4 - "World Destruction" by John Lydon and by Afrika Bambaataa. I listed this song on my "Best Disturbing Songs" list because of its lyrics and
yet it's a song I enjoyed dancing to in high school. That and "White Lines" and ABC and Pet Shop Boys — anything else and I'd go hold up the wall.
I have been thinking about this song as I consider my opinion of the Sex Pistols. While to me, the Sex Pistols seemed so manufactured, Lydon — aka Johnny Rotten — and his band, Public Image Limited, have put out some great songs.
An excerpt:
This is a world destruction, your life ain't nothing.
The human race is becoming a disgrace.
Countries are fighting with chemical warfare.
Not giving a damn about the people who live there.
Nostradamus predicts the coming of the Antichrist.
Hey, look out, the third world nations are on the rise.
The Democratic-Communist Relationship,
won't stand in the way of the Islamic force.
5- "The Man in Black" by Johnny Cash. I'm a big fan of Cash, as I wrote about in a review of some of his concert videos. And for a great piece on Cash, read another one by Richard Marcus.
In this 1971 song, he explains that he wears black as a way to remind the audience of those in America who are disadvantaged and those sent off to die in wars.
I want to close this with some of the lyrics to his song:
Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times...
Article comments
1 - sadi ranson-polizzotti
You're electic, like me... so you have varied taste... Johnny Cash is/was the man.... Have you seen The Man in Black? If not, i highly recomment it.
Good list - nicely done.... i know all of the songs on here and like them all. :)
cheers,
sadi
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Congratulations on, um, having ears, I guess.
3 - Steve
Hey, Scott,
Interesting list, only familiar with tune #1 however, and the cover of it you refer to (I may have heard Cohen's "Hallelujah" once). I preferred their follow-up album rather than their debut album from which "Mad World" comes from. Lyrics are rather dark on the latter one.
I agree with you about P.I.L., they have had a few good tunes ("Rise", "Don't Ask Me") but I don't think I could handle a whole album of theirs. His vocals are not the best to say the least!
4 - Scott Butki
Thanks. Proud of my ears.
Sadi, do you mean Walk the Line?
I don't like Tears for Fears poppier stuff like "shout".
5 - Steve
Would you say you are more of a 'rocker' than a 'popper' generally, Scott?
6 - Scott Butki
Not just rock. I like edgy stuff that doesn't always rock, like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry too.
And there are some power pop bands I like like Fountains of Wayne. What I don't like is bands that are good that go pop for no apparent reason.
7 - Steve
Actually, the more I think about it, not sure I can see there being a difference musically (as far as pop vs rock go) between their first and second albums really, only that their first album is darker and more pessimistic lyrically.
I remember the lead singer saying after the release of their first single between the two albums ("The Way You Are") that he felt there was nowhere else to go, in terms of the lyrical direction they were going in, and he didn't want them to keep repeating themselves.