Songs About War, Politics & The World We Live In.

Jeff Buckley, Chris Cornell, The Hives, Refused and Angelic Upstarts.

‘‘The Sky Is a Landfill’’ - Jeff Buckley (1998)

‘‘The Sky Is a Landfill’’ is one of Jeff Buckley`s most political songs. It talks about how ‘‘our nation bends to kiss the hag’’ and how the system is designed to silence the minds of those who think critically and move with grace. Buckley empowers the listener and urges to reject the status quo, as he ends the song declaring that he has ‘‘no fear of this machine!’’ Buckley got inspiration from American journalist Al Giordano`s essay ‘‘The Medium Is the Middleman’’. Giordano explains that:

‘‘Jeff had read “The Medium Is the Middleman,” and we discussed it at length. He applied my critique of the media industry to the music industry, and we had the exact same conclusions. Sony, in the spring of 1997, was giving him real problems over whether he could choose his own producer. He wanted Tom Verlaine, the virtuoso guitarist, to produce his album, and Sony wanted to impose another editor — um, I mean producer. So we had a common story. And we also had big plans for how to explode this idea upon the public psyche.

Jeff turned my book into a song, titled “The Sky Is a Landfill.” The concept of the song was that the media turned the airwaves into a garbage dump. Arcade called it his “magnum opus’’(Kennedy,1997)

Alongside this, why I said it`s one of Buckley`s most political songs is the fact that he calls out former President Bill Clinton in a play on words of the phrase ‘‘John Q. Public’’.

‘‘John Q. Public’’ is a term which refers to the common man. It represents the collective interests, opinions, and behaviours of ordinary people in society. It`s often used in regard to public policy, government programs, and societal issues. Clinton had crafted a personal image which was concerned with the issues of the working class and Buckley calls him out, urging people not to fall for ‘‘flaccid Bill K. Public's empty promise’’. He is not the friend of the people.

‘‘Our mutilation is to gain from the system.
Turn your head away from the screen, oh people,
It will tell you nothing more.
Don't suck the milk of flaccid Bill K. Public's empty promise
To the people that the public can ignore.

This way of life is so devised to snuff out
the mind that moves,
Moving with grace the men despise,
and women have learned to lose.
Throw off your shame of being slave to the system.

I see you take another drag,
Our nation bends to kiss the hag.
The sky is a landfill.
I see you take another drag, I see you take another drag.
I have no fear of this machine!’’

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‘‘Silence The Voices’’ - Chris Cornell (2007)

Whilst, Jeff Buckley discusses how ‘‘this way of life is so devised to snuff out
the mind that moves’’, Chris Cornell on ‘‘Silence The Voices’’ expresses that he ‘‘can't understand how they silence the voices that say no’’.

Chris Cornell has not only commented on political and social issues throughout his music in Soundgarden, Temple of The Dog and Audioslave but his solo work. Especially, I want to highlight ‘‘Silence The Voices’’ from Carry On (2007). The song discusses war, the endless circle of death, innocence and vulnerability being caught in the midst of conflict.

‘‘There the soldiers, in the sunlight
Kill the center of a man in endless suicide
By the night light, in forever sky
Is a holstered, bridled child spinning 'round the flame’'

The following verse in ‘‘Silence The Voices’’ narrates a scene of a bloodied dead soldier, who appears healthy with a ‘‘tan on the white sheath’’:

‘‘It's a new day, in the old life
He looks healthy with a tan on the white sheath
Across the table, where the blood dries
Where infinity will greet these earthly confines’’

Whilst the song repeatedly asks :

‘‘Where are the songs from the sane minds?
And where are the words from the sound mouths?
I can't understand how they silence the voices
That say no’’

These themes were expressed in previous works. For example, in 2006, Audioslave released ‘’Wide Wake’’ which criticised George W. Bush and his administration’s reaction to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The song declares Bush to be guilty, not only for trading lives for oil and leaving poor behind but ‘‘I've found you guilty of a crime, of sleeping at a time when you should have been wide awake’’. The band have criticised George W. Bush and the Iraq War, which can be seen also in the music video for "Doesn't Remind Me"(2005). It should be noted that Chris also established with his wife the The Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation which supports organizations that provide shelter and resources for the homeless, children in refugee camps and victims of human trafficking.

‘‘WE SUPPORT THE CAUSES CHRIS LOVED MOST: HELPING VULNERABLE CHILDREN’’

The whole album is praiseworthy and it includes his famous cover of Michael Jackson`s ‘‘Billie Jean’’. More importantly, the song ‘‘Safe and Sound’’ raises the question of why ‘‘can't we pull this together’’- a world around us, safe and sound:

‘‘Think of a place
Where you could believe in whatever you want
Not keep it secret
Have to risk your life just to be yourself

A place where you'll walk safely
No matter your color or age
More than the greed of you and me
Decides the fate of the day’’

In case you missed it, check out this other article which discusses ‘’Hunger Strike’’(1991) which is a ‘‘somewhat of a political, socialist statement’’ by frontman Chris Cornell, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, all about grunge and politics:

Hunger Strike (1991),Commercial Punk, The Grunge Attitude & More Politics

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‘‘Countdown To Shutdown’’ - The Hives (2023)

Moving onto something more upbeat from The Hives ! They are one of my favourite bands so I need to just stick to one song, otherwise I can go on for hours. The 3rd song from The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons (2023) - ‘‘Countdown To Shutdown’’ makes a prediction : ‘‘They're coming for the crown, They're gonna tear it down, I fully guarantee, Repeating history’’. A revolution is coming.

