The nominations keep rolling in, I think we're going to end up with a cracking list at the end of the exercise. Here's the next two nominations.
Nomination 11 The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Shallow by thy name Check these lyrics (and video)out, get off the fence boys!
"To anyone who's listenin' You're not born into sin The guilt they try and give you Puke it in the nearest bin ... To think that you're above The laws of nature what a joke oh Purple sashes feeding masses Smoke on which to choke"
Nomination 12 Ian Brown - F.E.A.R
Now I'm not 100% sure of the lyrical intent, but it pretty much looks like a negative equation of the religious impulse with the fear of uncertainty. Some lyrics and the video below:
"For each a road For everyman a religion Face everybody and rule For everything and rumble Forget everything and remember For everything a reason You got the fear You got the fear ...
Final eternity arouses reactions Freeing excelle nce affects reality Fallen empires are ruling Find earth and reef Fantastic expectations Amazing revelations Final execution and resurrection Free expression as revolution Finding everything and realizing You got the fear You got the fear ..."
Right I reckon I've got some official stonkers for you this time around.
Nomination Nine The Clash - Rock the Casbah
I reckon that regular readers suspected this was going to be nominated at some point, and quite right too. One of the band's better known numbers this simply has to be included for its lampooning of how religious leaders can't stand rock and pop culture and how they seek to control it or ban it. It blends this theme together with the insane hatreds of middle east politics. This song attacks religious leaders in a way that, I suspect, if released today would face many, many calls for it to be censored and taken off the radio. How things change eh?
Nomination Ten Teenage Fanclub - Starsign
This song by Teenage Fanclub, great in its own right, demonstrates a fantastic contempt for new age superstitious beliefs and their attraction to selfish, vain individuals. The lyrics revolve around various new age activities followed by the response "big deal"...love it! Lyrics and video for the song:
Hey there's a horseshoe on my door; big deal. And say there's a black cat on the floor, big deal.
If these things make your day Well if these things change your day
Well do you know where you belong? And is your star sign ever wrong?
If these things change your day, Well if these things make your day Seen it all before, seen it all before... In a time these things will change
Hey there's a side of me unknown, big deal. And say, should this unknown force be shown, big deal.
If these thoughts make your day Well if these thoughts change your day Seen it all before, seen it all before Given time these things will change Seen it all before, seen it all before Given time these things will change.
Definitely not on the moderate wing of the atheist pops party, but by popular demand thanks unity) - here's some lyrics and a youtube clip of the song:
He sewed his eyes shut because he is afraid to see
He tries to tell me what I put inside of me
Hes got the answers to ease my curiosity
He dreamed up a God and called it christianity
Your God is dead and no one cares
If there is a hell I will see you there
He flexed his muscles to keep his flock of sheep in line
He made a virus that would kill off all the swine
His perfect kingdom of killing, suffering and pain
Demands devotion atrocities done in his name
Your God is dead and no one cares
Drowning in his own hypocrisy
And if there is a hell I will see you there
Burning with your God in humility
Will you die for this?
Nomination Seven Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins - Born secular
About time we had something approaching alternative country in this list so here's Jenny Lewis doing it with a secular twang. Live performance of the song right here:
Nomination Eight The Shamen - Jesus loves Amerika Psychedelic garage boys who went to love their dance music in their inbetween stage reacting badly against the US religious right. Take it away lads:
Many thanks to Danivon getting in contact with some recommendations for the top of the freethnking pops. One I had certainly missed was "I Aint Superstitious" originally by Willie Dixon but covered by Megadeath, the Rolling Stones and the White Stripes amongst others. Here's a link to the lyrics and here's a live performance of the song by Johnny Thunders:
Nomination Four Ziggy Marley - Love is my religion
Not sure what to make of Ziggy, in interviews he is clearly comfortable with the mysticism of roots reggae, and yet, some of his work gives us a very clear rejection of religion. Take the lyrics to "in the name of god":
"all religion should be wiped out
so that people may just live
what divides us is an illusion
made up by men in their confusion
in the name of god you kill in the name of your god
in the name of god you conquered in the name of your god
in the name of god you hate in the name of your god
in the name of god you boast in the name of your god"
No fence sitting there from Mr Marley Jr. But we're going to nominate another song "love is my religion". As Ziggy signs in this one "bring all the lovers to the fold, cause no one is gonna lose their soul" bang on! It's a great humanistic message of sharing common humanity and rejecting the idea we should divided up into narrow religions and their desire to regulate our emotional lives. Take it away Ziggy in this video where he appears to resist invitations to repent and what looks like a rather fearsome tarot card reader:
Nomination Five: The Hoodoo Gurus - Middle of the land
It is with the greatest of pleasure that the Labour Humanist can nominate a song by Australia's Hoodoo Gurus. The gurus were big in Australia in the 80s and 90s and had wide cult following in Europe and America. In the all their power pop and rock stomp glory this song takes aim at the poison and lies of the TV evangelists. The original recording from the blow your cool album is great. I've found a live version of the song on youtube (below) and here a taste of the lyrics:
"Someday someone will try to confuse you.
