National Review: top 50 "Conservative Rock Songs" - all by liberal artists

The "conservatarian" nerds at National Review never miss an opportunity to embarrass themselves in ways that defy logic.

Lacking real conservative rock stars (other than the embarrassing Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper), the NRO gang decided to forcibly appropriate some of the greatest rock songs in history and claim they are "really" conservative anthems. Of course, even the casual viewer would take notice that the vast majority of the songs that the Republicons are trying to hijack were composed by extremely liberal artists. Many of these artists would fit into what they contemptibly dismiss as "dirty hippies." Also, these songs were written in a context of struggle of liberal ideas against a conservative establishment (ahem, "the sixties" that the "conservatarians" seem to hate so much).

True to form, the New York Times, instead of laughing at this preposterous idea by Republicans to usurp rock classics as "conservative anthems," published the entire list and gave props to the National Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/arts/music/25brockweb.html

You can get an idea of the ridiculousness of this proposition by checking the top 10 alone:

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

The only one I would possibly, by a stretch of the imagination describe as a "conservative anthem" would be "Sweet Home Alabama." And still, I doubt it is.
Yes, they include the Sex Pistols. Yes, the same ones of "Anarchy in the UK." Read the article, because your brain will do somersaults at the twisted logic and rational stretches the NRO nerds made to justify their selections. I kid you not: they called the revolting, scatological lyrics of "Bodies," by The Sex Pistols a family-values "anti-abortion anthem." Unreal.

To add to the hilarity of this lists, they added Bob Dylan, The Clash (yes, THE CLASH as CONSERVATIVE ROCKERS!!!!!), Creedence Clearwater Revival, and many others.

Just to give you the coup de grace on this charade, they end up the piece by listing "Stand By Your Man," by Tammy Wynette as the number 50 of their list of "conservative ROCK anthems." Truly surreal, to say the least.

I guess the NRO geeks got bored of making excuses for the Iraq war, and decided to focus on some other interests.

PS: AOL, of course, is making a poll about this list. They love this shit. You can vote if you consider these songs "conservative" at the bottom of this page:

http://news.aol.com/entertainment/music/dailypulse/052506/_a/dixie-chicks-under-fire

PS: the funny thing is that Ted Nugent or Alice Cooper are nowhere to be found in this list
:rofl:

he knew Revolution and Tax Man were on the top 10 list.

I believe Tax Man was written because they were pissed about the way the UK was trying to tax their earnings which was contrary to the way they thought it should be done. I forget the details now 40 years later.


What an imagnination these people have.

That would mean they are both sitting straight up, wouldn't it?
The Professor

but I'm sure it was John's sentiments too.

I guess most importantly, John would dig his way out of his grave over Revolution!

the conservatives once again remind us that irony is TOTALLY lost on those tight-ass fools.

makes me ill. And Sympathy for the Devil??? WTF?

Play it loud on your local evangelical radio station.


Bodies


She was a girl from Birmingham
she just had an abortion
she was a case of insanity
her name was Pauline, she lived in a tree


She was a no-one who killed her baby
she sent her letters from the country
she was an animal
she was a bloody disgrace


Body, I'm not an animal
Mummy, I'm not an abortion


Dragged on a table in a factory
illegitimate place to be
in a packet in a lavatory
die, little baby screaming


Body screaming, fucking bloody mess
it's not an animal, it's an abortion


Body, I'm not an animal
Body, I'm not an abortion


Throbbing squirm, gurgling bloody mess
I'm not a discharge, I'm not a loss in
protein I'm not a throbbing squirm, ah!


Fuck this and fuck that
fuck it all and fuck the fucking brat
She don't wanna baby that looks like that
I don't wanna baby that looks like that


Body, I'm not an animal
Body, I'm not an abortion


Mummy! Ugh!

And pulling shit out of their ass, all in a sad pathetic attempt to legitimize themselves.

Who are they trying to kid? If anything, the conservatives have been trying to set us back 200 years!

:crazy:

Wiothout looking up the lyrics, it's something like "Watergate does not bother me; does your conscience bother you? Tell me true."

