Sort of a naive-cynical verse, and a very condemning chorus. Noit strictly cynical, but I do believe it fits here.
“God Shuffled His Feet” - Crash Test Dummies
How about “We will all go together when we go” by Tom Lehrer ?
About the major advantage of nuclear war: Noone will be left behind to feel sad, because “the bomb that drops on you gets your friends and neighbours too” - song to an upbeat and happy ragtime beat.
Snorman
Jethro Tull’s many tracks dealing with religion; e.g.,
And let us not forget Country Joe and the Fish!
But special Cynicism Awards ought to go to the Traveling Wilbury’s for ‘Congratulations’:
I challenge anyone to find a song more cynical than ‘The Decline’ by NOFX. It’s talking about just giving up on the whole human existence, what could be more cynical than that? Here’s a little snippet of it, if you want the whole lyrics you can do a google search or just download the song. (I dont think im allowed to post the complete lyrics here though am i? is that against board rules?)
BTW, alot of the songs that people are mentioning arent even really cynical by definition.
Including yours Cisco. The only cynical song I’ve seen here are “Sell, Sell, Sell” by BNL.
From “Cambridge Dictionaries Online”:
Most of these are ironic or sarcastic or angry. I won’t even bring up the MM or NIN stuff. Trent Reznors very existence is cynical…but his songs aren’t.
You want cynical? I’ll give you cynical. A song so cynical it tells you that it doesn’t matter what it’s about. You’re gonna buy it anyway. If they do it right then you’re helpless before it.
Cynical
*
First appeared 1584
1 : CAPTIOUS, PEEVISH
2 : having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic; especially : contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives <those ~ men who say that democracy cannot be honest and efficient --F. D. Roosevelt>
– cynically (adverb)
synonym CYNICAL, MISANTHROPIC, PESSIMISTIC mean deeply distrustful. CYNICAL implies having a sneering disbelief in sincerity or integrity <cynical about politicians’ motives>. MISANTHROPIC suggests a rooted distrust and dislike of human beings and their society <a solitary and misanthropic artist>. PESSIMISTIC implies having a gloomy, distrustful view of life <pessimistic about the future>.
Read my lyrics again Jonathan, and for even more cynicism read the whole song. Nooge.
Of course there’s also Insanity by Oingo Boingo. Actualy, a lot of their stuff could qualify as being cynical; Grey Matter, Only A Lad, Nothing Bad Ever Happens, etc.
“Small Circle of Friends” and “The Draft Dodger rag” by the late, great Phil Ochs.
'King Herod’s Song" from Jesus Christ Superstar.
Dirty Boulevard by Lou Reed is my main stream choice. “They don’t dream of being a doctor, or lawyer, or anything…They dream of dealing on the boulevard.”
Psyche Out by Meat Beat Manifesto
And of course there’s always - Fistfucking God’s Planet by Marduk
Definitely has to be something by “Radiohead” how can you ignore lyrics like:
She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins
From “Green plastic trees”
Or
Karma police we’ve given all we can
it’s not enough, we’ve given all we
can but we’re still on the pay-role
From “Karma Police”
“First I Look At The Purse” by The J. Geils Band:
I don’t care if she waddles like a duck,
Or talks with a lisp–
I’m gonna figure that I’m in luck
If her dollar bills are crisp!
Wonderful, snotty, funny, cynical rock’n’roll!
The country/western “classic” Stand by Your Man.
And if you love him, whoa be proud of him
'Cause after all he’s just a man
Okay, here’s an obscure one:
From the soundtrack of Brain De Palma’s 1974 cult classic, “Phantom of the Paradise,” written and sung by Paul Williams.
“The Hell Of It” (second verse)
Love yourself as you love no other
Be no man’s fool and be no man’s brother
We’re all born to die alone you know
And that’s the hell of it
'Cause life’s a game where they’re bound to beat you
And time’s a trick they can turn to cheat you
And we only waste it anyway
And that’s the hell of it
Most of Tom Lehrer’s songs qualify, for example “When You Are Old and Gray”, “Be Prepared” and “Werner von Braun”:
And, of course, “Selling Out”:
That one “In the Year 2525, If Man is Still Alive, if Woman Can Survive, They May Find…”
Nobody asked, but… Most cynical album would have to be a tie between Lou Reed’sMetal Machine Music and Kim Fowley’sI’m Bad (which was nothing but a blank disc).
From Belle and Sebastian’s “If You’re Feeling Sinister”:
Anthony went to his death because he thought he’d never feel this way again
If he goes back to the house, then things would go from bad to worse, what could he do?
He wants to remember things exactly as he left them on that sunny day
And if there is something else beyond he isn’t scared
Because it’s bound to be less boring than today
Bound to be less boring than tomorrow
Hilary went to her death because she couldn’t think of anything to say
Everybody thought that she was boring so they never listened anyway
Nobody was really saying anything of interest, she fell asleep
She was into S&M and Bible studies, not everyone’s cup of tea, she would admit to me
Her cup of tea she would admit to no one…
Come on, people, you’re ignoring the obvious. To be truly cynical, you have to be subtle, and you have to be funny - use a scalpel, not a hatchet. That’s why the true master of cynicism is in fact Randy Neuman. The examples are nearly limitless - Political Science, or Rednecks, or My Life Is Good (especially this one).
Of course, cynicism is most effective when coming from an artist who is not generally percieved to be cynical. Take Billy Joel’s Stilleto or Angry Young Man.
There was a 1930s song by a Hungarian (or should that be an Hungarian?) bloke in the 1930s called “Gloomy Sunday” that inspired a rash of suicides.