I’m not too sure about this. Have you read the lyrics to “Passage to Bangkok?” It sure looks like a pot song to me.
Bob Roberts
I never claimed they never dabbled with the stuff, but Marijuana is hardly a ‘hard drug’ . I intended to convery that Rush has never had any drug busts, or any other public commotion…ever. The tribute also neglects to even mention anything drug related.
Well, there’s Poker Face. I haven’t heard anything by them, but they’d seem to be conservative, of the paranoid fringe variety.
I still haven’t seen any cites for Young’s or Dylan’s conservatism. I’ve seen ad-hoc arguments, but nothing solid. Come on, a quote, a lyric, anything.
I see no reason to believe that Built to Spill are conservative.
Which one?
Valeri Bertinelli
I found an interesting list of Conservative Classics from the Rock Era by Bruce Barlett.
*1. Paul Anka, “(You’re) Having My Baby”
This is a remarkable song by an extremely prolific singer and songwriter. It reached number 1 in July 1974, and stayed there for 3 weeks. What is remarkable about this song is its explicit pro-life message. In praising his wife for having his baby, Anka sings:
Didn’t have to keep it
Wouldn’t put ya through it
You could have swept it from your life
But you wouldn’t do it
No, you wouldn’t do it
Considering that Roe v. Wade had already been decided by the Supreme Court, and that being “pro-choice” had already established itself as liberal dogma, it was very courageous for Anka to put such a line in one of his own songs. The fact that the song was a massive hit also tells us something important about what most Americans really think about abortion. I can think of no similarly pro-choice song ever to make the charts.
Another pro-life song by a popular rock group is “Unborn Child” by Seals & Crofts. Prolific hit makers in the 1970s, this 1974 song, which did not make the pop chart, is very hard-core in denouncing abortion. The following lyrics are indicative:
Oh unborn child, if you only knew what your momma was plannin'
to do
You’re still a-clingin’ to the tree of life, but soon you’ll be
cut off before you get ripe
Oh unborn child, beginning to grow inside your momma, but
you’ll never know
Oh tiny bud, that grows in the womb, only to be crushed
before you can bloom
Even more hard-core is “Bodies” by the 1970s Punk group Sex Pistols, from their 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks. In extremely graphic terms, they denounce a girl named Pauline “who killed her baby.” The refrain throughout is the voice of the fetus: “Body, I’m not an animal/Mummy, I’m not an abortion.” (See also Madonna, below.)
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The Beatles, “Revolution”
I remember when I was in college, Young Americans for Freedom had a poster printed with the lyrics of this song on it. The reason is that it is fundamentally anti-revolution. At a time when rebellious youth around the world were shutting down college campuses with often-violent demonstrations, it is surprising that John Lennon and Paul McCartney would write lines like these:
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don’t you know you can count me out
“Revolution” reached number 12 in September 1968, and stayed on the chart for 11 weeks.
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Chuck Berry and Linda Ronstadt, “Back In the U.S.A.”
This song was not a duet, but the same song that charted for Berry in 1959 and Ronstadt in 1978. She had the bigger hit with it, reaching number 16 and staying on the chart for 8 weeks. Berry’s original just barely cracked the chart at number 37 and was there for just one week. I included this song because Berry is a rock icon and because I like it a lot. It is patriotic in a very old-fashioned sense, celebrating his return to the U.S. from an overseas trip. It is hard to imagine a black musician writing words like these today:
Well, I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the U.S.A.
Yes, I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the U.S.A.
Anything you want, we got right here in the U.S.A.
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James Brown, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”
I included this song on grounds of general political incorrectness and because I love the “Godfather of Soul.” However, I think one can also listen to the lyrics not just as a celebration of the accomplishments of men versus women, but of entrepreneurs and industry. Consider these lines:
You see, man made the cars
To take us over the world
Man made the train
To carry the heavy load
Man made the electro lights
To take us out of the dark
Man made the bullet for the war
Like Noah made the ark
This is a man’s, man’s world
But it would be nothing
Nothing without a woman to care
Rather than a glorification of male chauvinism, I prefer to think of this song as a paean to the inventors and builders who made the many products we all take for granted. In that sense, it is conservative economically, as well as socially. This song reached number 8 on the pop chart in 1966 and was on the chart for 8 weeks.
