# National Review Top 50 of Rock (for the Right) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576 "2006-05-28T23:52:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/21 "2006-05-29T03:45:55Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > It isn’t pro-abortion - must be conservative! > Some revolutionaries are full of shit - must be conservative! > Drugs may be bad for you - must be conservative! You forgot The devil is evil - must be conservative. 40 years ago some people at NR had a sense of humor - now they all seem to be idiots. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/22 "2006-05-29T05:11:34Z")
In _Sympathy For The Devil,_ Lucifer says, “I shouted out ‘who killed the Kennedys,’ when after all it was you and me.” If that’s a conservative anthem, there’s something to those conspiracy theories after all. The _Godzilla_ quote from BOC, “History shows again and again, how nature points up the folly of man,” is breathing fire on war-hawks and greed-heads, not liberals. George Harrison’s **Taxman** takes swipes at “Mr. Wilson” and “Mr. Heath.” Were those guys lefties? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/23 "2006-05-29T06:08:30Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > In _Sympathy For The Devil,_ Lucifer says, “I shouted out ‘who killed the Kennedys,’ when after all it was you and me.” If that’s a conservative anthem, there’s something to those conspiracy theories after all. > > The _Godzilla_ quote from BOC, “History shows again and again, how nature points up the folly of man,” is breathing fire on war-hawks and greed-heads, not liberals. > > George Harrison’s **Taxman** takes swipes at “Mr. Wilson” and “Mr. Heath.” Were those guys lefties? “Mr. Wilson” was former British Prime Minister, Harold Lewis, who was a lefty. “Mr. Heath”, was his political rival, Sir Edward Heath, the leader of the conservative party who ultimately defeated him in the Prime Ministerial election of 1970. From [this](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-lewis/taxman-mr-heath-dies_b_4569.html) site: > [@](#): > > The lyric of the song as heard on the “Revolver” album features the couplet “Taxman Mr. Wilson… Taxman Mr. Heath.” In 1966, Britain’s Prime Minister was Harold Wilson - leader of the left-of-center Labour Party. His political opposite at the time was Edward Heath - leader of the right-of-center Conservative Party. Heath defeated Wilson in the 1970 General Election and became prime minister for 3 1/2 years until he was beaten by Wilson in the next election. > > When first writing the song Harrison had been looking for a few words to use as a counter-lyric after the first two lines of the third verse. His first choice to fill the gap (as evidenced by an early version heard on “Anthology 2”) was the phrase “Anybody got a bit of money?” This was jettisoned - and replaced by the unusual mentions of Britain’s two leading politicians - who in Harrison’s song were put forward as representatives of the “Taxman” of the song’s title. They were also the first-ever real-life people to be mentioned in a Beatles song. > > Reportedly it was John Lennon who suggested the change in lyrics and who proposed the ‘name-check’ for the politicians. Though they were lumped together in the song as political Tweedledum and Tweedledee - Wilson and Heath were polar opposites. Notwithstanding George’s frustration over British tax rates - the Beatles were generally much more sympathetic to Mr. Wilson than to Mr. Heath. John and Paul both identified themselves as Labour Party supporters. George and Ringo were less forthcoming - but during the 1980’s both made clear their dislike of Heath’s successor as leader of the Conservative Party - Margaret Thatcher. So Harrison was not singling out one party but slamming both of them equally. I think it goes without saying that the Beatles were no right wingers. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/24 "2006-05-29T07:25:47Z")
This is a joke, right? “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is the #1 conservative anthem? Won’t Get FREAKIN’ Fooled Again??!? The most kickass “FUCK YOU AUTHORITY” song ever??? If that’s what conservative has become, let me shoot myself right now, please. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/25 "2006-05-29T14:31:37Z")
If you substitute ‘libertarian’ for ‘conservative’, the list makes significantly more sense. “Taxman” works fine as a libertarian protest song. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” does as well. And while it’s a real stretch to claim that the “Motor Law” is a radical green law in “Red Barchetta”, it doesn’t matter from a libertarian standpoint. The song is clearly about the quest for freedom against an oppressive state. In general, there is roughly zero support for conservatism in rock and roll. There is, however, a strong anti-authoritarian streak, and there are a number of overtly libertarian bands (Rush, Oingo Boingo). Add to that the anarchists in Punk, and you can make a pretty good list of libertarian songs. Not that this list is it, however. He really stretches on some of those songs. And on quite a few, he’s simply wrong. “Sweet Home Alabama”, for example, is not a redneck manifesto. And Lynyrd Skynyrd was just as liberal in outlook as Neil Young (listen to ‘Things Goin’ On’). Some of them may not be conservative, but they are anti-communist or even anti-liberal. “Revolution” is anti-violence, but it’s also anti-communist (“And if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain’t gonna make it with anyone anyhow.”) This was a slap at campus radicals who