# "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:** 4
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/61 "2013-07-27T09:49:53Z")
A lot of Kinks songs aren’t so much about specific events as Big Picture cultural shifts: “Young Conservatives” (Thatcher’s rise to power), “Well Respected Man” (conservative backlash against Flower Power ideals) and “Around the Dial” (the shift of ownership of radio stations from small owners to huge corporate entities). “Give the People What They Want” name-checks the JFK assassination, but is more broadly about “If it bleeds, it leads” journalism as public spectacle. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/62 "2013-07-27T09:52:26Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > There are lots of “Battle of” songs. _New Orleans, Hadrian’s Wall, Little Big Horn, Evermore 😉_ and others by various artists. Genesis has a song, [_The Battle of Epping Forest_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFuIYyXiD5w) but it’s about a gang war involving two East End (London) gangs; not a battle per se. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/63 "2013-07-27T10:05:49Z")
Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark: “Enola Gay” and “Maid of Orleans.” Probably more, but those are the only OMD songs I’ve ever heard. Scorpions, “Winds of Change.” Tim Curry, “I Do the Rock” name-checks numerous historical events and touchstones. Alabama, “Song of the South.” Not rock, but arguably pop. Also, Alan Jackson “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?” Loudon Wainwright III, “Jesse Don’t Like It.” ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/64 "2013-07-27T10:22:03Z")
“Waterloo” by Abba. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kirk1168](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@kirk1168](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk1168)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/65 "2013-07-27T15:35:24Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > “Waterloo” by Abba. 🙂 “Fernando” by ABBA (originally a solo single by ABBA’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad) Two veterans of the Mexican Revolution reminisce about the war. ---
**Author:** ![Girlundone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Girlundone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlundone)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/66 "2013-07-27T16:27:02Z")
Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. The genre might be better described as folk. It’s about the Kent State shootings in 1970. ---
**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 27, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/67 "2013-07-27T17:13:02Z")
Wolf Tones - “Come Out Ye Black & Tans” - about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Warren Zevon - “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” - namechecks any number of African insurgencies. Wolfstone - “Braes of Sutherland” - the turning out of poor people in Britain and the subsequent transport thereof. Also see Capercaillie’s “Outlaws.” The first and third artists are more accurately classified as “Folk,” no matter how many electric guitars they use. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/68 "2013-07-27T18:35:54Z")
Well, it’s a blues song, but [God Moves on the Water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MylKZba4wa4) by Blind Willie Johnson is about the Titanic, and it certainly rocks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Cornholio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Cornholio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Cornholio)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/69 "2013-07-27T19:59:59Z")
Saxon - “Crusader”, “Sailing to America”, “Conquistador”, “The Eagle Has Landed”, “Lionheart” “Thin Red Line”… sod it, pick any Saxon LP, if the song doesn’t have the word “Motorbike” or “Rock” in the title, it’ll probably have a historical theme (and it will be a damned good track/LP too) ! ---
**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 27, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/70 "2013-07-27T20:06:26Z")
“Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914)” by the Zombies. ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/71 "2013-07-28T02:37:48Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > 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) To add to the Iron Maiden list: Aces High (the Battle of Britain) Afraid to Shoot Strangers (the gulf war- although when released it was a current event) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/72 "2013-07-28T03:49:20Z")
Also about, and from the time of, the first Gulf War: The Rolling Stones, “Highwire”. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/73 "2013-07-28T04:05:32Z")
Oooh!, and I just realized, [Sympathy for the Devil](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BGRHwj6cE8) fits the bill pretty well. Even if all of the events spoken of aren’t historical certainties, and it’s got a metaphoric protagonist, it still mentions a lot of actual history. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/74 "2013-07-28T04:12:35Z")
Christopher Lee: “[The Bloody Verdict of Verden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvKRbi2ovDY)” From his metal album, “Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross” ---
**Author:** ![LMarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@LMarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LMarie)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/75 "2013-07-28T05:00:53Z")
Enjoy: [Top 10 Songs Based On Historical Events](http://terrific-top10.com/2013/01/09/top-10-songs-based-on-historical-events/). ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/76 "2013-07-28T06:05:49Z")
“The Legend Of Crazy Horse” by JD Blackfoot. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/77 "2013-07-28T10:25:46Z")
> [@LMarie](#): > > Enjoy: [Top 10 Songs Based On Historical Events](http://terrific-top10.com/2013/01/09/top-10-songs-based-on-historical-events/). The first song on that page - Smoke on the Water by Black Sabbath. WTF? Am I getting whooshed? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/78 "2013-07-28T23:50:44Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > The first song on that page - Smoke on the Water by Black Sabbath. WTF? Am I getting whooshed? And the video has the right name… The also misspelled “Ramstein” (Band - two m’s, place, one m). And #1 is just “Neda.” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/79 "2013-07-29T00:16:15Z")
Black 47 - [James Connolly](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wukfdjJv340) (1918 Easter Uprising) 10,000 Maniacs - [Grey Victory](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDQ4AkTrtFY) (Bombing of Hiroshima) 10,000 Maniacs - [Hateful Hate](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOSaDoQpaVo) (European colonization of Africa) ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559/80 "2013-07-29T06:16:11Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > …Lastly, not many people realize that [_You Dropped A Bomb On Me_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17lkdqoLt44) by The Gap Band is about China’s 19th century Opium Wars and not just a kick-ass dance song about a girl… It’s interesting, because the lyrics don’t even really try to hide it. It’s a pretty blatant reference. Take this part… _“You took me to the sky, Id never been so high You were my pills, you were my thrills You were my hope, baby, you were my smoke”_ And even those aware of the real meaning of the song misunderstand this part. This is directly referencing Queen Victoria and her part in allowing the trade between China and Great Britain. It fascinates me, because the Gap Band aren’t usually known for being political artists, but they really were more than people understood. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-epic-rock-songs/664559.md?page=5)