How do you feel when bands you like go political in their songs?
 

Recently, I have been listening to a lot of the Foo Fighters and not going to lie they are seriously challenging Metallica for my all time favorite.

Then I found out one of my favorite songs by them, The Pretender, is a political tinged song. Now from the lyrics alone I always thought it was some resentment of an authority figure which Im cool with and all.

But this is something that has been kinda bothering me as bands are bringing their views into their music. Has that ever affected whether or not you liked a band?

Not saying by any means I am going to stop listening to the Foo Fighters, not by a long shot. The band is incredible and I love the vast majority of their songs. Just something that isn't sitting well with me at the moment.

Difficult to explain but I'll try. Lets say you like a band and then they put out an album with a song that goes completely against your personal views. What if you like the song, the lyrics, etc but not the message it is sending.

Again, the message they are sending isn't one of issue with me, I mean in general.

Steve Harris once wrote a song that sounded like it was ripped straight out of The Sun. I don't like the lyrics, but the song is good enough and I don't like the band any less.

I pretty much only like it when the views expressed are anti-politics, rather than pro-anything. Like Nevermore/Warrel Dane for example, many of my fav songs by them feature lyrics that deal with politics, but I dont know if it can be considered political.

For example, the song Poison Godmachine,



So, I would say, that I like "anti political" themes in music.

Depends on if the lyrics are good or not.

I listen to a lot of stuff that doesn't really fit my worldview if the song kicks enough ass.

Not the shit Pintint just posted, though. Looks like something a fifteen year old girl would write in her diary.

Just because the whole message doesn't fully apply to youor has views you disagree doesn't mean you can't gleam truth from it.

NIN's concept album "Year Zero" (released in 2007) is a political commentary set in the year 2020 that criticizes US policies and the direction we're headed if we don't change. It's essentially an album about the end of the world.
That said, it's one of my favorite NIN albums.

As long as the song sounds good there is no problem and in the case of the pretender it's a great song I could care less what it means

It depends on the premise and delivery.

"American Idiot" is horrible, and it's fairly politically charged on the liberal end. "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood is a great song, and it could be more conservative if it were jerking off to a picture of Ronald Regan with one hand and shooting Arabs with the other.

A lot of the songs trying to be the next "God Bless the USA" are horrible because it feels like blatant pandering to the point of it feeling like they're trying to sell me shit.

Many of my favorite bands are political to their very core (Dead Kennedys and Corrosion of Conformity both come to mind here.). I've also managed to divorce my opinion of a musician's talents (which I may agree with) and their views (which I may not.). I mean, I agree with Pearl Jam's views, doesn't mean I like them. I disagree with Nugent (good LORD do I disagree with Nugent), but I love some of his songs.

I feel angryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Most of the time lyrics are so incredibly ambiguous. Take away whatever meaning you want from it.

Nah not really. One of my favourite bands latest albums is mad political, whilst all their previous albums were as far from political as you can get. Doesn't bother me at all.

Do you nick these platitudes from Hallmark?

Hell, I even play songs I don't necessarily agree with, if they're cool enough.

RUSH is one of my favourite bands, but Neil Peart, who is their main lyricist, wrote some songs which were inspired by Ayn Rand who I don't particularly like as a thinker....doesn't mean i like them any less.

Especially funny since they get a rep as leftist propagandists.

Also RATM is probably one of the biggest influences in what got me into rock and metal. I find that and this thread terribly ironic for myself.

It doesn't make me like their old music less...that said, I still really enjoy Rage Against the Machine while I pretty much hate Green Day. Some bands can do political lyrics and also make good music.

Yeah, but what if the political message they are sending is not something you agree with?
Would you still listen, if the music is good, but the lyrics are opposite to your beliefs?

I'm pretty sure I don't want to kill any cops and that me and Zach De La Rocha would agree on little to nothing as far as politics go...and I still love his music. Rally 'round the family, with a pocket full of shells is one of those lines that just doesn't go away.

I tend to get turned off if a musician makes political statements that I don't agree with. I've tuned out of some bands for that reason alone. Lyrics are very important to me. However, its only a turn off, if the artist expresses it in the songs. If the band has totally different viewpoints than me, but dont express it in their music, then it doesn't bother me :)

I think Aaron Lewis' "Country Boy" is a big issue for me.

But, it wasn't because of the Tea Party lyrics. It was because he was trying to tell me he "sold his soul in LA" or some shit like that. I'm like "Ok, either you're lying now or you were lying then. Neither is a really good proposition for you, seeing as how honesty was your band's big thing."

In essence, it was a shitty song.

The ONLY bands that can go political stuff and really pull it off well in their songs, can I say Atari Teenage Riot and RATM?

But completely fitting, since Rage are a bunch of retards who rarely understand the causes they champion.

Someone should make a song about Mitt Romney.

that would be a very bland song.

Dunno. Was there a political message in Under The Mistletoe that I missed?

I think what annoys me more is when the artist opens his mouth and just repeats whatever talking point is popular at the moment. Every musician and actor who has gotten involved with the climate change movement and the Iraq war is pretty much guilty of this.

As for RATM, I always felt their message was more generic than specific. Which is why they had so much appeal. Or maybe it was their bass lines?

Music used to be a lot more politically charged than it is today. Like years ago, that was one of the main methods of getting a message out about how pissed people were about things. It really hit people emotionally and people really connected with a lot of political music. Now, we've got so many avenues of communication that it isn't as focused in the music industry anymore. Anything today just feels gimmicky and as bad as what the music itself is trying to preach about. Not many artists seem genuinely concerned with the message they're sending.

Depends on how well thought out the message/lyrics are. If it's political for the sake of sounding intelligent/socially conscious then I usually can't stand it.

I hate country music.

I like Ted Nugent. He definitely tells it like it is.

Here's a good song that clearly defines it...
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Ice T is about as political as i get music wise.

This song describes my political opinions best.

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Vague anger in the same sort of way that made Linkin Park and emo popular.

I find a lot of Rage's songs fun, but they're retarded. Much like most of their political stances. It's probably good they don't take more political stances, considering Zach championed Peltier's cause for years without understanding the case and Tom Morello thought it was a good idea to wear a Che Guevara shirt in a concert in an area of Florida with a huge refugee population.

Imagine if they put that much effort into their lyrics instead of safe, generic top 40 rage.

Allow me to change your mind:

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...that's more Country-Western than "Country".

I do like bluegrass, however. Trampled By Turtles might be something you'd want to listen to. Start with their single Codeine.

One thing I've always loved about music is that you can interpret songs however you want to make sense of them. Usually you can get a rough idea of the songs message just from listening to it.

Never knew "A thousand points of light" in Rockin In The Free World was a political jab until recently.

Dont care.