They'll say things you want to hear and they'll use you.
I thought we'd live and learn
But some folks seem to yearn
For values unsophisticated.
Those days are dead and gone
I won't wish them back upon
A world that's much more complicated."
First Nominations Here Disclaimer!!! These songs are suggested for their content on a one-off basis. I know it is highly likely that in the hundreds and hundreds of other songs composed by the artists in this list there may be some songs which slightly, or even fully contradict the freethinking sentiments in the song chosen for the list. We also have to accept that the publicly stated beliefs of any single group member or singer may have changed before, during or after the song's publication. This is the nature of life, it changes nothing as each song is chosen on its own merits.
OK here we go, the first 3 nominations for the coveted prize that is a final place in the Labour Humanist's top 30 songs of freethinking atheism. But, first here is the small print, Criteria for inclusion:
1) Expresses positive affirmation of the non-religious outlook on life and/or favouring reason and humanity over superstition and sectarianism.
2) And/Or has a direct, or indirect, crack at the problems caused in this world, and to indivduals, by religion and superstition.
3) Passes some notional hurdle of quality. Nice lyrics but in a terrible song by someone no-one has ever heard of won't cut the mustard I am afraid.
And here is the very important disclaimer to any passing cyber pedants:
Disclaimer!!! These songs are
suggested for their content on a one-off basis. I know it is highly
likely that in the hundreds and hundreds of other songs composed by the
artists in this list there may be some songs which slightly, or even
fully contradict the freethinking sentiments in the song chosen for the
list. We also have to accept that the publicly stated beliefs of any
single group member or singer may have changed before, during or after
the song's publication. This is the nature of life, it changes nothing
as each song is chosen on its own merits.
Ok with all that out the way, here's the first three nominations:
Nomination One:
The Cardigans: Godspell
So first out of the secular traps come Sweden's The Cardigans with Godspell. It's a grand old rocking, but in a poppy way, number this one, and I think we can see where the band's sentiments lie with these lyrics:
I've heard about a great big swindle I read about it in a book The book flew out the window Was later found by thieves and crooks
And now they're singing hallelujah I'm wondering just what did they find They say "what's it to ya?" Just take a place in line
And wait So I wait I wait And wait And I...
You can listen to a sample of the song by selecting it from this panel below:
Nomination Two:
That Petrol Emotion – Creeping to the cross
Absolutely no sitting on the fence from this belter of a track from That Petrol Emotion (mostly comprised of former members of The Undertones) who hit the creative heights for a while in the late 1980s. I don't know for sure, but in all likelihood this song was inspired as a response of the role of religion in creating sectarian divides in their native Ireland. The chorus is a striking rejection of submitting to the dubious and tainted moral authority of the church:
"And I'd rather be the devil than go creeping to the cross..."
I can't find any copies of the song to embed at the moment, I'll keep on looking, but for now, you can listen to a rather unsatisfactory snippet here via amazon.
Nomination Three
Oasis - Do you know what I mean
Noel Gallagher is once quoted as saying “Anything that disproves God, bring it on”, and in this song the band express their disdain for the outmoded idea of an all-knowing maker..."get up off the floor". Lyrics and video provided for your continued enjoyment:
"I don't really care for what you believe So open up your fist and you will receive The thoughts and the words of every man you'll meet
Get up off the floor of the leaving line No one's ever gonna ever ask you twice Get all the fuss and bring it all home to me
I met my maker, I made him cry And on my shoulder, he asked me why As people won't fly through the storm I said listen up now, we don't even know you're born"
I know after expressing some schadenfreude at Daniel Finkelstein's failure to come up with a list of centre right conservative rock this is tempting fate (as a turn of phrase not a real belief you understand). But beginning later this week The Labour Humanist will be produce a regular series of recommendations for a playlist of the best freethinking/secular/atheist/humanist* tunes - with the aim of finally publishing a Top 30 in the not too distant future.
