# I think i accidentally discovered the greatest music genre ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 1, 2022, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266 "2022-03-01T06:24:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/1 "2022-03-01T06:24:17Z")
Nuclear War Songs! I put on a Spotify playlist at work and four hours later it was still going strong. Two Tribes Two Suns in the Sunset Its a Mistake Red Skies World Destruction etc etc…mostly 80s of course. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/2 "2022-03-01T06:41:10Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/t039p6xqutU/maxresdefault.jpg ""Weird Al" Yankovic - Christmas At Ground Zero") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t039p6xqutU) ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/3 "2022-03-01T06:45:19Z")
I was under the impression that Barry McGuire’s **Eve of Destruction** and Deep Purple’s **Smoke on the Water** are the two de facto nuclear war songs? Which were very distinctive from run of the mill anti-war songs. And the red balloons song is about averted nuclear war, right ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/4 "2022-03-01T06:49:57Z")
When we first got Amazon Echo I asked it to play global thermonuclear war. The Echo responded by playing this album called _Global Thermonuclear War_ by a band called Dead Unicorn. https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2672761407/size=large/tracklist=false/artwork=small/ ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/5 "2022-03-01T07:20:50Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > I was under the impression that Barry McGuire’s **Eve of Destruction** and Deep Purple’s **Smoke on the Water** are the two de facto nuclear war songs? “Smoke on the Water” is about a hotel fire that was caused by a guy shooting off a flare gun at a Frank Zappa concert, and how it forced Deep Purple to find somewhere else at the last minute to park the Rolling Stones Mobile while they recorded Machine Head. I don’t think it’s meant to have anything to do with war, nuclear or otherwise. > **[Smoke on the Water | History](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_on_the_Water#History)** > > The lyrics tell a true story: on 4 December 1971, Deep Purple were in Montreux, Switzerland, to record an album (Machine Head) using a mobile recording studio (rented from the Rolling Stones and known as the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio—referred to as the "Rolling truck Stones thing" and "a mobile" in the lyrics) at the entertainment complex that was part of the Montreux Casino (referred to as "the gambling house" in the song lyric). > On the eve of the recording session, a concert with Frank Zapp... ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/6 "2022-03-01T07:21:42Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GCtIVti7uRI/hqdefault.jpg "Craig Ferguson Intro, 10/5/10 - Melt with You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCtIVti7uRI) (I just realized I have that same crocodile hand puppet.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/frAEmhqdLFs/hqdefault.jpg "Tom Lehrer - We Will All Go Together When We Go") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/7 "2022-03-01T07:37:12Z")
Not really a nuclear war song, but: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s4VlruVG81w/hqdefault.jpg "Dr. Strangelove - Ending") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4VlruVG81w) ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/8 "2022-03-01T08:11:11Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > And the red balloons song is about averted nuclear war, right No, the song ends with the aftermath of massive missile launch. I looked it up, the English translation is not very clear but also mentions > [It’s all over and I’m standin’ pretty > In this dust that was a city](https://genius.com/22302041/Nena-99-red-balloons/Ninety-nine-dreams-i-have-had-in-every-one-a-red-balloon-its-all-over-and-im-standin-pretty-in-this-dust-that-was-a-city) The German text is more explicit: > 99 Jahre Krieg > Ließen keinen Platz für Sieger > Kriegsminister gibt’s nicht mehr > Und auch keine Düsenflieger > Heute zieh’ ich meine Runden > Seh’ die Welt in Trümmern liegen Quick translation: “99 years of war leave no place for victors; there are no longer any ministers of war and no aircraft either, today I make my rounds and see the world lying in rubble”. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/9 "2022-03-01T08:38:05Z")
_Wooden Ships_, by Crosby, Stills and Nash. “I can see by your coat, my friend You’re from the other side There’s just one thing I got to know Can you tell me please, who won?” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3Q3j-i7GLr0/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgSyhHMA8=&rs=AOn4CLB9M2YKW7dC53MvGlpQeGMiK5Do_w "Wooden Ships - Crosby Stills Nash and Young") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3j-i7GLr0) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/10 "2022-03-01T08:48:06Z")
In 1982, Pete Townshend rewrote Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country” into a song about a man wondering whether his old flame in Scotland is still alive after the nuclear war and hoping that at least she didn’t suffer when the bombs fell. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WavnVVDlBak/hqdefault.jpg ""North Country Girl" - Pete Townshend (Studio Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WavnVVDlBak) And then, going back to 1946, there’s the Buchanan Brothers with a hillbilly gospel number so good I’m surprised it’s never been in a Fallout game. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EGy6WET0cAg/hqdefault.jpg "Buchanan Brothers - Atomic Power 1946 Country Music Songs") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGy6WET0cAg) ---