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The Browns, “The Three Bells”
Based on a French song written in 1945, Dick Manning added new English lyrics in 1959. This version went to number 1 in August of that year, remaining in that position for 4 weeks. It tells the life of “Little Jimmy Brown” in deeply religious terms. Typical are the last lines:
And the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above
Lead us not into temptation
May his soul find the salvation
Of thy great eternal love
Philadelphia singer Dick Flood also charted with this song, taking it to number 23 in September 1959.
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Johnny Burnette, “God, Country and My Baby”
Burnette is best known for his huge hit, “You’re Sixteen,” but he also had several other songs that made the chart, of which this was the last. It is the story of a soldier going off to war and his final night at home. Although he wants desperately to stay with his wife, he tells her he has to go. “I’ll go for God, country, and my baby,” Burnette sings. This patriotic hit peaked at number 18 in November 1961.
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The Byrds, “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
This is an odd conservative classic, having been written by old time lefty Pete Seeger and performed by a group that later glorified drugs in “Eight Miles High.” Nevertheless, it makes my list because the lyrics are drawn straight from the Book of Ecclesiastes. I figure that any song based on the Bible deserved inclusion. I also like it. “Turn! Turn! Turn!” was a massive hit in November 1965, hitting number 1 and staying there for 3 weeks.
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Judy Collins, “Amazing Grace”
In 1779 Rev. John Newton wrote the words to this hymn, with William Walker composing the melody in 1844. It has long been considered one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and Collins sings it superbly. Recorded at St. Paul’s Chapel, Columbia University, this version of “Amazing Grace” has a rich, deep sound that sends a chill up my spine every time I hear it. Collins made it to number 15 in January 1971, and it stayed on the chart for an impressive 11 weeks. An instrumental version of “Amazing Grace” with bagpipes also charted the following year. In May 1972, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards reached number 11 with their rendition of this classic hymn.
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Charlie Daniels Band, “In America”
Best known for his 1979 hit, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” Daniels had this unabashedly patriotic hit the next year. It peaked at number 11 in June 1980. Following is the first verse:
Well the eagle’s been flyin’ slow
And the flag’s been flyin’ low
And a lotta people sayin’ that America’s fixin’ to fall
Well speaking just for me
And some people from Tennessee
We’ve got a thing or two to tell you all
This lady may have stumbled
But she ain’t never failed
And if the Russians don’t believe that
They can all go straight to hell
We’re gonna put her feet
Back on the path of righteousness
And then God bless America again
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Neil Diamond, “America”
In 1981, prolific singer/songwriter Diamond remade Al Jolson’s “The Jazz Singer.” One of the new songs he wrote for that film was “America,” an unabashedly patriotic celebration of a turn-of-the-century immigrant’s new home. It is stirring and exciting and my favorite of all Diamond’s many, many hits. “America” reached number 8 in May 1981, and remained on the chart for 13 weeks. The film, however, didn’t do as well.
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Doobie Brothers, “Jesus Is Just Alright”
The title of this song pretty much says it all. Performed by a mainstream rock group with a number of hits in the 1970s, this song cracked the chart in February 1973 at number 35, staying just 2 weeks. To my knowledge, this is the only religiously-oriented song they ever recorded. But it was a good one.
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Yvonne Elliman and Helen Reddy, “I Don’t Know How To Love Him”
Elliman was a member of the cast of the rock opera, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. This is a song from that show, sung in the voice of Mary Magdalene. Elliman’s performance is incredible, coming close to being erotic while still being deeply religious. It reached number 8 in May 1971, and was on the chart for 6 weeks as a single. Helen Reddy had a simultaneous hit with the same song. Her version rose to number 13 the same month.
13. Miss Toni Fisher, “West of the Wall”
Best known for her huge 1959 hit, “The Big Hurt,” Fisher’s only other chart appearance was with this song in 1962. It is about a woman whose love is trapped on the Communist east side of the Berlin Wall. She waits for him on the western side, “where hearts are free.” The song was prescient, as well, for the line, “West of the wall that soon will fall.” It peaked at number 37 in July.
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Connie Francis, “God Bless America”
Inclusion of this classic Irving Berlin song obviously needs no explanation. Francis was one of the most prolific hit makers of the rock era. She put this song on the chart for 2 weeks in December 1959, where it rose to number 36.
