tonight

[Verse 5]
You know we got to sit around at home
And watch this thing begin
But I bet there won't be many
Live to see it really end
'Cause a fire in the street
Ain't like a fire in the heart
And in the eyes of all these people
Don't you know that this could start
On any street in any town?
In any state, if any clown
Decides that now's the time to fight
For some ideal he thinks is right
And if a million more agree
There ain't no Great Society
As it applies to you and me
Our country isn't free
And the law refuses to see
If all that you can ever be
Is just a lousy janitor
Unless your uncle owns a store
You know that five in every four
Just won't amount to nothin' more
Gonna watch the rats go across the floor
And make up songs about being poor

[Outro]
"Blow your harmonica, son!"

Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention, 1966

 

[soundforbjt]

I remember this one from my hard rock days...

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

How about -- Pink Floyd - The Fletcher Memorial Home

​

 

[Pens1566]

How about -- Pink Floyd - The Fletcher Memorial Home

​

Or, "how about Pink Floyd - The Wall and Pink Floyd - The Final Cut"

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Can't Truss It by Public Enemy is amazing

 

[Perknose]

The NATO song, sung by Bing Crosby!