Bands With the Wrong Politics

[Count Machuki]

Terrible, aren't they? Utter bastards.
Yet why must some of their music be great?

YOU KNOW who I'm talking about. Let's talk about them here, the ignorant bastards.

[Deebank]

Is it Rush?

[joybringer]

its got to be Billy Bragg the twat.

[Count Machuki]

Among others.

[The Modernist]

It's difficult to think of examples. It's very rare to find conservative or right wing views openly espoused in lyrics. I suspect it may be a bit more commonplace in country music, but that's not my area.

[naughty boy]

It's difficult to think of examples. It's very rare to find conservative or right wing views openly espoused in lyrics.

The only things that come to mind (after a minute's thought) are the original dodgy lyrics of 'Get Back', and some of Morrissey's stuff ('Sweet And Tender Hooligan' has a vaguely Mail-like 'lock 'em up' sentiment).

I suspect it may be a bit more commonplace in country music, but that's not my area.

The stereotypical country artist has right-wing views, but expressed in song?

[Rayge]

I suspect it may be a bit more commonplace in country music, but that's not my area.

The stereotypical country artist has right-wing views, but expressed in song?

Why is that so surprising? Of course there are loads of them. Or are you, for example, dismissing nationalism, patriotism and militarism as basically right wing concerns? I have a big box set of music associated with the Vietnam War, for instance, and that splits approximately 3:2 Kill the Gooks: Hanoi Jane for ever/bring the boys home. America is essentially a right-wing country. after all.
And if you want specific examples, try Jan Berry's Universal Coward, or Staff Sgt Barry Sadler's Green Beret.

[Rayge]

It's difficult to think of examples. It's very rare to find conservative or right wing views openly espoused in lyrics.

The only things that come to mind (after a minute's thought) are the original dodgy lyrics of 'Get Back', and some of Morrissey's stuff ('Sweet And Tender Hooligan' has a vaguely Mail-like 'lock 'em up' sentiment).

Metal, especially Norwegian death metal, is full of extreme imagery. Reg is full of conservative ideas in the music rather than the lyrics, although they are often inspired by Tolkienistic drivel, right wing in itself. Alt folk types are known for it too. Death in June anyone? Current 93 (although to be fair all the magickal stuff isn't so much left or right as out there)? All of Christian rock? All those New Romantic materialist ditties about getting ahead and being fabulous? What's particuylarly left-wing about gangsta rap and ll that bling shit?
And so on

[BARON CORNY DOG]

It's true that country music, being mostly made by white southerners for white southerners, comes from an essentially conservative viewpoint. And that bubbles up into the lyrics from time to time. And lots of bluegrass, though fairly radical musically, is based on really mawkish and maudlin "dear old dead mother waiting for me in heaven" sentimentality. There are a fair few examples that could certainly complicate that view, but it's not really wrong.

In my own hell, they'll be playing this, which I find deeply objectionable:

[clive gash]

Robert Wyatt

[The Modernist]

It's difficult to think of examples. It's very rare to find conservative or right wing views openly espoused in lyrics.

The only things that come to mind (after a minute's thought) are the original dodgy lyrics of 'Get Back'

I wouldn't give that as an example because, however misjudged it may have been, it was intended as a satire; a mockery of racist views in the same way Alf Garnett was.

[Bent Fabric]

[The Modernist]

It's got a great beat though!

[Deebank]

Robert Wyatt

You think he regrets Stalin Wasn't Stallin?

He should - I mean, Stalin did stall for one thing.

[Sneelock]

MC5! No fucking in the streets until you clean your room!