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Bobby Fuller Four, “I Fought the Law”
First released in 1964, this song didn’t make the chart until February 1966, reaching number 9. I included it on my list because of its strong law and order message. The refrain throughout is, “I fought the law and the law won.”
Two other songs with a similar message that did not make my list, are “Indiana Wants Me” by R. Dean Taylor, which hit number 5 in September 1970, and The Kingston Trio’s “Tom Dooley,” a number 1 hit in 1958.
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Cast of Godspell, “Day By Day”
“Godspell” was a Broadway musical similar to “Jesus Christ Superstar.” This was a song from that musical. It reached number 13 on the chart in June 1972, and was on the chart for 9 weeks.
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Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Greenwood is a well-known country and western singer. This song was originally released in 1984, hitting number 7 on the country chart. But in 1991, in the wake of the Gulf war, it was re-released, crossing over to the pop chart. It reached number 30 in June and was on the chart for 5 weeks.
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George Harrison, “My Sweet Lord”
Harrison was, of course, a member of The Beatles. After that group’s breakup, he went on to record a number of solo hits, of which this was the biggest. It hit number 1 in December 1970, and stayed in that position for 4 weeks. The inclusion of this song may be controversial because of its non-Christian lyrics. However, I take the view that being deeply religious makes the song per se conservative, even if the religion is Hinduism or Buddhism. The fact that Harrison also wrote “Taxman” contributed to my decision to add “My Sweet Lord” to the list.
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Edwin Hawkins Singers, “Oh Happy Day”
This may be the only true gospel song by a hard-core gospel group to ever make the pop chart. In May 1969, this Paul Anka-produced song went to number 4 and stayed on the chart for 9 weeks. Unlike some other religious songs that made the charts, “Oh Happy Day” was not dressed up in pop clothing. It is pure, 100 percent gospel. It ranks as one of the most improbable hits in rock history. Because of its uncompromising religious nature, it made my list. Country singer Glen Campbell also charted with this song in 1970, reaching number 40 with it in May.
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Johnny Horton, “Battle of New Orleans”
This is a straightforward retelling of the famous War of 1812 battle, in which a force of rag-tag Americans led by Andrew Jackson defeated the cream of the British army. I included it on patriotic grounds and because it teaches more about the actual Battle of New Orleans than most students probably learn in school these days. The song was a massive hit, reaching number 1 in May 1959, and staying there for 6 weeks.
Horton’s two other hits, “Sink the Bismarck” and “North to Alaska,” both in 1960, were also historical in nature. Both written for movies, the former tells the true story of the hunt for a German battleship in World War II, and the latter of the Alaskan gold rush.
Three other songs in this genre that did not make my list are “P.T. 109,” “Ballad of the Alamo,” and “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.” The first tells the true story of John F. Kennedy’s World War II exploits. Sung by sausage king Jimmy Dean, it reached number 8 in 1962. The second was the theme to John Wayne’s movie about the fight for Texas independence. Recorded by Marty Robbins, it reached number 34 on the chart in 1960. The last was the theme song from the Walt Disney television show, based on the exploits of a true America hero. So popular was this song that it actually charted 4 times in 1955 with 4 different artists singing it, including Tennessee Ernie Ford and the show’s star, Fess Parker, now a well-known wine maker. The biggest hit was by Bill Hayes, whose version was number 1 for 5 weeks.
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Whitney Houston, “The Star Spangled Banner” -
Ferlin Husky, “Wings of a Dove” -
The Impressions, “Amen”
In general, I excluded Christmas songs from my list, but included this one because I enjoy the rich harmony of this great soul group, and because its religiosity is so explicit. Featured in the Sidney Poitier movie, “Lilies of the Field,” “Amen” reached number 7 in December 1964 and was on the chart for 7 weeks. Otis Redding also had a brief hit with this song, taking it to number 36 for 1 week in July 1968.
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Jay and the Americans, “Only in America”
An old-fashioned patriotic song, with a heavy dose of Horatio Alger thrown in. A typical line is, “Go to sleep a pauper and wake up a millionaire.” Although it may be more the reverse in Silicon Valley these days, it still embodies the fundamental classlessness of American society, which says anyone can get ahead here with a bit of hard work. The song reached 25 in September 1963.
