Punk Rock Countdown: No. 20 "I'm So Bored With the USA," by the Clash No doubt some of you are getting so bored with the Clash, and the countdown. But for those who aren't, bear with me.
One of the most popular live tunes for the Clash -- they opened with it on their first tour of America, naturally -- "I'm So Bored..." is more than yet another punk pronouncement of boredom (for more on that subject, revisit No. 37 and No. 28 on our countdown). It's an indictment of how the United States imposed upon the rest of the world two things: its consumer-driven entertainment culture -- Yankee detectives/are always on the TV/'cuz killers in America work/seven days a week -- and its politics -- Yankee dollar talk/to the dictators of the world/In fact their giving orders/and they can't afford to miss a word. On top of the powerful lyrics, the song simply rocks, and has one of the best sing-along choruses in all of punkdom.