What are your favorite songs with political messages or meanings?

Question

Music styles from Punk to folk to metal. Messages from anti war to feminism, to antifascism. Artists known like green day to unknown artist like Oli frost.
Give me your songs or artists and include their message.
I know right wingers often don't understand music and lyrics. So add on give me your best missused music that listeners obviously didn't understand.
Examples would be trump and YMCA from the village people, german neofascist party afd using Toten Hosen a punk rock band, conservatists singing like a prayer from madonna or complaining that an alt punk rock band greenday "became" political. They had to change their lyrics so those singing the songs finally know they are meant with American idiot. For your info they changed "not part of the redneck agenda" To "not part of the maga agenda" so these illiterates finally realize they were meant all along!

WhiteSteve · Accepted Answer

By The Time I Get To Arizona definitely comes to mind….

https://www.youtube.com/embed/zrFOb_f7ubw

Just saw Public Enemy a couple months ago, I was belting out all the lyrics, way too hype, lmao. Was pretty close to the stage, Chuck D definitely saw me, and was probably like “who is this white kid?”🤨🤣

Rage Against The Machine are obviously very political, Bulls On Parade, Freedom, Killing In The Name, etc. Saw them too, a couple years ago at Madison Square Garden. (Wore a Boston Bruins t-shirt so them New York kids would know exactly where the fuck I was from in the mosh pit, haha)….

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-yM0C-6f-Ws

(You can catch glimpses of me throughout, big blond hair flying everywhere, about a 3/4 of a head taller than most.) I still get chills when everything is building up right before the song explodes, and he addressed the mosh pit “Make sure you take care of each other in there! Make sure you take care of one another in there!”, and you just knew shit was about to get REAL, lmao.

Another good one, more underground is then-Company Flow’s/now-Run The Jewels’ El-P on Rawkus Records’ Soundbombing 2 album, called Patriotism. Incredible lyrics in this one, I was catching something new every time I listened to it for many years…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/k47VVqMiUTg

“I'm the ugliest version of passed down toxic capitalist
Rabid emcee perversion -- I'm America!
Your bleeding-heart liberal drivel gets squashed
Wash 'em with sterilized rhyme patriot-guided weaponry bomb
From the makers of the devious hearts -- I'm America!
You bitchy little dogs don't even phase my basic policy
To bomb smarter, my Ronald Reagans crush Carter
With Bay Of Pig tactics makin' young men into martyrs
Come to my happy promised land
Smiley-faced opportunity cipher
And jump on the CoFlow pension plan
A proletariat-crushing State of the Union
Between serpentine words and mass confusion
Of media controlled blurb advertising disillusionment
Your family will love my low-rent, low-life
No-brain, reality-dagger movement
Hop over the border for amusement
Try to test the waters that the other slaughter crews pay all they dues in”

“You up against Jesus freaks, Mormon corporations, and Young Republicans
Indelible NATO force hidden agenda, puppet governments
I'm lovin' it! Keep the people guessin' who I'm runnin' with
Control the population and hide behind sacred covenants”

”I replace humans like robots in a GM factory
Then export metaphors to sweat shops, ‘cause the price is satisfactory
Your pious little cries of injustice get met with apathy
Soak, cloak, hormone injected dairy product
And conservative right-wing anti-eroticism
The poisonous reservoirs and power lines in your neighborhood cause botulism
Senseless! Join the census, censorship sentence ascendance
Triple-felon citizen paid penance!
Dissension against C-F ends in, penitentiary residence
Lock 'em up first, then ask questions
Omniscient presence, my charm is the weapon
With cameras mics and satellites that leave privacy breathless
You don't even know the chemicals you've ingested
Urine tested -- beat innocent man 'til he confesses”

”I'm America arrogant, terminus verbal curfew murders
You either purchase my products or you're worthless, that's my service
Don't look into the oculars of a daylight saver
Eraser, city-headed monument defacer
Comprising of patriot droids, sent into the void with lead linings
Employed by the bureaucrats of automatic twisted rhyme timing
You're guaranteed nothing but my fat little finger
That lingers one inch off of the big button, let's start this”

