Violent Peacemongers: How Rock and Metal Music Shaped Politics and Society
Read Time:6 Minute, 7 Second
By: Aakrith Harikumar
Edited By: Kayla Goldstein
As a GenZer, I live in a generation that mostly listens to pop and electronic music. By writing this piece, I guess I am an outlier.
The music I like is often considered loud and cacophonic. I want to disagree, but maybe there is some truth to that perception. But, it is so much more. As someone obsessed with pop culture, I spend–or squander, some might–squander a lot of time exploring how people shape society’s opinions through art. In many ways, metal did the same. It is somewhat ironic that the genre that is often associated with promoting violence has a long history of peacemongering.
Oh, and I should have said this in the beginning.
Warning: this piece does not endorse any ideology. It aims to show you the fascinating intersection between politics and the arts. Regardless of where you lie on the spectrum— keep an open mind.
The Eternal Art vs. Artist Debate
I have heard and partaken in this debate many times, and here is my take. I understand the other side. But as a ‘musician’ myself, I believe that the art you put into the world is the most intimate reflection of your thoughts and identity. Music, as I see it, is a reflection of an artist’s personal and political values. Those values translate into lyrics that make an ordinary song emotive. In that sense, rock/metal music has a defined history of political expression.
However, I find three particular phases fascinating. (1) The 70s-80s anti-war rhetoric, (2) the 70s anti-monarchy movement in Britain, and (3) the modern movement against corporatism in the US.
Warriors of the World United
If I had to list anti-war metal songs off the top of my head, I could easily name over 100. Since the Vietnam War, metal has had a rich history of influencing the anti-war counterculture movement.
At this point, it only makes sense to mention the band that birthed heavy metal—Black Sabbath. War Pigs is the first track off of their century-defining 1970 album Paranoid. In many ways, it was the first song and band to synthesize metal and anti-war rhetoric. Although its lyrics are satanic at first glance (with witches at ‘black masses’ and satan spreading his wings, laughing), they discuss how politicians go to war but do not take responsibility for them. The record did not sell well initially but is now a mega-hit.
The world started seeing metal bands as necessary voices when Megadeth released what we fans consider one of the greatest albums in the genre—Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? (great title, by the way). Dave Mustaine (yes, the guy who got kicked out of Metallica only to form another great metal band called Megadeth) was among the first of his kind to tell the world that metal musicians deeply care about social issues and often have distinct ways of expressing themselves. The title track explains how politicians and businesses engage in war profiteering—directly attacking the military-industrial complex.
The anti-war rhetoric also seeped into other songs like Civil War by Guns N’ Roses and BYOB by System of a Down, which critique and raise awareness about local violence and the War on Terror. One lyric from the former will always stick with me—”What’s so civil about war anyway?”
God Save the Queen: British Rock and Republicanism
As a global rock music hub, Britain is influential. Societal support for the British monarchy was high for most of the 20th century. But, of course, each era has its set of rebels. Punk-rock music took a big step in popularizing the anti-monarchy sentiment.
The Beatles’ ‘Her Majesty’ was famous for being a hidden satire on Queen Elizabeth II. But the one that alarmed Britain was ‘God Save the Queen’ by the Sex Pistols, released on the Queen’s silver jubilee. Calling the monarchy ‘fascist’ and questioning those who support it, the band shook the British elite (although it was not supposed to be a literal interpretation). Despite the BBC banning the song, it became enormously popular among the rebellious youth, topped the charts, and fueled the British counterculture movement.
A New Kind of Tension: Fighting Against Bush’s America
Rage Against the Machine (RATM) deserves a special mention because all its songs are political. That is why I like to think that its members are mainly activists who also happen to be musicians (it is good to see Tom Morello put his Harvard degree to use). Although RATM’s music may understandably be extremist for some, the band has engaged in movements against labor exploitation, American corporatism, and the Iraq War—getting caught in a huge controversy when they called for George Bush and Tony Blair to be hanged.
But fans know that nothing will top when RATM shut down the New York Stock Exchange for a few hours and sued the State Department for crimes in Guantanamo Bay. RATM is a pioneer in showing the world how influential music can be in starting a political crusade while amassing considerable public support. Listen to ‘Killing in the Name of’, ‘Testify’, and ‘Bulls on Parade’ to know what I mean.
Before you chide me for not mentioning them, don’t worry. Green Day is a part of my list. Although I love their music, I love their lyrics even more. While they always incorporated political undertones to their songs, “American Idiot” put them on the map as a band with an agenda against the ‘redneck agenda.’ Many song lyrics in the eponymous album (particularly in the track “Holiday”) echoed sentiments against the Iraq War and the Bush administration’s policies. Green Day is great at keeping up with time. In a recent concert, Billie Joe Armstrong replaced the lyrics “I’m not a part of the redneck agenda” with “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.” Their latest album “Saviors” (which I don’t know why my friends didn’t enjoy) is even stronger in its political messaging. The album starts with the political headbanger—“The American Dream is Killing Me.” As for those who haven’t listened to it yet, I won’t spoil the album further.
A Final Word (And My Playlist)
Every art form has something important to say about our society. This article was only a small step for me to show you the incredible intersection between politics and the arts. It is up to you to take a giant leap and explore more! We often listen to a song, look at a painting, or read a book only at the cursory level. Read (and hear) between the lines. You will see a new world with its own wildly unconventional yet glorious rules. A world whose greatest purpose is to bring people together.
Apart from the songs I’ve already discussed, here are a few tracks from my playlist to get you started! You may have heard a few already.
- Megadeth – “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”
- Scorpions – “Wind of Change”
- Fever 333 – “Made An America”
- Gojira – “Amazonia”
- Five Finger Death Punch – “Wrong Side of Heaven” (please watch the music video)
- The Clash – “London Calling”
- Metallica – “One”
- Iron Maiden – “Run to the Hills”
- John Lennon – “Working Class Hero”
- U2 – “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
