Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Chill, Kick Back, Kiss Your Ass Goodbye! 13 Songs About The End Of The World

2 Minutes to Midnight – Iron Maiden 

From the band's brilliant 1984 album, Powerslave. The song references the Doomsday Clock - a symbolic clock used by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to determine how close the world might be to a nuclear holocaust. The clock reached 23:58 (two minutes to midnight) in September 1953, after the US and the Soviet Union both tested H-bombs.



Eve of Destruction – Barry McGuire 

Although several artists have recorded the song, McGuire's version is the best known. The lyrics warn of an imminent apocalypse and reference the Cold War, Vietnam, and the nuclear arms race.


Two Suns In The Sunset – Pink Floyd 

A song about a nuclear holocaust which includes the lyric "the sun is in the east, even though the day is done" (a reference to the gleaming fireball of a nuclear detonation) and ending with the lyric "could it be the human race is run.” Off the band's 1983 release, The Final Cut.



Don’t Fear The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult 

Not a post-apocalyptic song per se, but it is about the Grim Reaper and its appearance on the soundtrack of ‘The Stand’ makes it a perfect fit for this list.



Black Curtains – Megadeth 

Nuclear war is a recurring theme in Megadeth songs (Symphony of Destruction, Peace Sells, Polaris…Rust In Peace). Black Curtains is a track from their kick ass 1994 album, Youthanasia.


The Four Horsemen – Metallica 

Referencing the biblical Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, this song is featured on Metallica’s album Kill ‘Em All,  released in 1983.



 99 Red Balloons – Nena 

A chirpy upbeat song about a nuclear war triggered when balloons are mistaken for incoming enemy aircraft. The closing lyric, “it’s all over and I’m standing pretty, in the dust that was a city,” leaves no doubt as to the outcome.


The End – The Doors 

Jim Morrison stated that the song might refer to the end of a relationship or the end of childhood, but could really refer to the end of anything. Its inclusion on the soundtrack of Apocalypse Now cements its place on the list.



Talking World War III Blues – Bob Dylan 

The title says it all. This one is from the album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan which also includes ‘A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall’. The lyrics of that song are strongly suggestive of a nuclear holocaust, although Dylan himself says doesn’t necessarily refer to war.


War Pigs – Black Sabbath 

A classic Black Sabbath tune which ends with the lyric, “Now in darkness world stops turning, ashes where the bodies burning. No more war pigs have the power, hand of God has struck the hour.” Say no more.


London Calling – The Clash 

Title track from the band’s 1979 album, the lyrics reference several doomsday scenarios including flooding and nuclear meltdown. The title comes from the BBC World Service's wartime station identification: "This is London calling."



Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones 

A Stones classic that Mick Jagger described as "A kind of end-of-the-world song, really. It's the apocalypse." With lyrics that talk of fire sweeping the streets, war children, rape and murder, it’s hard to disagree.


Metal Gods – Judas Priest 

From the classic 1980 album, British Steel. Metal Gods tells the story of machines taking over the world, and ends on the lyric, “Better be the slaves, to their wicked ways, but meeting with our death, engulfed in molten breath.”

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