h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

To : All
From : TowelMaster


I am trying to compile a list of songs about real, somewehat historical, events.

Some examples :

Sign o' the times - Prince
- About the 80-ies(SpaceShuttle, AIDS, etcetera)

(Four dead in)OHIO - Neil Young
- About riots at the OHIO state University

Ono, Not John - Loudon Wainwright III
- About the death of John Lennon


All contributions are appreciated.


TM.

I Don't like Mondays, Boomtown Rats about a high school shooting in the US in the late 70's

Altogether Now, The Farm about the cricket/football games played in no mans land over christmas 1914 (WW1)

That's two I can think of for now

"Huricane" by Bob Dylan is the one everyone keeps mentioning at the moment. (I often heard it played on Radio Caroline). I would imagine that it's not the only early Dylan that might fall into your category.

"We didn't start the Fire" - Billy Joel a veritable feast of modern American history.
"Pride" -U2 the shooting of Dr. Martin Luther King

'Life in the Air-age' by BeBop DeLuxe (about the 70-ies)

'Here today' by Paul McCartney (About the death of John lennon)

'Cortez the Killer' by Neil Young(again) about the extermination of the American/Mexican Indians


TM.


U2, of course....*slaps head* - Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, etcetera etcetera...

Boney M - Ra.....
(thinks better of it!)

(Finishes thought)

Ra-Rasputin.

Nah...it has to be music...

TM.

'Miss Sarajevo', by the Passengers (about the Balkan war)
'Russians' by Sting (about the cold war)
'De Bom' by Doe Maar (about the nuclear threat)

'They Dance Alone' - Sting (about the Chilean missing)

'Nineteen" by Paul Hardcastle (very young men sent to battle in (I think) Vietnam)

Correct

'Body Count' by Body Count (about 37 kids killed in gang warfare in LA, 1991)

'Kings call' by Phil Lynott - about the death of Elvis
'Pull out the pin' by Kate Bush - about Vietnam

TM.

'Vietnam never happened' by Jello Biafra (about Vietnam)

'Big Yellow Taxi' - Joni Mitchell (Urban Sprawl and Pesticides)

Dirty Old Town, about the city of Salford and Manchester Rambler about a trespass onto the moors near Manchester prottesting for access (the Kinder Mass Tresspass) both by Ewan MacColl.

Skye Boat Song about the flight of Prince Charles.

Phil who's just having a folky moment here

Isn't Dirty Old Town a song by Roger Whittaker then ?

It's a song that's been recorded by many people over the years. the version I know is the one by The Pogues, but it was written by Ewan MacColl about his experiences growing up in Salford.

All the following by Billy Joel

'Goodnight Saigon' (Vietnam War)
'Allentown' (the shutting down of stell mills in Pa.)
'The Ballad of Billy the Kid' (What you want more in here )