I think the reference here is to a notorious comment by Billy Graham in which he said, in effect, that Watergate was the fault of the liberals and the general decline in morality rather than specifically arising from Nixon's sins. Thus I always took these lyrics to mean "I'm not taking the rap for Watergate. It wasn't me. I bet you don't think it's your fault either."

Somehow I doubted "Sweet Home Alabama" was a conservative anthem, even after being hijacked by rednecks for nefarious purposes.

Discusses how they love the governor (segregationist George Wallace).

Ronnie says they wrote it as a joke.

Just like when they hijacked Springsteen's "Born in the USA" as a RepublicOn anthem.

I'm shocked by that one!!

A lot of great rock songs were written about change in the 60s. And a lot of great rock songs were written about there being too much change in the 60s.

Frankly, I've always thought that Bob Dylan was a libertarian. And writing that Barry Goldwater was the politician he most admired in the 60s sort of proved that. And pretty much everything he has produced since "Blonde on Blonde" has been in, some ways, a critique of his earlier "radical" output.

A lot of the Band's output was sort of a reaction to the 60s as well.

And the Kinks recorded about 100 songs that could be called "conservative." I've never taken "Village Green Preservation Society" as satire:

We are the Village Green Preservation Society
God save Donald Duck, Vaudeville and Variety

We are the Desperate Dan Appreciation Society
God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties

Preserving the old ways from being abused
Protecting the new ways for me and for you
What more can we do?

We are the Draught Beer Preservation Society
God save Mrs. Mopp and good Old Mother Riley

We are the Custard Pie Appreciation Consortium
God save the George Cross and all those who were awarded them

We are the Sherlock Holmes English Speaking Vernacular
Help save Fu Manchu, Moriarty and Dracula

We are the Office Block Persecution Affinity
God save little shops, china cups and virginity

We are the Skyscraper Condemnation Affiliate
God save Tudor houses, antique tables and billiards

Preserving the old ways from being abused
Protecting the new ways for me and for you
What more can we do?

God save the Village Green.

Roots folkie? Voice of American Protest? Scandalous Folk Rocker? Country crooner? Surreal poet? Christian artist? Jewish artist? He's an excellent songwriter & a fine musician. Everything else is just fodder for the journalists.

"I work for the Union, because she's so good for me"--sang the Band.

About the Kinks: Some songs express the views of the writer. Others satirize views that the writer does not share.

He wanted to use Springsteen's "Born in the USA" as his campaign anthem. Then they read the lyrics. At least they were smart enough to not use it, even if Springsteen would lend it to them, which he didn't.:rofl:

Is an anti revolution song which warns not to be to quick to jump on the "we are going to change the world band wagon". You'd think people that have waited 10+ years now for the Republicans to start working on those promises in the contract on America would get this.

and the neocon utopia of changing the world with bombing campaigns and use of force.

Nice.

when they were trying to deny him a green card?

...for the talent of someone who's done drugs, didn't you know that? What's that you say, GW* did drugs? What?

{in my best Emily Litella voice}: Never mind!

Kick!

But most artists just create "art." And they often express opinions that they do not share--they assume a character & may actually be using "satire." Searching lyrics for political meaning is as useful as going through Dylan's garbage.

The late Tammy Wynette sang "Stand By Your Man" but she divorced George. Hillary Clinton actually DID stand by her man. (And Lyle Lovett did a kickass cover of the song.)

"This Flag Ain't No Rag"/"In America" Daniels on there?

And, if he is, is he still acknowledging penning and singing the anti-establishment/anti-Vietnam-War song "Uneasy Rider"?

They are so completely clueless, they don't even know when they are being criticized or mocked. Its hilarious, like the Delay support group that didn't know Colbert was satire.

As clueless as these asshats are, I'm suprised they didn't find something "conservative" about that album.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

What a bunch of fortunate sons.

