bloggedy blog: the personal weblog of a music lover and aging punk wannabe

:: Monday, July 03, 2006 ::

Conservative rock songs? A few that Miller missed
Update, July 5, 2006: We have a winner for the 10th song on the bloggedy blog list of conservative rock songs, listed below.

I've been tempted to post something in reaction to John Miller's list of the 50 greatest conservative rock songs ever since I got wind of the list a few weeks ago. (Miller's list hit the blogs back in late May, but as usual, I was late to the party.) I've resisted mightily, until Michele recently brought the list to my attention again. And now I can resist no more.

For those who haven't seen Miller's original list, here's the top 10 of the "greatest conservative rock songs":
1. “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” by The Who.

2. “Taxman,” by The Beatles.

3. “Sympathy for the Devil,” by The Rolling Stones.

4. “Sweet Home Alabama,” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

5. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” by The Beach Boys.

6. “Gloria,” by U2.

7. “Revolution,” by The Beatles.

8. “Bodies,” by The Sex Pistols.

9. “Don’t Tread on Me,” by Metallica.

10. “20th Century Man,” by The Kinks.
I have no qualms with some of these picks. "Tax Man" is certainly an appropriate tune for a conservative to love, and "Bodies" presents right-to-life issues in an interesting way to say the least. But to put the Who's anthem at No. 1 on the list of great conservative rock songs? Do conservatives have no sense of irony? (Here's Pete Townsend's take on the conservatives' claim of his little ditty.)

The other thing about the list that bothers me is the equation of Christian values with conservatism. Miller claims both "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Gloria" (because the chorus is in Latin -- "beautifully reactionary") as conservative because they both talk about Christian values. Paging Karl Rove...

Maybe I should offer my own list for their consideration. Here it is:

The bloggedy blog top 10 rock songs for conservatives (that didn't make John J. Miller's list)
1. "Money (That's What I Want)", by the Beatles. Really, isn't that what it's all about?

2. "Hip to Be Square," by Huey Lewis and the News.

3. "Hate and War," by the Clash. "And if I close my eyes/it will not go away." Someone please play this tune for W. Please.

4. "Don't Worry About the Government," by Talking Heads. "Don't you worry 'bout me/I wouldn't worry about me." Perfect theme song for the NSA.

5. "Clampdown," by the Clash. Another tune chock full of irony, but conservatives should like some of the lines, such as: "We will teach our twisted speech/to the young believers/We will train our blue-eyed men/to be young believers."

6. "Burning Down the House," by Talking Heads. A song about nuclear proliferation and MAD (mutually assured destruction).

7. "Spanish Bombs," by the Clash. A lesson from history, in this case the Spanish Civil War. O mi corazon!

8. "Born in the U.S.A.," by Bruce Springsteen. Didn't Ronald Reagan once use this lovely patriotic tune as a campaign theme song?

9. "Fortunate Son," Creedence Clearwater Revival. "Some folks inherit star spangled eyes/ooh, they send you down to war, Lord/And when you ask them, how much should we give/Oh, they only answer, more, more, more..."

10. ~~Here's where you come in. Nominate No. 10 in the comments below, and I'll pick the best of the lot.~~ And the winner is..."War Pigs," Black Sabbath. "Politicians hide themselves away/They only started the war/Why should they go out to fight?/They leave that role to the poor." Kudos to Mista Sinista for the nomination.
Tags: music, politics, conservativism, conservative, John J. Miller, lists

:: Andrew 10:05 + ::
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