Discussion songs that somehow criticize society

[ecmnesia]

what are some songs you guys think that somehow embody social issues, or any aspect of how modern society works and values?


personally i'm obsessed with Soldier Side by System of a Down, it talks about war, how it crushes hope and inevitabily brings sadness, how we reduce human lifes to number when it comes to tragedies we do not engage in, we dismiss their dreams, their hopes, their fears just so that society can gain something futile from it.

Here's a line from it: "Young men stading on the top of their own graves. Wondering when Jesus comes, are they gonna be saved?"

 

[VIBRITANNIA]

i can't believe you mentioned soldier side, i was going to mention a few soad songs myself, haha.

a few songs that come to mind are...

reality tv - serj tankian
empty walls - serj tankian
7 words - deftones
anonymous - three days grace

 

[Rue89]

Call to Arms - Sturgill Simpson
Make Art Not Friends - Sturgill Simpson
Noise - Kenny Chesney

 

[Fragile]

Most of the songs by Rise Against are criticism of many things like consumerism, war, and the meat industry.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I've got a few from South Park. Can you tell I really love this show?



The song above was originally written to criticize how unfulfilling coal mining was as a job but South Park used it in a new context to describe working at an Amazon warehouse and it works just as well.



Simple way to critique the idea of safe spaces. To be clear I'm okay with them, just not when they're everywhere...



A song about how there are times to not be on your phone. As a bonus it even mentions suicide.

 

[TheSoulless]

Death has some good ones.

 

[Nicebuddimtim]

Lots of people dislike Megadeath for Dave's vocals but loads of his lyrics have political background. youthanasia is a good song imo

 

[TooConscious]

I actually think 'it's a wonderful life' can be interpreted as 'negative' or maybe I'd ate too much drugs.

Two that first come to mind are:

World Destruction
Song by Time Zone

Artist: LARD
Mate, Spawn, Die

 

[XYZ]

Lots of people dislike Megadeath for Dave's vocals but loads of his lyrics have political background. youthanasia is a good song imo

That moment when you're all grown up and realize what Youthanasia means although you've had that album since '94...

 

[primalscream]

I don't know of any songs in English, but I hope there's some English translations out there for Caparezza's songs (chek out "Legalize the Premier" and "Non siete Stato voi" in particular).

 

[Myforevercharlie]

A golden oldie, but still accurate..




And ofcourse

 

[Good4Nothing]

Pretty much everything by The Dead Kennedys.
Also pretty much everything by Rage Against The Machine.

 

[ArtsyDrawer]

I thought Radio - Rammstein is a criticism on social media.
It has dancing SWAT just like American state police HQs have silly twitter accounts.

 

[Life.Journey.Unknown]

I like this one



A zillion miles into outer space
Is a very very very big telescopic lens
Someone labelled 'alien' is looking at this place
Checking out experimental women and men
Several million years ago
They planted human beings on a planet called earth
And Sent a few biologists to make sure we would grow
Who ended up in Spielberg films, or crucified, or worse
Lost and lost of time went past
Till what we know as 'recently' was when it all went wrong
Technology ran the human race
The humans finished last
They were spending less on medicine and more and more on bombs
The layers in the atmosphere were open wide
And no-one out in outer space liked what they saw inside
Animals in slavery where forests used to be
Starving people eating hamburgers and catching heart disease
What to do with the toxic waste?
The ocean floor is filling up and those drums rust away
"We could try dumping all this rubbish in outer space"
But the aliens were listening to everything we say
A zillion miles into outer space
Is a very very very big telescopic lens
And when an alien experiment starts messing up the place
It is left to self-destruction, clear the mess and start again
Clear the mess!
Start again!
Experiment earth
Experiment earth
Clear the mess!
Start again!

 

[XYZ]

Imagine by John Lennon

Just imagine the difference between the world described in the song and the reality of our world...

 

[freefrommybody]

"The Sound of Silence" my favorite version is by Disturbed, although they didn't write the lyrics. I've heard it's essentially about people's inability to communicate properly.