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Elton John, “Philadelphia Freedom”
Whitburn says that this song was written as some kind of tribute for tennis star Billie Jean King and her team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. This is not correct. I clearly recall an interview with Elton John just before this song was released, in which he said it was written to celebrate the American Bicentennial in 1976. The lyrics leave no doubt that this was in fact the case. For example, John sings, “From the day I was born I’ve waved the flag.” And there is nothing whatsoever in the song that even hints at any relationship to Ms. King or tennis.
Some conservatives may object to inclusion of this song on a list of conservative classics on the grounds that John is an open homosexual. But as noted at the beginning, I ignored the artist and looked only to the song lyrics in making my choices. I also think “Philadelphia Freedom” is a great song. It was a number 1 hit for 2 weeks in December 1974.
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Kingston Trio, “M.T.A.”
The M.T.A. in this song is Boston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority, which levied “a burdensome tax” on the people of that city in the form of a subway fare increase. I included this song because it embodies a libertarian disdain for high taxes. Originally written in 1948, it reached number 15 in June 1959.
Two other excellent anti-tax songs by contemporary singers, which unfortunately were not released as singles, are “Taxman, Mr. Thief” by Cheap Trick, and “1040 Blues” by Robert Cray. The former appeared on their first album in 1977, with a live version also appearing on their 1999 album, Music for Hangovers. The title pretty much says it all. The latter appears on Cray’s album, Shame + a Sin. Following are some representative lines:
I hate taxes
I work hard for my money
Every April you take it all away
Taxes gonna break my back I swear
Don’t you know I pay a lot more than my share?
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The Kinks, “Sunny Afternoon”
British taxes must have been really high in 1966. That year, The Beatles recorded “Taxman” and fellow Brits The Kinks also recorded this anti-tax anthem. As they sing, “The tax man’s taken all my dough…He’s taken everything I’ve got.” They took this song to number 14 in August.
It is also worth noting another important song by this group that was not released as a single, “20th Century Man.” Written by Ray Davies, leader of The Kinks for almost 40 years, it reflects a profoundly conservative worldview, as shown in the following lyrics:
You keep all your smart modern writers
Give me William Shakespeare
You keep all your smart modern painters
I'll take Rembrandt, Titian, Da Vinci and Gainsborough
I was born in a welfare state
Ruled by bureaucracy
Controlled by civil servants
And people dressed in gray
Got no privacy, got no liberty
Cos the twentieth century people
Took it all away from me
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Laurie London, “He’s Got the Whole World (In His Hands)” -
Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama”
In the early 1970s, singer Neil Young recorded a couple of songs, “Alabama” and “Southern Man,” that painted all Southerners as racist rednecks. Lynyrd Skynyrd responded in 1974 with “Sweet Home Alabama,” a vigorous defense of the South and a direct counterattack on Mr. Young. It made my list mainly for the following lines:
In Birmingham they love the gov’nor
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth
It is worth remembering that the governor of Alabama at this time was George Wallace. And with the song coming out in August 1974, just as Richard Nixon was forced to resign the presidency because of Watergate, the line about that alone makes it a conservative classic. “Sweet Home Alabama” reached number 8 and was on the charts for 11 weeks. Sadly, most of the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd died in a plane crash in 1977.
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Madonna, “Papa Don’t Preach”
Amazingly, this is a strongly pro-life song, for which the singer was criticized by pro-choicers at the time. In it, she asks her father’s advice about what to do with an out-of-wedlock child. “My friends keep telling me to give it up,” she sings, but in the end decides, “I’m gonna keep my baby.” The song hit number 1 in July 1986.*
I think labeling Lynyrd Skynyrd conservative because of “Sweet Home Alabama” is based on a misunderstanding of the song.
It’s a response to “Southern Man” by Neil Young which could be interpreted as a broad condemnation of the South. When they sing “In Birmingham they love the governor” the backup singers are saying “Boo, boo, boo.”
All they’re saying is that Watergate doesn’t bother them because not all Americans are responsible for it just as they aren’t responsible for George Wallace’s actions simply because they’re southerners.
It’s not a song defending Wallace, for sure.
“Brick” by Ben Folds Five. Although I do admit it is not explicitly pro choice because even though the woman gets an abortion, it’s clear in the song that her relationship with the singer and to some extent her life are ruined because of the whole ordeal.
