Orko Sen

Spotify Playlist Research

Politicians are always supposed to have the best interests of the entire nation in

mind. This means the economy, security, and nationality need to be protected, but its citizens

should be the government’s highest priority. However, many people in the early 20th century

began to realize that the government would sacrifice its citizens to benefit the upper class. Wars,

bombings, and many other horrific acts would be endorsed and encouraged by the government

while common people would usually pay the price with their life. Many musicians caught on to

these tactics and tried to shine a light on the environment created by the upper class.

The theme of “sticking it to the higher-ups” is common in rock and metal music.

“War Pigs” by Black Sabbath is a great example of distrust directed towards the government.

The song was released during the Vietnam War. The American Government was sending

thousands of soldiers to stop the spread of communism at this time. However, many Americans

did not feel the need for this, and described the conflicts as a “politicians game.” Ozzy Osbourne

(lead singer) and the rest of the group do a phenomenal job capturing this feeling. Listen to Ozzy

Ozbourne’s screeching voice singing lines such as:

“Day of Judgment, God is calling

On their knees, the war pigs crawling

Begging mercies for their sins

Satan, laughing, spreads his wings”

not need to take place. The band also calls out politicians for sending the poor to fight battles that

will only benefit a small majority of the upper class, as seen here:

“Politicians hide themselves away

They only started the war

Why should they go out to fight?

They leave that all to the poor, yeah”

The drummer of Black Sabbath, Bill Ward, even says, “War Pigs is a protest song: not anti-war,

but against the people who create the wars, and put all the young men and women in harm’s

way.” This entire song sheds light on not only the horrors of war but also the politicians causing

the crisis. A better look from the soldier’s perspective can be seen in Bruce Springsteen’s “Born

in the USA.”

This song describes an ordinary man who was drafted into the army due to minor

crimes. After coming back from his post in Vietnam, he could not find work or housing, and he

was imprisoned along with many fellow veterans.

Springsteen calls out politicians for putting huge amounts of funding into a war

but having no plans for those that come back. Springsteen goes so far as to call out the

Department of Veterans Affairs for not being able to provide for many of the veterans in need in

this line “ Went down to see my V.A. man, He said, ‘"Son, don't you understand".’ Chris Christie
(NJ) was even quoted saying “ it's a defiant song about 'I was born in the USA, and I deserve

better than what I'm getting."

Of course, Springsteen’s character was able to return home with no physical

damage. The same could not be said for Joe Bonham from Metallica’s “One.” Many describe the

music video for “One” as the first horror movie they’ve seen. Why? This song is about the

helplessness of a creature who lost his limbs, face, and metaphoric life when an artillery shell hit

next to his trench. He wakes up in a bed unable to see, talk, move his limbs, or even ‘wake up

from his nightmare. The only thing he can do is feel the withering pain of World War 1. The

music video pulled elements from the novel “Johnny got his gun.” From these scenes, we can see

Bonham move his neck in an attempt to communicate using morse code. His message: SOS.

HELP. Kill Me.” These scenes play over lyrics such as :

“Darkness imprisoning me

All that I see, absolute horror

I cannot live, I cannot die

Trapped in myself, body my holding cell

Landmine has taken my sight

Taken my speech, taken my hearing

Taken my arms, taken my legs

Taken my soul, left me with life in Hell”

Hetfield is quoted saying “ A specific passage [from Johnny Got His Gun] that inspired the song

was “‘ How could a man lose as much of himself as I have and still live? … If I’d read about a

guy like me in the paper I wouldn’t believe it, cos it’s a million to one. But a million to ONE

always leaves one. I’d never expected it to happen to me because the odds of it happening are a

million to one. But a million to one always leaves one. ONE.”’ Yet many veterans were the

ONE; physically, mentally, or both.

Of course, some soldiers never returned. My Chemical Romance’s “Mama” does

a great job of describing the thoughts of a ‘damned’ soldier. The character in this song tries to

mend his relationship with his mother once he realizes that his death is imminent. The character

tells his mother about the things he’s seen, things he’s done, and how he accepts that hell is the

place for him. He apologies for everything that he did and displays his regret forever leaving

home. Yet, the mother is horrified. She can’t bear to hear about the inhumane deeds that he had

committed, yet she can’t bring herself to stop caring about him and being his mother. The lines:

“She said ‘"You ain't no son of mine

For what you've done, they're gonna find

A place for you and just you mind your manners when you go

And when you go, don't return to me, my love,’" that's right”

show how confused the mother feels about her son.

the loss of a family soldier. This song showcases a widow grieving the death of her overseas

husband. She explains that she loves her country and realizes the need for patriotism, but she also

loves her man. Now she’s wondering how to replace the hole in her heart that was once filled by

a husband turned soldier. This song was released in 1966; around the middle of the Vietnam War.

Due to the number of Americans relating to the song and wanting change, the Government

banned public radio from broadcasting this piece.