**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:** [March 1, 2022, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/11 "2022-03-01T09:09:43Z")
“King Of The World” by Steely Dan _Smoking cobalt cigarettes There’s no need to hide Taking things the easy way If I stay inside I might live til Saturday_ “The Temptation of Adam” by Josh Ritter _We passed the time with crosswords that she thought to bring inside What five letters spell “apocalypse” she asked me I won her over saying “W.W.I.I.I.” She smiled and we both knew that she’d misjudged me_ ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/12 "2022-03-01T10:13:41Z")
Bob Dylan’s “Let Me Die In My Footsteps” is about the folly of thinking that private shelters could save you from atomic destruction. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eiPP1Nu_QgE/maxresdefault.jpg "Bob Dylan - Let Me Die In My Footsteps (Studio Outtake - 1962 - Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiPP1Nu_QgE) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/13 "2022-03-01T10:21:48Z")
From 1984. ([Rush - Distant Early Warning - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrDj5XvZXX4)) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/14 "2022-03-01T12:02:42Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > …in a Fallout game. Speaking of, though many songs in the Fallout soundtrack (Fallout 4 that is, I’m not familiar with the other FO games though I think there’s a lot of crossover) reference atomic energy in some way , here’s I think the only one from the FO4 soundtrack that directly references nuclear war: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8XPzICHxXoQ/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgXihUMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBNzhpJ0lTEi5bdGGHDgisOjk5hPQ "Crawl Out Through the Fallout (Novelty Song): Sheldon Allman (1960)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XPzICHxXoQ) ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/15 "2022-03-01T13:11:12Z")
Breathing by Kate Bush is about nuclear war from the perspective of a fetus. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VzlofSthVwc/hqdefault.jpg "Kate Bush - Breathing - Official Music Video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzlofSthVwc) ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/16 "2022-03-01T13:17:21Z")
Two popular and well-beloved classics from Fishbone… _Voyage To The Land Of Freeze-Dried Godzilla Farts_ and _Party At Ground Zero_ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cf7G8SMsRTM/hqdefault.jpg "V.T.T.L.O.T.F.D.G.F. \* Fishbone") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf7G8SMsRTM) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uwX0fkGf5rA/maxresdefault.jpg "Party at Ground Zero - Fishbone - Fishbone EP (HD)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwX0fkGf5rA) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/17 "2022-03-01T13:19:12Z")
Randy Newman - “Political Science”. In its own way, possibly the darkest of them all. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/R5mAuPg1ZZw/maxresdefault.jpg "Political Science (Remastered)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5mAuPg1ZZw) ---
**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:** [March 1, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/18 "2022-03-01T14:09:23Z")
Some examples that aren’t necessily direct hits, but at least mention the concept: Queen’s “Hammer To Fall” (“You who grew up tall and proud / in the shadow of the mushroom cloud”) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JU5LMG3WFBw/hqdefault.jpg "Queen - Hammer To Fall (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU5LMG3WFBw) “Ba Ba Ba Ba” by The 77s (“And if by chance they drop the bomb / The heat will never find us / Cuz we’ve learned to run.”) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kCRCc3vAkC0/hqdefault.jpg "77s - Ba Ba Ba Ba (official video) from All Fall Down") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCRCc3vAkC0) “Apeman” by The Kinks (“Don’t feel safe in this world no more / I don’t wanna die in a nuclear war”) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eEep67akIn4/hqdefault.jpg "The Kinks - Apeman 1970") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEep67akIn4) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/19 "2022-03-01T14:14:37Z")
Also from Tom Lehrer: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oRLON3ddZIw/hqdefault.jpg "Tom Lehrer - Who's Next - with intro") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRLON3ddZIw) In in similar vein from the Kingston Trio: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bp6dsKleGpU/hqdefault.jpg "Kingston Trio-Merry Minuet") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp6dsKleGpU) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266/20 "2022-03-01T14:18:15Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9qbRHY1l0vc/maxresdefault.jpg "Iron Maiden - 2 Minutes To Midnight (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qbRHY1l0vc) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-accidentally-discovered-the-greatest-music-genre-ever/960266.md?page=2)