Fingolfin, that list is wack. Whoever compiled it thinks anything with religion in it automatically equates to conservative. By this logic, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the late Daniel Berrigan are all leading right-wingers. :rolleyes: As for early-70s phenomena like Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, and “Jesus Is Just All Right,” how soon we forget the “Jesus Freak” movement of those days. Well, it was a short-lived trend, but it was one expression of the Counterculture. Actually, I guess in retrospect it was the Counterculture’s dying gasp.
Another thing: the movie Alice’s Restaurant was made in, what 1968? well before the “Jesus Freak” movement started. It was a bold celebration of the hippie-freak-druggie counterculture, strongly antiwar and anticonservative. Arlo Guthrie sang “Amazing Grace” in that movie. Would the compiler of that list like to argue that Alice’s Restaurant was “conservative” just because it included “Amazing Grace”? I think not. Remember the song came from the antislavery movement. Conservatives in 1861 were fighting to keep slavery. That guy is grasping at straws trying to pad out his list, since some of his choices are being shoehorned into an ideology they obviously never supported.
As for labeling anything “apocalyptic” as conservative, I refer you to Barry McGuire’s 1965 hit “Eve of Destruction.” It was a very grim, acerbic song protesting nluclear proliferation. Conservatives were up in arms about “Eve of Destruction” and actually insisted it be banned from the radio, they were so offended by it. (Ironically, some years later, after Barry McGuire was a has-been, he turned conservative and started recording Christian music.)
Peter Steele is a self ascribed Social Darwinist.
How about “Taxman”, by the Beatles (Harrison)? It was an overtly political song protesting highly indexed tax rates being instituted by a socialist British Government.
The lyrics are specific and political:
The highest tax bracket at the time, which the Beatles were in, required the payment of 19 shillings and 3 pence per pound (there are 20 shillings in a pound).
Later in the song:
Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath are references to politicians Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. Harold Wilson was the Prime Minister of Britain and leader of the labor party, and Edward Heath was the leader of the opposition.
Glenn Frey seems to be quite conservative - I often wondered if the Eagles split in part because Henley was so liberal and Frey wasn’t. Here’s some lyrics from ‘Better in the USA’, which he wrote for “The Allnighter”:
Now, this sounds fairly obvious and non-political, but at the time it was written Reagan was in the White House, and the cold war was the defining issue between conservatives and Liberals. Especially in music, the liberals were trying to portray the Soviets as being just like us. Sting wrote “The Russians Love Their Children Too”, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood wrote, “Two Tribes”. Enya had “99 Luftballoons” about that time as well. to hear ‘Better in the U.S.A.’ on the radio was pretty startling.
Then there’s this line:
So moving to the left is standing in the dark, and moving to the right is standing in the light? That stanza can certainly be interpreted that way. Or he might have just meant, “you can choose what you want”, and the specific order was set just because it scanned and rhymed that way.
Sorry, that lyric should be, “If we’re so awful, if we’re so bad”, not “if we’re so lawful”. Sheesh.
I’d say rap-metal band Stuck Mojo would be the counter to Rage Against the Machine.
Check out these lyrics:
“If you want my gun, come and get it.”
“Only the strong survive ~ my gun control is a steady hand.”
“A man without a sense of dignity
Collectivist mindset, a danger to our liberty.”
Then there’s the “An Open Letter,” a rant against Jesse Jackson.
They’ve had some controversy, since their frontman is black. Interesting stuff though, IMO.
as for punk bands, someone already posted this, but most oi bands are generally conservative.
Also, you can take into account skinhead bands, which are ALL right-wing, AFAIK. Bear in mind that not all skinheads are neo-nazis as well, before some nut tries to equate conservatism with all those evil things like racism as I’ve seen happen far too many times.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned “There’s Nothing Wrong with Capitalism” by Oingo Boingo. (I never figured out if they meant it satirically or not. If the song was a joke, they made it with a perfectly straight face.)
Oingo Boingo also did a song for an Orwellian-themed TV special aired on January 1, 1984, in which they sang
"Wake up, it’s 1984!
We’re watching Big Brother!"
Oingo Boingo’s creative force was Danny Elfman, who went on to a monster career in Hollywood scoring music (ie. The Simpsons, MiB II, Spiderman, etc.). Danny Elfman is a Libertarian, as I recall.
Actually it was quoted in my sigfile in my last post. I figured people would cite that as an example.
Chris W