I want to talk about music, especially songs about historical events. If you’ve been following me for awhile, you will sadly know that I love history. I mean it, I love history as much as I love Salt and Vinegar; so that’s a lot.

So I was thinking the other day; in between reading Kaiju No. 8 and watching The Rugby Championship, of a new topic for the blog. Being the cultural influencer that I am, I thought about combining two of my interests like pizza flavoured ice cream or a biologists vs physicists football game.¹

In my infinite wisdom, which is sprinkled with hubris and incompetence, I decided to list some of my favourite songs about historical events. To make the list, there are only three criteria:

1.) The song can be performed by an artist or by a band.

2.) The song needs to be about a real event that has taken place, at some point in history. There is one special exemption to this rule, because the song is about several events, not just one.

3.) I do realise there are hundreds of songs about historical events, that I won’t mention. This is only because the songs on my list, will be ones that I’m quite familiar with and like, or the event that the song is based on, is something that has interested me.

Songs about real people, do not qualify. My apologies to Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, Andy Kaufman, Queen Elizabeth II, and the list, just like the road, goes ever on and on. That will be a separate list for another blog.

Clear as mud? Great, let’s do it!

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Sunday Bloody Sunday: U2 (1983)

This song refers to two different incidents involving assassinations and massacres. The first are the two attacks on Sunday 21st November 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. In the morning of the 21st, Irish Republican Army (IRA) operatives assassinated British intelligence agents that were living in Dublin at the time. This resulted in 15 deaths and five people being injuried.

In the afternoon of the same day, British and Police forces converged on Croke Park, Dublin, where a game of Gaelic football was being played. There were at least 5,000 spectators at the game, when the British and Police forces started shooting. 14 civilians including two children were killed, along with 80 civilians with injuries.

The second is the Bloody Sunday massacre of Sunday 30th January 1972, when British troops from the Parachute Regiment opened fire on unarmed civilian protesters, in Derry, Northern Ireland. This happened during a time called The Troubles, which was also known as the Northern Ireland Conflict. 14 civilians were killed altogether, with 13 victims killed on the day, and another victim died later on, because of their injuries sustained during the attack.

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Magna Carta: 800 Years: Ben Miller, Naz Osmanoglu, Lawry Lewin, Jessica Ransom from Horrible Histories (2015)

This song is from a television show Horrible Histories, which is based on a series of books. It refers to the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, by King John, King of England. The document basically states that no person; whether they be a king or not, is above the law. For over 800 years, the Magna Carta has been the bedrock for justice and has influenced many other important policies, legislation and civil rights. If you want some more information, some nitwit wrote about it here.

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Sink the Bismarck: Johnny Horton (1960)

This song is about the hunt to sink the German battleship, Bismarck. The Bismarck was one of the largest battleships ever built, and during the Second World War, it was the subject to one of the greatest maritime searches in history.

After sinking the British HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, on 24th May 1941, the Bismarck was the most hunted ship in the world. Eventually the Bismarck was discovered, pursued, and attacked, with the battleship being scuttled and sunk on 27th May 1941.

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The cause of World War One! Origins Rap Battle: WW1 Uncut BBC (2014)

This song is actually a rap battle about the origins of the First World War, which was to commemorate 100 years since the start of the war. It features characters like Gaurilo Princip, the assassin; Emperor Franz Josef of Austro-Hungary; Joseph Joffre, Commander of the French Forces; Tsar Nichols II of Russia; Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and George V of Great Britain.

The characters explain their motivations for being involved in the build up to the war, as well as throwing in some amazing insults and burns. The song does a fantastic job at detailing the origins of the war with humour, disguised as a history lesson.

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Genocide (The Killing of the Buffalo): Thin Lizzy (1980)

This song looks at the organised slaughter of the North American buffalo during the Plains Indian Wars of the 19th century. The buffalo was critical to the survival of many Native American tribes, which was well known to the US government. Because of this, the government entered a campaign of hunting and killing millions of buffalo and bringing them to the edge of extinction. This was a way to starve Native Americans and have them enter submission.

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2019: Count Binface (2019)

This song covers two different events spanning three years. The first refers to the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, aka Brexit; while the second refers to 2019 United Kingdom general election, which at the time, was going to be held in December 2019.

The artist Count Binface, like Jonathan Pie, is not a fan of the Conservative Party. Utterly brilliant.

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Spanish Bombs: The Clash (1979)

The lyrics for this song are based on the Spanish Civil War, which was fought in 1936-1939. Like all civil wars, the Spanish Civil War was extremely brutal, having the Republicans and others, fighting against the Nationalists and allies. The conflict resulted in 200,000 soldiers killed, but between 150,000-180,000 civilians were also killed. In total 200,000 people were murdered, which involved mass shootings, torture, and mob violence.

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Battle of Hastings Song aka Norman Style: Kevin Eldon, Naz Osmanoglu from Horrible Histories (2015)

This is another Horrible Histories song, but it looks at the Norman Invasion of England in 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, between the Norman forces, led by William I the Conqueror, against the English, led by King Harold II. The Normans won the battle and King Harold died on the battlefield. William successfully conquered England, ending Anglo-Saxon rule over the country, and thus changing English, European and World History.

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Zombie: The Cranberries (1994)

This song was created as a direct response to the deaths of Tim Parry, 12, and Johnathan Ball, 3. This happened on 20th March 1993, through an IRA bombing in Warrington, England. Two small bombs were placed in litter bins, near a shopping area when they were detonated. 56 people when injured, along with killing the two children. Previously on 26th February 1993, the IRA had committed another bombing, by destroying gas holders in Warrington, as part of the IRA’s campaign to get the British to withdraw from Northern Ireland.

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And finally for the special entry; if I have a list of my top 10 songs of all time, this song is on that list.

We Didn’t Start the Fire: Billy Joel (1989)

This song is unique because it doesn’t just focus on one event, but rather multiple world events occurring from 1948 to 1989. The events span politics, culture, science and sports, and have left a lasting impression on the world, whether they are positive or negative.

It’s the chorus that haunts me to this day:

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it

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So do you agree with the entries? Have I missed out your favourite song about a historical event? Please let me know your thoughts. Alright, that’s it for me today, because my dog stinks and is well overdue for a bath; so wish me luck. Thanks for stopping by, walk your dog, read some banned books, and I’ll see you next Monday.

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¹ The referee would be a geologist, because you wouldn’t be able to trust a chemist.