# "Historical Epic" Rock Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559 "2013-07-26T06:14:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/21 "2013-07-26T14:36:01Z")
“The World Turned Upside Down” (apparently not by Billy Bragg but made famous by him) is about the Diggers and Levellers in 17th century England. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/22 "2013-07-26T14:40:44Z")
U2; _Pride (in the name of Love) Mothers of the Disappeared_ Just off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/23 "2013-07-26T15:00:53Z")
There’s **Who’s Next** by Tom Lehrer, about the arms race: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oRLON3ddZIw/hqdefault.jpg "Tom Lehrer - Who's Next - with intro") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRLON3ddZIw) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/24 "2013-07-26T15:11:50Z")
Public Enemy: [Can’t Truss It](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am9BqZ6eA5c) - and a lot of other PE songs. Ras Kass: [The Nature of the Threat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKUrQMYMv04) - it’s extremely racist and his interpretations of historical events and even simple word etymology is suspect at best, but it is certainly an attempt at a (misguided) history lesson. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/25 "2013-07-26T15:21:45Z")
My bad, those aren’t rock songs. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/26 "2013-07-26T15:23:15Z")
Manic Street Preachers - If you tolerate this [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/B7dBBCHYcZs/hqdefault.jpg "MANIC STREET PREACHERS\_ If you tolerate this your children will be next") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7dBBCHYcZs) Paul Hardcastle - 19 [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hRJFvtvTGEk/hqdefault.jpg "Paul Hardcastle - 19 (Official video) HQ") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJFvtvTGEk) Randy Newman - Louisiana 1827 [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MGs2iLoDUYE/hqdefault.jpg "Randy Newman "Louisiana 1927"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGs2iLoDUYE) ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/27 "2013-07-26T15:27:28Z")
Also Manic Street Preachers: Let Robeson Sing, though it may be more of a tribute song than historical. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/28 "2013-07-26T15:53:05Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Jaime Brockett: “Legend of the USS Titanic” I remember that one. Now that you mentioned it, that is. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/29 "2013-07-26T15:53:36Z")
These songs probably don’t fit the rock or pop song category, but both artists/bands have been known to rock. Frank Black & The Catholics - [St. Francis Dam Disaster](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX6yDjh_irw) Mojo Nixon & Jello Biafra - [Hamlet Chicken Plant Disaster](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyU-PvbOjlo) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/30 "2013-07-26T16:01:39Z")
A band called “Rasputina” wrote a song about 1816, the Year Without a Summer. It’s a very off-beat sound, But Pandora somehow hooked me up with it, that’s the only way I ever heard of the band or the song. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/31 "2013-07-26T16:07:09Z")
More about a person than an event, but definitely a history lesson: [James K. Polk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9SvJMZs5Rs), by They Might Be Giants The Kinks’ entire album _Arthur, or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire_ is, in a way, a trip through British history, although it never really narrates any particular historical events in the way you may be looking for. Try [Mr Churchill Says](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCdBuNLbV18) for an example. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/32 "2013-07-26T16:10:17Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Neil Young’s [Cortez the Killer](http://www.youtube.com/results?q=cortez+the+killer&oq=cort&gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l4.1162.2778.0.4615.4.4.0.0.0.0.151.392.2j2.4.0...0.0...1ac.1.5.youtube-reduced.JFnmFidN_sw&nomobile=1). Not exactly historically correct, but an epic song about Cortez’ conquest, and one of Young’s greatest. I loved the bit about the peaceful Aztecs, where “war was never known”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/33 "2013-07-26T16:41:32Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Phil Ochs: Most of his albums “All The News That’s Fit To Sing” and “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” Might as well add his “Crucifixion” (about the assassination of JFK). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/34 "2013-07-26T16:48:44Z")
**njtt** mentioned Al Stewart’s “Road to Moscow,” but forgot his “Murmansk Run/Ellis Island,” “Constantinople,” “Nostradamus,” “Fields of France,” “Lost Admirals,” “Lord Grenville,” “A Man For All Seasons,” “Charlotte Corday,” “Last Day of June, 1934,” “The Palace of Versailles,” and about a dozen others. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/35 "2013-07-26T16:52:25Z")
I don’t know if it qualifies, but I’ll ad Crack The Sky’s [Sea Epic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-alJgAyrz8) to the list. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/36 "2013-07-26T16:59:31Z")
Judy Collins: [Marat/Sade](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkeXTlhX0OA) medley. The French Revolution. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/37 "2013-07-26T17:10:20Z")
Ballad of John and Yoko. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/38 "2013-07-26T17:14:06Z")
Johnny Horton also did North to Alaska Sink the Bismarck there is also Mr. Custer by Larry Verne, ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/39 "2013-07-26T17:26:08Z")
Bruce Cockburn’s [_If I Had A Rocket Launcher_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7vCww3j2-w) was inspired by his reaction to visiting Guatemalan refugees in Mexico. The situation in Guatemala was terrible for over 30 years as a civil war pretty much continued unabated and tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of refugees sought shelter not just from the various revolutionary factions vying for power, but also from certain faction’s attempts at genocide, most notably during the 16 month rule of Efrain Rìos Montt as his forces targeted indigenous Mayas. Anyway, it’s a terrific song, where the beauty of the guitar work underscores the seething hatred and powerlessness of the lyrics. ETA: This has been one of my favorite songs since it was released. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/40 "2013-07-26T17:48:38Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Public Enemy: [Can’t Truss It](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am9BqZ6eA5c) - and a lot of other PE songs. > > Ras Kass: [The Nature of the Threat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKUrQMYMv04) - it’s extremely racist and his interpretations of historical events and even simple word etymology is suspect at best, but it is certainly an attempt at a (misguided) history lesson. > [@DCnDC](#): > > My bad, those aren’t rock songs. Well, Public Enemy is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559.md?page=3)