thought it was chic to be communist - England was full of them at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/26 "2006-05-29T14:49:25Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > Some of them may not be conservative, but they are anti-communist or even anti-liberal. “Revolution” is anti-violence, but it’s also anti-communist (“And if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain’t gonna make it with anyone anyhow.”) This was a slap at campus radicals who thought it was chic to be communist - England was full of them at the time. This is quite true. Probably less true for the U.S. at the time, although there were a few. However, not at any time in the 60s were the Maoists representative of or even accepted by the larger leftist body of American collegians. (I doubt this was true for British collegians either.) In both countries there was a long history of being liberal and anti-Communist. You could be against the war in Vietnam without being Maoist or pro-communist. Lumping the two together was a smear widely practiced by the right at that time, however, and it is disturbing to see the practice continued today when everybody should know better. That’s the insidious ugliness behind this list. It has nothing to do with libertarianism and everything to do with ancient libels about liberalism. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/27 "2006-05-29T14:56:02Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > “Revolution” is anti-violence, but it’s also anti-communist (“And if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain’t gonna make it with anyone anyhow.”) This was a slap at campus radicals who thought it was chic to be communist - England was full of them at the time. Most of your post seems right to me except the above. In fact, in saying the quoted line is “a slap at campus radicals”, aren’t you saying that it isn’t specifically anti-communist? One could easily (though not without violating the rhyme scheme) substitute “Ronny R” or “Maggie T” for “Chairman Mao” and have an anti-conservative stance (assuming a time-frame adjustment and either Reagan or Thatcher are accepted as examples of conservativism). ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/28 "2006-05-29T15:04:24Z")
A couple of my favorite bloggers were all over this last week, including [Amanda from Pandagon](http://pandagon.net/2006/05/21/50-top-conservative-rock-songs-subtitle-quit-calling-us-squares-you-beatniks/) and [The Rude Pundit](http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2006/05/top-fifty-conservative-rock-songs.html) (warning: contains strong language, and an interpretation of “Sweet Home Alabama” that [I don’t agree with](http://thejtrain.typepad.com/the_j_train/2006/05/addendum_re_sky.html).) Simply put, most of it ranges from “reaching” to “really reaching” to “batshit insane”. I mean, who does the author think Daltrey is referring to when he says, “and the morals that they worship will be gone”? Not to mention that one of the few songs on the list that you might call conservative–“Stand By Your Man”–is most definitely _not_ a rock song. I mean, if you’re going there, why not “God Bless the USA”? It’s more rock than “Stand By Your Man”, unless you define “rock” as “that which doesn’t suck”. > [@](#): > > I don’t get why Godzilla is on this list. > [@BOC](#): > > With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound > He pulls the spitting high tension wires down > > Helpless people on a subway train > Scream bug-eyed as he looks in on them > > He picks up a bus and he throws it back down > As he wades through the buildings toward the center of town Seems pretty obvious to me. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/29 "2006-05-29T15:34:18Z")
I’m hugely amused by the inclusion of “Sweet Home Alabama.” There are two choices: 1. The song is racist as hell, or 2. The song is a bitter commentary on the state of the south. And the conservatives want to embrace that? And the defense one of the doofuses had was that it was a celebration of southern culture. _bangs head on desk_ I’m a former conservative. Someone tell me if these people were always this stupid and I was too blind to see it. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/30 "2006-05-29T16:13:35Z")
Nothing by Charlie Daniels?? I know a lot of his early work is tainted by drug references. _In America_ from Million Mile Reflections is just full of wonderful faux conservative patriotic platitudes. _Janey’s gotta gun_ parodies into _Chaney’s gotta gun_ a little to easily. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/31 "2006-05-29T16:29:10Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’m hugely amused by the inclusion of “Sweet Home Alabama.” There are two choices: > > 1. The song is racist as hell, or > 2. The song is a bitter commentary on the state of the south. I don’t think it’s any more racist than, say, Randy Newman’s “Rednecks”. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/32 "2006-05-29T16:55:49Z")