‘‘This guy Maslow, he had a ladder,
That you use to get up there
What's the view like from up there?
Well, he can't see the bottom of the stairs’’

The song references Maslow's hierarchy of needs which was crated by Abraham Maslow in 1954. This theory is usually depicted in a pyramid format (until the 1980s, Maslow's hierarchy of needs was depicted in a ladder model), depicting basic human needs at the bottom and higher-level needs at the top (physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization).This theory is used to understand human motivation, as he argues that individuals must satisfy lower-level needs before they can progress to higher-level needs.

Whilst the second verse references the fraudulent Ponzi scheme which was created and carried out by Italian American criminal Charles Ponzi. This scheme relies on new investors. Rather than paying existing investors from profits earned by the business or investment, they are paid by capital invested by new investors. Thus, as this process relies on constant new investors, it leads to a financial collapse, as there are not enough new investors to sustain it. Anyways…

‘‘My guy Ponzi, he had a scheme
And the world is like a head of hair
Some are waiting for their share
Some are bald, and one's a billionaire
It's an enigma wrapped in a riddle
Enshrouded in a mystery
Got all the facts, got all the figures
But with all of them you disagree’’

The music video visualises ‘‘the tale of corporate executives jamming to the beat while their hearts pounded with fear of the revolution rising beneath them’’!

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‘‘I Wanna Watch the World Burn’’ - Refused (2019)

Also, the 3rd song from War Songs (2020) reiterates ‘‘I wanna watch the world burn for what it's done, I wanna watch the world burn for what we've become’’!

This is one of my all time favourite punk songs. The whole album is pure politics, all super amazing and really underrated. Refused are known for thought-provoking lyrics, addressing capitalism, consumerism, and societal norms. They create music with great responsibility and this album is a perfect example of this. Not only does the album sound great, but the messages and lyrics are really intense and strong.

On War Songs, the song ‘‘Rev 001’’ reminds you that: ‘‘When there's blood on the streets somebody's getting paid, Somebody's getting paid when you're the slave’’; and ‘‘Violent Reaction’’ explains that: ‘‘I am a violent reaction, To a world that's gone to shit’’. Whilst, ‘‘Economy of Death’’ emphasizes that: ‘‘The working class is betrayed while capitalists do the bidding, Your occupation becomes that you die for a living’’ and ‘‘Economy of death ensures you remain compliant sheep’’. And ‘‘Born On The Outside’’ remarks that ‘‘With your silence you vote for their oppression, With your violence you vote continuation’’.

Drummer David Sandström labelled the album as ‘‘violent pop music’’ and the tittle:

‘‘It tells you what to expect going in – this is confrontational, uncompromising, unrelenting music. The drums are at war with the guitars, the guitars are at war with the amps, the songs are at war with time and the lyrics are at war with the times. The title is stolen from a poem from Portsmouth, so there’s that as well’’ (Hassan, 2019)

‘‘I Wanna Watch the World Burn’’ is a poetic piece of art. It`s optimistic in the sense that there is hope for the future and a change can happen easily as ‘‘one spark to set it off, one match is all we need’’. Likewise, it wouldn`t be surprising to see ‘‘a new seed scattered on a level field’’, thus a change is possible in the system and the economy of death. It is a strong song which seeks revenge and punishment on humanity. There`s lots to think about.

‘‘There's something calling, something outside the herd
I'm trying to wield my privilege in the service of a dream
It's not impossible to me that one morning we'll see (we'll see)
A new seed scattered on a level field’’

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‘‘Last Night Another Soldier’’ - Angelic Upstarts (1981)

Angelic Upstarts are pioneers of the Oi! punk subgenre. Throughout their music they express anti-fascist, socialist working class ideas. Their music is politically charged and thought-provoking. Notably, the band supported Anti-Fascist Action and they were even targeted by neo-Nazi Blood & Honour group.

The album 2,000,000 Voices (1981) speaks out on political issues which are still relevant in the present day. For example the song ‘‘Mr. Politician’’ raises the question: ‘‘Would it do any good if I voted for a leech? Maybe the leech would practice what he preached’’. Whilst, ‘‘Last Night Another Soldier’’ discusses the detachment of war. Particularly, how deaths and tragedies are reduced to statistics. And how media does not care about the death of another soldier and another child. It is ‘‘just a number in the papers, another one of the innocents, they're just facts and figures’’.

’’Last night another soldier, last night another child
No one seems to worry, no one sees his mother cry;
They're just facts and figures on your TV screen
Another child and another soldier, is peace just a dream
Can you hear the mocking laughter from the ones that gain by it
They're not in line for the bullets, they're the ones who started it’’

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Just like music, reading daily exercises the brain, improves sleep and reduces stress, so why not read some more?! Check this out:

Bibliography:

Kennedy, D. 1997. ‘‘Don`t Quote Me: A conversation with Al Giordano’’ (online) Phoenix Media Communications Group. Available at:<https://bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/dont_quote_me/documents/01285285.htm> [Accessed 7 June 2024]
Hassan, N. 2019. ‘‘Refused interview: “I like to call it incredibly violent pop music” (online) Getintothis. Available at:<https://www.getintothis.co.uk/2019/10/refused-interview-i-like-to-call-it-incredibly-violent-pop-music/> [Accessed 7 June 2024]