I want to make a playlist of rock or other pop songs that have historical epic themes…songs that are dramatic and clearly narrate (or at least refer) to historical events. So far I have…
Iron Maiden, “Run to the Hills”
The Clash, “Something About England”
Steppenwolf, “Monster, Suicide, America”
The Band, “The Night the Drove Old Dixie Down”
Johnny Horton, “The Battle of New Orleans”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” at least lists a ton of events.
Aerosmith, “Kings and Queens.” (sort of…at least it has an epic sound)
Led Zeppelin, “The Immigrant Song” (a stretch…and hard to understand)
Any other songs? Especially those that are explicitly “history lessons.”
B. Dylan “The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll”
B. Dylan “Only A Pawn In Their Game”
Phil Ochs: Most of his albums “All The News That’s Fit To Sing” and “I Ain’t Marching Anymore”
W. Guthrie “Do Re Me”
W. Guthrie “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)”
W. Guthrie “1913 Massacre”
A. Guthrie “Alice’s Restaurant Massacre”
D. McLean “American Pie”
E. Bogle “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”
G. Nash “Chicago”
N. Young “Ohio”
J. Mitchell “Woodstock”
Mastodon’s 2009 album Crack The Skye is partially sort of about the end of Tsarist Russia.
Every song that Japanese doomsters Church Of Misery have ever written has been about either a serial killer or a mass murderer.
It Sprinkled, It Rained and It Poured by John & Marina Nickerson is about the flood in Chemung County, NY in 1972. It was a huge regional hit. Sadly, my 45 of this song disappeared decades ago. Elmira is my hometown and that flood was a tremendous event in my young life.
The Clash song Sean Flynn is about the son of actor Errol Flynn, who disappeared in Vietnam in 1970 while working as a photojournalist. NOTE: The Clash wrote a lot of songs about what were then fairly recent events, but this song happens to be a personal favorite of mine, so I’m listing it; I’ll let others list other Clash songs.
The Ballad Of Solomon Eagle by Orange Goblin is about 17th century composer Solomon Eccles, also known as Solomon Eagle, a Quaker who was persecuted (and prosecuted) for his religious beliefs and practices.
Lastly, not many people realize that You Dropped A Bomb On Me by The Gap Band is about China’s 19th century Opium Wars and not just a kick-ass dance song about a girl.
I can’t believe I forgot this one: Angel of Death by Slayer is about Auschwitz and Josef Mengele (and also the single greatest thrash song that will ever be written).
Chris de Burgh’s album The Getaway is most famous for “Don’t Pay the Ferryman”, but it ends with a trio of songs that seem to be about either the American Revolution or the French Revolution: “The Revolution”, “Light a Fire” and “Liberty”.
Bob Dylan (who’s real name is Zimmerman, BTW) sang a little ditty called “Hurricane” about the judicial hosing applied to Ruben “Hurricane” Carter in the late 1970’s.
Iron Maiden does quite a few of these. Besides the one in the OP, here’s a few. I’m pretty sure they have more
“Alexander the Great"
“Invaders” (Viking raids)
“Montségur” (Fall of Montségur a medieval fortress)
“The Trooper”(Charge of the Light Brigade)
“Paschendale”( Battle of Paschendale)
“The Longest Day”(D-Day)
Damn, ninjaed by a couple of minutes for the Maiden songs.
There’s pretty much an entire Iced Earth album called Glorious Burden which is all about American history. The last three, almost 30 minutes total, are about Gettysburg.