Euple Byrd (married 1959–divorced 1966); Don Chapel (married 1967–divorced 1968); George Jones (married 1969–divorced 1975); Michael Tomlin (married 1976–annulled 1976); and George Richey (married 1978–her death 1998).

but they don't know what it means.... don't know what it means, and I say nyaaaaaa..."

- Nirvana

Just goes to show how shallow and ignorant the right really is.

The righties are brain dead.


The funniest inclusions, in my opinion are: "Revolution" by Lennon.


and a "Creed" song!


:rofl:

"You say you want a revolution / Well you know / We all want to change the world . . . Don't you know you can count me out?"

They skipped like a verse and a half for that quote.

Also:

'What's more, Communism isn't even cool: "If you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao / You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow." '

Just because you hate that bastard Mao doesn't mean you're anti-communist.

...

'15. "I Fought the Law," by The Crickets.
The original law—and—order classic, made famous in 1965 by The Bobby Fuller Four and covered by just about everyone since then.'

That's odd; for some reason, I saw that song as more of a tragedy; like "The Man is too powerful, and I couldn't beat him."

...

'17. "Stay Together for the Kids," by Blink 182.
A eulogy for family values...'

Well actually, it's more sympathy for the children of loveless marriages.

...

'21. "Heroes," by David Bowie.
A Cold War love song about a man and a woman divided by the Berlin Wall. No moral equivalence here: "I can remember / Standing / By the wall / And the guns / Shot above our heads / And we kissed / As though nothing could fall / And the shame / Was on the other side / Oh we can beat them / For ever and ever."'

This, on the same list as a "law-and-order classic"? Which is it? Defying the Man for love, or learning to submit to authority?

...

'29. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," by Iron Maiden.
A heavy—metal classic inspired by a literary classic. How many other rock songs quote directly from Samuel Taylor Coleridge?'

This makes it conservative how? I thought you people were slashing arts funding.

...

'31. "Small Town," by John Mellencamp.
A Burkean rocker: "No, I cannot forget where it is that I come from / I cannot forget the people who love me."'

I come from a small town, and I miss there being only 600 people with a square mile, but I'm as liberal as they come.

...

'34. "Godzilla," by Blue Oyster Cult.
A 1977 classic about a big green monster — and more: "History shows again and again / How nature points up the folly of men."'

Oh? You mean man isn't free to rape and pillage and extract? I thought this was a list of conservative tunes.

...

'40. "Wake Up Little Susie," by The Everly Brothers.
A smash hit in 1957, back when high—school social pressures were rather different from what they have become: "We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot."'

This just shows how terrified of sex people were in the '50s. Falling asleep together accidentally could destroy a girl's (but not a guy's) reputation.

...

'43. "Wonderful," by Everclear. A child's take on divorce: "I don't wanna hear you say / That I will understand someday / No, no, no, no / I don't wanna hear you say / You both have grown in a different way / No, no, no, no / I don't wanna meet your friends / And I don't wanna start over again / I just want my life to be the same / Just like it used to be."'

Again, more of a child's take on being the fruit of a loveless union, and, I gathered, moving around a lot. Possibly due to economic woes and the parents' inability to keep a job, thereby contributing to the fights?

...

'48. "Why Don't You Get a Job," by The Offspring.
The lyrics aren't exactly Shakespearean, but they're refreshingly blunt and they capture a motive force behind welfare reform.'

Welfare reform? More like having a lazy loved one. Do you even listen to these songs, dumbass?

...

'50. "Stand By Your Man," by Tammy Wynette.
Hillary trashed it — isn't that enough? If you're worried that Wynette's original is too country, then check out the cover version by Motörhead.'

As previous posters have said, by your man or by your men? Also, Hillary stood by her man, now didn't she?

"Born in the USA" cause he thought it was a patriotic anthem -- not realizing it was an indictment of....Reaganomics.
And poor old Spiro Agnew had kind words for The Beatle's "Little Help from My Friends", not realizing who those friends were.
Conservatives don't really get it. They're the teacher's pet kids who didn't read the books, see the movies, listen to the music, or view the art that makes you go beyond your little sphere.
Bless their little hearts.