Anti-war songs and other records about war

[jw5]

Warfare has provided inspiration for a catalogue of songs written to express anger and despair but also of hope and reconciliation. Most anti-war songs promote peace in some form, while others sing out against specific armed conflicts. Some tracks warn of the dire consequences of going into battle, while a few serve as eye-witness accounts. All, however, are recorded as reminders of the futility of war, and just how senseless and devastating it can be.

 

[jw5]

'Russians' - Sting​

The threat of nuclear conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union prompted Sting to write this song in 1985 criticizing the then-Cold War policy adopted by the two superpowers and which could only lead to mutual assured destruction. His lyrics rhetorically ask if Russians love their children, too, and mention "Oppenheimer's deadly toy," a reference to the atomic bomb.

 

[jw5]

'Born in the U.S.A.' - Bruce Springsteen​

Bruce Springsteen touched a raw nerve in 1984 with his anthem condemning the plight of Vietnam veterans who upon returning home were largely ignored by the government and the American public. 'Born in the U.S.A,' taken from Springsteen's 1984 album of the same name, was a huge worldwide hit.

 

[jw5]

'Sunday Bloody Sunday' - U2​

U2's raw, driven 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' describes the horror and disbelief of a witness present during the 1972 Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters. It's the opening track from the Irish band's 1983 album 'War,' and is one of their signature statements.

 

[jw5]

'Give Peace a Chance' - Plastic Ono Band​

John Lennon's peace anthem is one of the most celebrated anti-war songs ever conceived. Recorded during a "bed-in" Lennon and Yoko Ono staged in a Montreal hotel in May 1969, the song ended up being chanted by anti-war protesters around the world, then as now.

 

[Balls2U]

 

[blackmondy]

A very underrated song sung by Stallone's brother.

 

[syed putra]

This is the best

 

[jw5]

This is the best

Not bad song.

 

[jw5]

'Gimme Shelter' - Rolling Stones​

'Gimme Shelter' was written at the height of the war in Vietnam and besides serving as a protest against the conflict, also covers topics of homicide and assault. It's one of the darkest and most pessimistic tracks ever released by the Rolling Stones.

 

[jw5]

'Zombie' - The Cranberries​

'Zombie' was the Cranberries' response to the deadly 1993 Warrington bombings in England carried out by the Irish Republican Army that killed two children and injured dozens of others. It's the lead single from their 1994 album 'No Need to Argue.'

 

[jw5]

'How Does the Grass Grow?' - David Bowie​

Released in 2013, 'The Next Day' was David Bowie's first album of new material in 10 years and included 'How Does the Grass Grow?' The song title refers to part of a mantra uttered by some soldiers during bayonet practice as they plunge their blades into a dummy.

 

[jw5]

'Masters of War' - Bob Dylan​

Penned by Dylan in 1963, 'Masters of War' is essentially a protest against the Cold War nuclear arms buildup of the early 1960s and appears on the classic album 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.'

 

[jw5]

'Brothers in Arms' - Dire Straits​

Written by Mark Knopfler in 1982 during the Falklands War, 'Brothers in Arms' is lyrically focused on militarism and, specifically, a wounded solider dying on the battlefield surrounded by his comrades as he slips away. The single, taken from the band's eponymous 1985 album, was re-recorded by Knopfler in 2007 to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict."

 

[face the facts]

 

[jw5]

Nice song.

 

[face the facts]

Nice song.

what memories......life was so simple

 

[jw5]

'Love and War' - Neil Young​

Veteran Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young wrote 'Love and War' as a way of addressing the heartache and pain suffered by those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. The anti-war anthem appeared on his 2010 album, 'Le Noise.'

 

[jw5]

'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' - The Band​

One of the few contemporary songs to reference the American Civil War, 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' relates to the economic, social, and psychological distress experienced by a poor white Southerner during the last year of the conflict. Recorded in 1969 by The Band, the track appears on their eponymous second album.

 

[jw5]

'One' - Metallica​

'One' portrays a First World War combatant who is severely wounded by a landmine and left blind, deaf, and limbless. Not wishing to live, he taps out in Morse code the request "kill me," a plea eventually understood by the assembled medics. Taken from the 1988 album '...And Justice for All,' this was Metallica's first song to chart in the United States.