“I'm American 'til infinite justice measure to the Pesticide Cemetery
Invite you to cross the border then shit on your divinities
What language is that? I'm anguished and fat, tangled with a
Star-spangled standard issue gat for crowd management”

I’ll leave it there, that’s what’s coming off the top of my head

Lliam · Accepted Answer

People already mentioned War Pigs by Black Sabbath, and Fortunate Son by CCR.
I'll throw Machine Gun by Jimi Hendrix into the mix.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/JEmI_FT4YHU

Blowin' In the Wind by Bob Dylan
What's Goin' On by Marvin Gay

One Tin Soldier has some poignant lyrics:
Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath a stone
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill
Asking for the buried treasure
Tons of gold for which they'd kill

Came an answer from the mountain
With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain
All the riches buried there

Now the valley cried with anger
"Mount your horses! Draw your swords!"
And they killed the mountain-people
So they won their just reward

Now they stood beside the treasure
On the mountain, dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it
"Peace on Earth" was all it said

Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away

I have what I call 1960s-70s liberal values. I really hate how modern liberals and Democrats are the ones stirring up hatred and divisiveness. They unjustly label and vilify anyone who disagrees with them on anything. They stomp on civil rights and promote international wars.
That is antithetical to my liberal values. That's not the Democratic party I once supported.

I wish so-called liberals would listen to some 60s music, mellow the fuck out, and stop acting like hysterical, irrational, militant zealots. You can't even talk to them.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7xGxQXmu7Os

SueShe · Accepted Answer

My favorite song that conveys a political message is one in French, sung by a Belgian singer that has passed away since a long time and whose name was Boris Vian and that, in essence says (English translation above each phrase):

Mr President
Monsieur le Président

I'm writing you a letter
Je vous fais une lettre

Which you might read
Que vous lirez peut-être

If you have time
Si vous avez le temps

I just received
Je viens de recevoir

My military papers
Mes papiers militaires

To go to war
Pour partir à la guerre

Before Wednesday evening
Avant mercredi soir

Mr President
Monsieur le Président

I don't want to do it
Je ne veux pas la faire

I'm not on earth
Je ne suis pas sur terre

To kill poor people
Pour tuer des pauvres gens

It's not to make you angry
C'est pas pour vous fâcher

I have to tell you
Il faut que je vous dise

My decision is made
Ma décision est prise

I'm going to desert
Je m'en vais déserter

Since I was born
Depuis que je suis né

I saw my father die
J'ai vu mourir mon père

I saw my brothers leave
J'ai vu partir mes frères

And cry my children
Et pleurer mes enfants

My mother suffered so much
Ma mère a tant souffert

That she is inside her grave
Qu'elle est dedans sa tombe

And laughs at bombs
Et se moque des bombes

And laughs at the verses
Et se moque des vers

When I was a prisoner
Quand j'étais prisonnier

My wife was stolen from me
On m'a volé ma femme

My soul was stolen
On m'a volé mon âme

And all my dear past
Et tout mon cher passé

Early tomorrow morning
Demain de bon matin

I will close my door
Je fermerai ma porte

On the nose of dead years
Au nez des années mortes

I will go on the paths
J'irai sur les chemins

I will beg for my life
Je mendierai ma vie

On the roads of France
Sur les routes de France

From Brittany to Provence
De Bretagne en Provence

And I'll tell people
Et je dirai aux gens

Refuse to obey
Refusez d'obéir

Refuse to do it
Refusez de la faire

Don't go to war
N'allez pas à la guerre

Refuse to leave
Refusez de partir

Whether to donate blood
S'il faut donner son sang

Go give yours
Allez donner le vôtre

You are a good apostle
Vous êtes bon apôtre

Mr President
Monsieur le Président

If you chase me
Si vous me poursuivez

Inform your police
Prévenez vos gendarmes

That I won't have any weapons
Que je n'aurai pas d'armes

And that they can shoot
Et qu'ils pourront tirer

This is still actual, after more than 70 years...

stephanie-ramos · Accepted Answer

Sugar by System of a Down. The entire band is about world problems and politics.

