Top 15 Socialist Rock Songs

**Thanks to Sing365 for providing lyrics.

A while back, John J. Miller of National Review wrote an article that caused a big stir in the blogosphere. No, it wasn't politically driven, or shocking. It was a playlist for the top 50 conservative rock songs (1). Immediately it spawned spin-offs and criticism. I've decided to do my own rendition of the idea, this time lowering the song quota to 15 and changing the criteria from conservative to socialist.

My list is certainly not comprehensive, in that I'm picking my list strictly from songs that I know of. My goal is to pick 15 rock songs whose lyrics are of a socialist nature and are musically appealing. The artist doesn't necessarily need to hold far-left values as their own in order to qualify.

15) Amerika - Rammstein - Reise, Reise (2)

Rammstein, a German industrial rock band rants about American globalization and how corporations that offshore destroy the lives and cultures of people living overseas. It's all about how we force people to conform to our standards and how the low wage sweatshops set up by corporate America ultimately harms the welfare of those they exploit.

14) Red Hill Mining Town - U2 - The Joshua Tree (3)

U2's ballad from the Joshua Tree invokes the story of a youth living in a town that's main industry is mining. The 1984 UK Miner's Strike hit this town pretty hard. The lead character in the song struggles to stay afloat with his mining job, which is paying less and less as the strikes continue.

13) Boom! - System of a Down - Steal This Album! (4)

This song by Armenian band System of a Down points out the absurdity of America's military spending and how easily we've forsaken the poor. It also rants on the greed of corporations where "The bottom line is money; nobody gives a ****!"

12) The Hand That Feeds - Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth (5)

Nine Inch Nails talks about the danger with complaisance towards the government and the need to constantly advance change for the better, even if it puts yourself on the line.

11) Symphony of Destruction - Megadeath - Countdown to Extinction (6)

All about tyrants, overcoming them, and restoring peace and prosperity to the land. A sheer Robin Hood story.

10) Money - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (7)

An anecdote on the evils of capitalism and how it equates success with the dollar. Although musically it's hardly worth listening to by itself. It's a great song but as with most Pink Floyd albums, it's part of a larger piece.

9) Clampdown - The Clash - London Calling (8)

It's message is 100% socialist in nature. You can work hard at the bottom of a capitalist business but in the end you will still be exploited.

8) The Midnight Special - Credence Clearwater Revival - Willy and the Poor Boys (9)

Probably about a person living in the Great Depression or in some town with few job opportunities. Obviously the main character in the song isn't getting paid enough at his job, because he goes hungry often ("Ain't no food upon the table. Ain't no pork up in the pan."). Because of this, he wishes for a better life.

7) The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby - The Way It Is (10)

The problems with the U.S. welfare system are addressed here, as well as the sinister nature of the capitalist lie which would have exploited workers everywhere believe that being poor is "just the way it is."

6) Working Class Hero - John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (11)

John Lennon's praise of a strong, hard worker. It's these men and women who are the life and blood of the world and this is essentially a tribute to them. A worker's anthem.

5) Allentown - Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain (12)

The precursor to U2's song "Red Hill Mining Town". "Allentown" tells the tale of youth in Allentown, PA and how the steel factories closed down. This causes unions to disband and widespread poverty ensues. In the midst of all of this, the people still hold on to hope that change will come.

4) The Ghost of Tom Joad - Bruce Springsteen - The Ghost of Tom Joad (13)

Tom Joad, for those who don't know, was the hero of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. The song is about him and his struggles as a worker in the Great Depression era, as well as accentuating the relevance of his story in modern life.

3) Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (14)

Another song about the struggles of a working-class married couple in the city. The two pledge undying love to one another amidst the turmoil of not being able to find a job/get paid enough.

2) Maria - Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles (15)

Witness here, in a song by perhaps the greatest political rock band, the horrors of sweatshop labor and the virtual slavery foreign workers live in. It's hard to listen to the lyrics of this song and not think about shedding a few tears, simply because it's imagery is gut-wrenching. This is what happens as a result of free-market. Bourgeoisie exploitation at it's worst.

1) Maggie's Farm - Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home (16)

Another song about the virtual slavery of sweatshop labor, although Dylan's tune points out that often the corruption goes deeper than just the corporate bosses (Maggie, Maggie's Brother, Maggie's Pa, Maggie's Ma). This song should be the anthem of the socialist, always fighting against the system that puts people to work in life-threatening conditions and pays them little to nothing.