# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/41 "2006-05-30T12:52:55Z")
> [@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. Please explain exactly what is supposed to be racist about “Sweet Home Alabama.” I don’t care for the song myself, but that’s mainly due to its massive overexposure, much like Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Most of his explanations for his selections do seem awfully strained. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/42 "2006-05-30T13:06:19Z")
I immediately thought of **Red Barchetta** without reading the list (I still haven’t, FWIW.) Unlike others mentioned here, there is evidence that it is a straight-up lamentation of a (fictional) crack-down on automobiles. I don’t really see how it can be interpreted any other way, then again, _Come Together_ is obviously about drugs to me, so there you go. Rush’s **The Trees** could also be seen as anti-left: moral of the story: when you pass overly-harsh legislation to cure the effects of discrimination, sometimes it just makes everyone worse off (quite literally the “tall poppy” syndrome in action.) Is that song on the list too? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/43 "2006-05-30T13:07:51Z")
Ahhh, it claimed its place at #11. One that actually makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/44 "2006-05-30T13:57:01Z")
Well geez if “heroes” is on there, I’m surprised they didn’t include “Radio Free Europe” as a way to get REM on the list. I thought that “Rock the Casbah” was a good choice. Because opposition to religious fundamentalism definitely makes you a conservative. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/45 "2006-05-30T14:07:00Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Rush’s **The Trees** could also be seen as anti-left: moral of the story: when you pass overly-harsh legislation to cure the effects of discrimination, sometimes it just makes everyone worse off (quite literally the “tall poppy” syndrome in action.) I always thought of this song as anti-affirmative action. The song that stuck out for me on the list was Sammy Hagar’s “I can’t drive 55” which is a classic anti-authoritarian song. He might as well have included Twisted Sister’s “We’re not gonna take it.” (Maybe he thinks Hagar’s “Dick in the Dirt” is a pro Nixon song.) ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/46 "2006-05-30T15:48:20Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is clearly about how the narrator ISN’T interested in politics at all because he thinks they’re all the same (“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”) Nicely said. Townshend once described it as “the most irresponsible song I’ve written” for that very reason. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/47 "2006-05-30T16:16:19Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Nicely said. Townshend once described it as “the most irresponsible song I’ve written” for that very reason. Well, in his reponse to this list posted on his personal website, [Pete Townshend](http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/diary/display.cfm?id=285&zone=diary) made it very clear that the song was never meant to be a conservative anthem. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/48 "2006-05-30T16:17:05Z")
> [@Lemur Catta](#): > > I also note that the author doesn’t seem to have made it to the second verse, which includes “But when you want money for people with minds that hate / All I can tell you is brother you have to wait”. Pick your side, left or right–no one is completely innocent there. I don’t think you can avoid the fact that “Revolution” is very much preoccupied with what was going on in the Left at the time; it is explicitly anti-violence, but not in the same way “Give Peace a Chance” is. Later, when Lennon finally got suckered into kowtowing to the radical Left in the early 70s, he tried to dismiss “Revolution” by claiming he had written it quickly without thinking about what he was saying, before eventually coming back and admitting that, yes, he really is anti-violence, regardless of the political motive. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/49 "2006-05-30T16:28:30Z")
[And now the guy has another list of 50 “conservative” songs.](http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZWEzNmQwM2NmZWIwYTFhMGJlZDNlNGE1NWY3NGM4NDg=) I can see how a few of them could reasonably be called conservative, but if anything this list is even more of a stretch than the original. “Turn Turn Turn” by the Byrds? Sure, it quotes the Bible, but it’s an \* anti-war \* song, fella! ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/50 "2006-05-30T16:35:44Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > [And now the guy has another list of 50 “conservative” songs.](http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZWEzNmQwM2NmZWIwYTFhMGJlZDNlNGE1NWY3NGM4NDg=) I can see how a few of them could reasonably be called conservative, but if anything this list is even more of a stretch than the original. “Turn Turn Turn” by the Byrds? Sure, it quotes the Bible, but it’s an \* anti-war \* song, fella! Methinks, this man’s self-delusion runs very very deep. If I were a conservative, I’d be mighty embarrased by this. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/51 "2006-05-30T16:36:51Z")