WindAtMyBack · Answer

John Lennon had a lot of good ones. Here are a few. Gimme Some Truth Working Class Hero Ohio  The Turning Way Originally by Pink Floyd - This is a cover by Richie Havens War Pigs - Deep Purple Supper Time - by Irving Berlin and sung by Ethel Waters Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday Machine Gun by Hendrix God's Song by Randy Newman Like many of his sings, it's enigmatic Morning Dew by Bonnie Dobson

Maybe_Maybe_not · Answer

... A journey into political rock, French side with Spanish quirks, as requested you'll get folk, punk, rock, even bits of metal and Salsa-reggae-rock (?). Classic leftism, some anti-racism, some anti-capitalism, anti-consumerism etc. You get the idea-ism !  Happy listening 🪇

Lynx122 · Answer

I don't know some songs I remembered :)

DrPepper12 · Answer

And justice for all - Metallica

Hallowed Be Thy Name iron maiden

Close Your Eyes (and Count to Fuck) Run the Jewels

Don't get Captured - Run the Jewels

Kill Your Masters - Run the Jewels

Bulls on Parade - RATM

Peruvian Coke - Immortal Technique

Damage incorporated - Metallica

You Need to Calm Down - TSwift

War - Edwin Starr

Revolution Beatles

FWIW - Byrd's

Ohio Neil Young

The Ballad of Ira Hayes - Johnny Cash

Born in USA - Springsteen

Omg so many!!!

Luopio27 · Answer

Eminem

Like Toy Soldiers
No love
Sing for the moment

Those somgs teach to take self responsibility of your actions (toy soldiers) and the other ones is abouy adressing the cycle of retaliation of school/street bullies.

Those matters are not tied to any political parties but all political parties should do all thats nevessary to keep people out of harms way!

Wraith_Cemetery · Answer

Growing up in the early 90s, I was a huge fan of Anti-Flag, back when they were a more raw punk rock political band. Till they changed their sound in the 2000s became like pop. Can't stand them anymore and moved on to Black Metal mostly.

goaded · Answer

The Times They Are A-Changin'. Eve of Destruction.

beefcakebradybatson · Answer

"Born In The U. SA.""Tub Thumpers" (Chumbawumba, a U. K. group from 1982-2012;it was their lone hit),"For What It's Worth," Buffalo Springfield," curiously, since it's a righty vengeance song and I'm a far leftist,"Whiskey For My Men, Beer For My Horses," Willie Nelson and the late, great Toby Keith.

Nikki1989 · Answer

MDC - Born To Die

Still-alive · Answer

Always liked this Billy Joel classic.

Miristheiss · Answer

Imagine by John Lennon. God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood Fortunate Son by CCR

TheStaleMarshmellow · Answer

Just another way to Die- Disturbed All about Global Warming and how humans desecrated the planet. Badass vibes

Jupiter1 · Answer

Not long ago, I heard a song called ‘State of the Nation’ from a group called Industry. The song somehow struck a nerve in me.

Graptemys79 · Answer

"On the turning Away" by Pink Floyd

BoobMan · Answer

Fortunate son would probably be my fave.

Anastasia06 · Answer

War Pigs by Black Sabbath.

llorando · Answer

1967

Anonymous · Answer

Right wingers often don't understand music and lyrics?

exitseven · Answer

I was going to say YMCA because that is Trump's theme song but you beat me to it.

MisfitsLover92 · Answer

God Save The Queen by The Sex Pistols

Anonymous · Answer

Auf der Heide blüht ein kleines Blümelein

Anonymous · Answer

Zombie by the Cranberries

lorenzomichael · Answer

Rage against the machine bulls on Parade

DtMe89 · Answer

American Idiot

Nerdvana · Answer

Cult of Personality - Living Colour

CubaPirate · Answer

Going Underground The Jam

TheSpaceGnome · Answer

I don't listen to political music.

Dongie · Answer

'Refugee'  by Tom Petty!!

Crazzyyworld · Answer

Relax don’t do it when you wanna cum

Danny_dan92 · Answer

Bulls on parade

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