* I know that's far too clumsy a title for the list. Any decent recommendations?
Has the Danny Finkelstein quest to find "centre right" conservative rock stars been buried in failure? The original call for ideas was made on March 20 and a full ten weeks later...nothing. There have been a couple of suggestions but I think Danny will have to admit sooner rather than later that he has overstretched himself on this one. Conservative rock is oxymoronic but the right still desperately trying to find some kind of association between rock and pop music and conservative politics. The simply don't get it, like Iain Dale proposing the theme music from the Band of Brothers! Tories may lose elections, they may even win an election one day in the future, but they will never, ever be "cool". Sorry chaps!
It involves Eurovision, the Swiss, vampires, Christian protesters and someone called DJ Bobo, and oh Lordi yes it's too good to ignore. The Swiss Federal Democratic Union (FDU) - reported by Swiss media to be a Christian fundamentalists group - are calling for Switzerland's Eurovision Song
Contest entry to be banned because of its allegedly satanic content.
The FDU have managed to find 50,000 people to sign a petition and Swissinfo report Thomas Feuz, head of the
FDU's petition committee as saying "The song is bad from our point of view...We have nothing against DJ
Bobo but the song has a destructive meaning and we want it stopped." Not only that the
petition also states that the Eurovision Song Contest, which takes
place in May in the Finnish capital Helsinki, has increasingly become a
platform for "the occult and Satanists".
Of course DJ Bobo may be considered satanic by some, but he's not nearly as evil as the UK entry "Scooch" as evidenced by this photograph:
Eternal live forever undead gratitude to mediawatchwatch who have transcribed the lyrics of any concerned citizens out there:
Vampires are alive. They just have to survive. Weâll never come undone, And we will be forever young.
I am a vampire; Iâm a slave. I sleep through the daylight, hence: my grave In the darkness, in the shadows⦠here I am! I want you to be forever mine, To âgatherâ until the end of time Like a nightmare, never ending. Let me change your world!
(Chorus)
Tonight is the night let a thousand years. Donât be scared. Donât drown in tears. Free your spirit after midnight; Sell your soul. Let it go From heaven to hell, and enjoy the ride. Youâre here to surrender with your life. Precious victims, my desire: live eternally!
There's no justice if this doesn't win this year's Eurovision, but make your own mind up by watching the video of the song below. Incidentally near the start at about 30 seconds it sounds like DJ Bobo is saying "vampires...get a life"...touched by the hand of genius!
As I suspected in an earlier post Danny Finkelstein's hunt for conservative rock songs has already run into trouble. His first suggestion is The Clash's Rock the Casbah! As I've already said Joe Strummer must be turning in his grave! That’ll be the same Clash
who released the triple disc Sandinista to express support for the
Nicaraguan socialist liberation movement.
The same Clash who name check Marx in the Magnificent Seven, the same
band led by Joe Strummer who throughout his career expressed sympathy
for the working class, hostility to racism and showed solidarity with
liberation movements across the globes
Finkelstein believes he can use the song because it is a response to the ban on rock music by the Ayatollah Khomeni. As I had hoped this is both desperate and amusing stuff. It's one thing to include a song by an artist who may have expressed contradictory sentiments in another song, but here we are talking just about the Clash's whole body of work standing in stark opposition to the political values Finkelstein wants to promote. As for the song itself I don't see how being against a ban on rock music is distinctively right wing as any mainstream person on both the left and right would be against such a move.
Tré Cool - Green Day: "There's no such thing as Conservative Punk. You can dress up in your hot-topic punk rock uniform and vote for Bush but it does not mean you are a punk."
From the folks who brought you the weekend, a sometimes happy human blogging from the left of centre and keeping it sceptical, freethinking, secular and humanist. Because every reasonable human being should be a moderate socialist – or drinker – or preferably both.
“It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. Carl Sagan.
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