I’m not sure what to think about Ben Folds Five’s **[Brick](http://benfolds.bluni.com/display.php?songid=54)** being on there. As a fan I’d say it’s not so much anti-abortion as “I am writing about something really horrible that happened in my life.” Most people, lefties included, would agree that what happens in the song isn’t a happy thing. It’s also not happy that the kids in the song couldn’t tell their parents what happened, and that they couldn’t afford the procedure without selling Christmas presents. That being said, since the author is so completely blind to the meaning of songs, I would suggest Folds’ **[Jesusland](http://benfolds.bluni.com/display.php?songid=245)** or **[All U Can Eat](http://benfolds.bluni.com/display.php?songid=214)**. ---
**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 30, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/52 "2006-05-30T16:58:55Z")
> [@DxZero](#): > > Methinks, this man’s self-delusion runs very very deep. > > If I were a conservative, I’d be mighty embarrased by this. If I were anywhere near Pete Seeger (_sometimes_ interpreted as anti-war?), I’d start running before he explodes. What a deliberate slap in the face to him - and presumably also to Bruce Springsteen. ---
**Author:** ![BlackHeart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@BlackHeart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackHeart)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/53 "2006-05-30T17:38:49Z")
How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you catch a clown and pin it down? How do you find a word that means Maria? Gah! I have no freaking clue. Have you tried posting these questions on the Straight Dope? ---
**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, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/54 "2006-05-30T17:39:42Z")
This one’s better, I guess. Little Red Corvette’s included because it’s a “cautionary tale”. Oh, so what about all those motor laws then? He calls Yellowcard a “cool band with a big future”. Shows he has no taste. I don’t get why Jesus is Just All Right is on there. I don’t see what’s so “counter-counterculture” about it. He calles POD a “super-hip band”. Let me nominate a few of my own: **She Loves You** by the Beatles- A celebration of the conservative value of love. **Androgynous** by The Replacements- Affirms traditional gender roles: “and tomorrow dick is wearing pants/ and tomorrow Jane is wearing a skirt” **Unsatisfied** by The Replacements- An expression of dissatisfaction at today’s liberal society. **[Drive By](http://www.comebackdownload.com/mp3s/boston/glen2003-11-13t22.mp3)**- Father-son bonding, beer, and trucks. A celebration of American Values. **Strangers When We Meet** by The Smithereens- A married man rejects the advances of another woman. **Orange Crush** by REM- A tribute to our brave men overseas. **Heroin** by The Velvet Underground- Distrust of liberals: “I really don’t care anymore/ about all the Jim-Jim’s in this town/ and all the politicians makin’ busy sounds” **We’re Living in Violent Times** by The Barracudas- Things were better in the good old days. ---
**Author:** ![BlackHeart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@BlackHeart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackHeart)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/55 "2006-05-30T17:52:54Z")
er eek! wrong thread. pardon me. ---
**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, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/56 "2006-05-30T18:02:54Z")
**Help** by The Beatles- An ode to self reliance: “I never needed anybody’s help in any way” ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/57 "2006-05-30T18:39:19Z")
I liked the inclusion of “Yakety Yak.” And here I assumed that the song wasn’t supportive of the overseer parent, but I’m glad John J. Miller was able to put me straight. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/58 "2006-05-30T19:53:20Z")
Well he mentions that he’s gotten the notice of several mainstream newspapers, so he’s accomplished his goal. And all the while he’s been defining pretty much any noble sentiment as “conservative,” as well as opposition to the Soviet Union and to the Khmer Rouge. I swear he’s really just trying to piss off as many left wing musicians as he can. He should have added “Roxanne” for its strong stand against prostitution. Not like those wishy-washy pro-whoring liberals. ---
**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 30, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/59 "2006-05-30T22:16:51Z")
How’d he miss the most conservative, anti-hippie song of all, Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”? A thousand people in the street Singing songs and carrying signs Mostly say, hooray for our side Obviously a conservative ode to the illegitimacy of liberal causes, police power, the Nixon-for-Governor campaign of 1962, atomic annihilation of Castro, and Sing Along with Mitch. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576/60 "2006-05-31T07:50:09Z")
> [@LateComer](#): > > I always thought of this song as anti-affirmative action. > > The song that stuck out for me on the list was Sammy Hagar’s “I can’t drive 55” which is a classic anti-authoritarian song. He might as well have included Twisted Sister’s “We’re not gonna take it.” (Maybe he thinks Hagar’s “Dick in the Dirt” is a pro Nixon song.) \*\*I Can’t Drive 55 \*\*and **Red Barchetta** are odes to law breaking. **I Fought The Law** is on the list because it’s a “law-and-order classic”. IOKIYAR [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-review-top-50-of-rock-for-the-right/358576.md?page=2)