It is said that music has the power to ignite emotion within the listener. Musicians have always had their music parallel their views of the government at the time. In no particular order, here is my list of top 10 political songs.
10) "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue," by Toby Keith, 2001. Toby Keith is a legendary country musician who has been on the music scene since 1993. Since then, he has sung patriotic songs. This song is full of personification of American landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty, as well as the bald eagle.
9) "Cop Killer," by Body Count, 1992. This song was written by ex-NWA member Ice T. The song starts off from a first-person perspective of a young man who is tired of police brutality. The song is full of anti-government lyrics that are powerful and violent. This defined the feelings of a lot of young people growing up in California at the time.
8) Re-release of "God Bless the U.S.A," by Lee Greenwood, 1984. Greenwood has being singing patriotic songs since the early 1980s. The song is about patriotic pride for living in the United States. It is one of the most powerful pro-American songs.
7) "American Idiot," by Green Day, 2004. The song's title can tell you what it is about. The whole song is full of pot shots at the American government and the society we live in. Green Day became a full-fledged political band with the release of their album "American Idiot."
6) "Red White and Blue (Love it or Leave It)," by Lynyrd Skynyrd, 2003. With only two original surviving members left in Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band pushes on. The rest of Lynyrd Skynyrd has either left the band, or were killed or left too injured to continue playing in the band after their tragic plane accident in 1977. The band has always been outspoken about their southern roots and loving the country they live in.
5) "The Times They Are a-Changin'," by Bob Dylan, 1964. The song is about how America is changing and how the government needs to realize it. It is about the separation of the government and the average person during the 1960s. It is about how the government can't relate to the people they rule and govern.
4) "You've Gotta Die for the Government," by Anti-Flag, 1996. The song is about being an American citizen; more specifically, that you have to die for whatever your government wants you to do. Anti-Flag has been outspoken on their opinion of the government from when they first appeared on the music scene.
3) "Freedom," by Rage Against the Machine, 2001. "Freedom" is an anti-government song that deals with the treatment of Native Americans on reservations. The song's message is that even though the government claims they give the Native Americans the freedom to practice religion, Native Americans are not really free.
2) "And Justice For All…," by Metallica, 1988. The song is about Metallica's anger toward American courts and government. This six-minute-long song is full of lyrics about how the government will do whatever it takes to win a losing war and how they are only worried about the money they are losing.
1) "Final Day," by Pennywise, 1997. The song is about how the world is coming to an end based off the government and how terrible the government is; the lyrics indicate that the end of the world will come about because of the government.
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