I think this quote from **Dr. J’s** Rude Pundit link pretty much sums up the problem with the list: > [@](#): > > …to come up with fifty songs, the readers and editors of the National Review had to neglect, almost entirely, the politics and lifestyles of nearly every single one of the music acts on the list… There are a handful of acts on the list who could be argued as vaguely conservative in their politics. Rush has an individualistic, libertarian streak. At one time, they were fans of Ayn Rand and Rand’s “Objectivist” philosophy in fuse many of Neil Peart’s lyrics (see “Anthem” for instance), but they also criticized religious moralism (see side one of “2112”) and their libertarianism extended as far as singing the praises of marijuana (“A Passage to Bangkok”). James Hetfield of Metallica is a self-described conservative (and a gun nut), but the rest of the band claims to be “ultra-liberal.” Hetfield writes the lyrics, though, so his political leanings come through a little bit. Kid Rock has publicly supported GWB, attended Republican events and (IIRC) performed at the 2001 Presidential Innaugaration. Some of the other choices are ridiculous beyond measure, though. The Clash? The Pretenders? U2? Give me a break. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/33 "2006-05-29T17:44:53Z")
From the John Miller page: > [@](#): > > The lyrics must convey a conservative idea or sentiment, such as skepticism of government or support for traditional values. I suppose this explains some of the choices. I was unaware that “skepticism of government” was/has been a traditional “conservative” value. I wonder if the majority of those who consider themselves conservative would agree? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/34 "2006-05-29T18:36:57Z")
> [@NoCoolUserName](#): > > I was unaware that “skepticism of government” was/has been a traditional “conservative” value. I wonder if the majority of those who consider themselves conservative would agree? I would say that “skepticism of government” is a part of traditional conservatism (thing of conservative complaints about “big government” and promises to "starve the beast) - but it’s not hard to find it on the left, either. After all, the radicals of the '60s (perhaps once they’re all dead we’ll stop hearing conservatives whine about them) couldn’t exactly be described as pro-establishment. Obviously in the United States today opposition to the government couldn’t be further from the ideals preached by the right. But then, it’s probably not fair to call the Republican Party “conservative” at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/35 "2006-05-29T19:15:38Z")
> [@Digital Stimulus](#): > > Most of your post seems right to me except the above. In fact, in saying the quoted line is “a slap at campus radicals”, aren’t you saying that it isn’t specifically anti-communist? One could easily (though not without violating the rhyme scheme) substitute “Ronny R” or “Maggie T” for “Chairman Mao” and have an anti-conservative stance (assuming a time-frame adjustment and either Reagan or Thatcher are accepted as examples of conservativism). Campus radicals at the time were split into lots of factions, one of the Maoist (though moreso in England, I expect.) So this Revolution is far more likely a slap at the more radical faction, not a slap at the left in general. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/36 "2006-05-29T19:17:26Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’m a former conservative. Someone tell me if these people were always this stupid and I was too blind to see it. I am too, and I think they’re getting stupider - especially because their acquisition of power is not creating the conservative paradise they expected. Kind of what Pete Townshend was talking about, but they’re too blind to see who the boss is today. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/37 "2006-05-29T23:56:36Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Campus radicals at the time were split into lots of factions, one of the Maoist (though moreso in England, I expect.) So this Revolution is far more likely a slap at the more radical faction, not a slap at the left in general. Well, yes, that’s seems right to me. I was just illustrating how silly the entire interpretation was, taking it back to the original intent of the NR article. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/38 "2006-05-30T01:57:21Z")
I was reading the comments on one of the blogs that was linked to, and some people mentioned how it would be funny if they put Political Science by Randy Newman on there. Here’s a link to an mp3 of it done by Glen Phillips: [http://www.comebackdownload.com/mp3s/boston/glen2003-11-13t25.mp3](http://www.comebackdownload.com/mp3s/boston/glen2003-11-13t25.mp3) ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/39 "2006-05-30T02:59:11Z")
> [@Harriet the Spry](#): > > Oh, denizens of Cafe Society! What do you think of the National Review’s top 50 conservative rock hits? One or two of the choices make sense. The rest of them miss the point entirely. I particularly love them including “Wake Up, Little Susie”! I was too young to live in a world like that (thank G-d). The idea that being out late with your girlfriend destroys her reputation (or yours) is just completely laughable. Great song, world’s dumbest lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/40 "2006-05-30T04:49:35Z")
> [@633squadron](#): > > One or two of the choices make sense. The rest of them miss the point entirely. I particularly love them including “Wake Up, Little Susie”! I was too young to live in a world like that (thank G-d). The idea that being out late with your girlfriend destroys her reputation (or yours) is just completely laughable. Great song, world’s dumbest lyrics. I’m too young to know for sure, but I’m not sure how laughable it was when the song was written. I think it is one of the greatest rock tragedy songs ever written - with music to match. I actually looked for it in the list, but hadn’t noticed it. That NR thinks this is somehow supporting their kinds of morals is laughable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576.md?page=3)