All these horrors of war were not unique to the United States, however. The

popular German March “Wo alle Straßen enden,” (March of the Damned) showcases the German

soldier’s viewpoint. Lines such as:

“So ziehen wir verloren durch das graue Niemandsland

(So we go lost through the grey no man's land)

Vielleicht kehrt von uns keiner mehr zurück ins Heimatland

(Maybe none of us will return to our Homeland)”

allow us to see the lack of differences between the American and German soldiers. All the

common people; soldiers and family; were affected in terrible ways to provide for the needs of a

select few in the government. This is exactly what Ozzy Osbourne meant when he sang:

“Time will tell on their power minds

Treating people just like pawns in chess”

in “War Pigs.”

With all these strong feelings about war emerging from the 20th century, you

would expect politicians to work more for the people. System of a Down (SOAD) is effectively

called BS while showcasing the hypocrisy exhibited by the Government in the early 2000s. The

song B.Y.O.B (Bring your own Bombs) blatantly attacks the Bush administration and all the

companies that backed the war for financial and political gain, while sending innocents into the

field to die. The opening line, “Barbarisms by Barbaras with pointed heels, Victorious Victoria’s

kneel for brand new spanking deals'' calls out the Bush administration (First Lady Barbra Bush)

and other rich companies (Victoria is as upper-class name) for being (as the guitarist Daron

Malakian puts it) “horny for a quick deal”. (pointed heels, Victoria’s kneel for brand new

spanking deals) SOAD also criticized the government for going into Iraq for no beneficial

reasons, while the citizens of Iraq suffered. The band even goes as far as to call the war ‘a party

for the US.’ And finally, to tie back to the original topic: the band repeats these lyrics multiple

times:

“Where the fuck are you?

Where the fuck are you?

Why don't presidents fight the war?

Why do they always send the poor?

Why do they always send the poor?

Why do they always send the poor?

Why do they always send the poor?

Why they always send the poor?”

From the beginning of time, many artists have expressed concerns about the way

politicians are running the world. Gojira, Green Day, Rage Against The Machine, and many

other bands have made their fame by throwing spotlights on the government’s shortcomings.

While the topic of ‘being a pawn to a politician’ does not apply as clearly today, these songs

prove that we must watch out for the possibility. These songs, along with the many others like,

serve as a warning to verify the true intentions of the government y telling a horrifying story that

publicly took place less than 100 years ago, and still takes place behind closed doors.
Sources:

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/system-of-a-down/byob. “Black Sabbath – War Pigs.”

Genius, https://genius.com/Black-sabbath-war-pigs-lyrics.

Kutuk, Almila. “Black Sabbath's War Pigs Is Not 'Anti-War' Song, Here's the Actual Purpose of

That Song.” Metalhead Zone, 21 Sept. 2020,

https://metalheadzone.com/black-sabbaths-war-pigs-is-not-anti-war-song-heres-th

e-actual-purpose-of-that-song/.

“Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.” Genius,

https://genius.com/Bruce-springsteen-born-in-the-usa-lyrics.

Inskeep, Steve, et al. “What Does 'Born in the U.S.A.' Really Mean?” NPR, NPR, 26 Mar. 2019,

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/26/706566556/bruce-springsteen-born-in-the-usa-a

merican-anthem.

“Metallica – One.” Genius, https://genius.com/Metallica-one-lyrics.

“How the Video for Metallica's One Left Me Scarred for Life.” Kerrang!,

https://www.kerrang.com/features/how-the-video-for-metallicas-one-left-me-psyc

hologically-scarred-for-life/.

“Loretta Lynn – Dear Uncle Sam.” Genius,

https://genius.com/Loretta-lynn-dear-uncle-sam-lyrics.

?, Yashar Ali. “And Here's @Lorettalynn Singing the Anti-War Song She's Talking about in the

Interview I'm Quote Tweeting. ‘Dear Uncle Sam’ Was Released in 1966 and for a

Country Artist It Was Revolutionary. It Was Banned by Country Radio until It

Became so Popular They Were Forced to Play It. Https://T.co/Rohgqdivjz

https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1331825283360428033?lang=en.

“Karl Sternau - Wo Alle Straßen Enden Lyrics + English Translation.” Karl Sternau - Wo Alle

Straßen Enden Lyrics + English Translation,

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/wo-alle-stra%C3%9Fen-enden-where-all-streets-end

.html-0.

“Mama.” My Chemical Romance Wiki, https://mychemicalromance.fandom.com/wiki/Mama.

“My Chemical Romance (Ft. Liza Minnelli) – Mama.” Genius,

https://genius.com/My-chemical-romance-mama-lyrics.

“System of a Down – B.Y.O.B.” Genius,

https://genius.com/System-of-a-down-byob-lyrics.

Songfacts. “B.Y.O.B. by System of a down - Songfacts.” Song Meanings at Songfacts,