List of songs about nuclear war
Appearance
![]() | This article possibly contains original research. (September 2017) |
Songs with a theme of nuclear war have been a feature of popular culture since the early years of the Cold War.[1]
- "4 Minute Warning" By Radiohead (2007)
- "137" By Brand New (2017)
- "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" by Jimi Hendrix
- "1999" By Prince (1982)
- "2 Minutes to Midnight" By Iron Maiden (1984)
- "540,000 Degrees Fahrenheit" by Fear Factory
- "99 Luftballons" By Nena (1983)[2]
- "A Blue Wave" By Cleaners From Venus (1981)
- "Adrian" By Eurythmics (1985)
- “A Flash in the Night” By Secret Service (band) (1982)
- "After the Fall" By Klaus Nomi (1982)
- "After the Holocaust" By Nuclear Assault (1986)
- "After the War" By Asia (1985)
- "Aftermath" By Armored Saint (1985)
- "Aftershock" By Anthrax (1985)
- "All Fall Down" By B-Movie (1991)
- "Always the Sun" By The Stranglers (1986)
- "America" By Kurtis Blow (1986)
- "American Soviets" By CCCP (1990)
- "April 2031" By Warrant (1992)
- "Arise" by Sepultura
- "Armageddon Days (Are Here Again)" By The The (1989)
- "As The World Burns" By Bolt Thrower (1992)
- "As the World Caves In" By Matt Maltese (2017)
- "Atom and Evil" By Black Sabbath (as Heaven and Hell) (2009)
- "Atom Bomb" By Glenn Barber (1955)
- "Atom Drum Bop" By The Three Johns (1986)
- "Atom Tan" By The Clash (1982)
- "Atomic" By Blondie (1980)
- "Atomic Dog" By George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars (1982)
- "Atomic Playboys" By Steve Stevens (1989)
- "Back to Zero" By The Rolling Stones (1986)
- "Beat Street" By Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (1984)
- "Beneath the Remains" By Sepultura (1989)
- "Between the Wheels" By Rush (1984)
- "Beyond the Black" By Metal Church (1984)
- "Bikini Red" By The Screaming Blue Messiahs (1987)
- "Billy's Line" By Red Box (1986)
- "Birthright" By Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe (1989)
- "Black Celebration" By Depeche Mode (1986)
- "Black Planet" By The Sisters of Mercy (1985)
- "Blackened" By Metallica (1988)
- "Blossom and Blood" By Midnight Oil (1985)
- "Blow the House Down" By Siouxsie and the Banshees (1984)
- "Blowin' Sky High" By Berlin (1988)
- "Bombers" By David Bowie (1971)
- "Bomb" by Gang Green
- "Bomb Iran" By JC & The B-1 Bombers (1980)
- "The Bomb Song" By Darwin Deez
- "Bombe the Russians" By Fear (1985)
- "Boom!" by System of a Down on the album Steal This Album!
- "Boom Box" By Vitabeats (1985)
- "Breathing" By Kate Bush (1980)
- "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns" By Iron Maiden (2006)
- "Bring Back the Bomb" by GWAR
- "Brush the Dust from That Old Bible" By Bradley Kincaid (1950)
- "Burning Down the House" By Talking Heads (1983)
- "Burning Heart" By Survivor (1985)
- "Can't Stop Running" By Space Monkey (2002)
- "The Catalyst" By Linkin Park (2010)
- "Channel-Z" By The B-52's (1989)
- "Chemical Bomb" By Aquabats (1999)
- "Chemical Warfare" By Slayer (1983)
- "Christmas at Ground Zero" By "Weird Al" Yankovic (1986)
- "Claude Rains" By The Front Lawn (1989)
- "Clean, Clean" By Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club / The Buggles (1979)
- "Cloudburst at Shingle St." By Thomas Dolby (1982)
- "Come Away Melinda" By Bobbie Gentry (1968)
- "Countdown to Extinction" by Megadeth (1992)
- "Countdown to Zero" By Asia (1985)
- "Crawl Out Through the Fallout" By Sheldon Allman (1960)
- "Cries of Help" By Discharge (1982)
- "Cruise" By David Gilmour (1984)
- "Cruise Missiles" By Fischer-Z (1981)
- "Cuando Seas Grande" By Miguel Mateos (1993)
- "Curfew" By The Stranglers (1978)
- "Current Events" By Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns (1998)
- "Dancing at the Nuclear Holocaust" By Doug P. Stone (1977) [3]
- "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes" By Ultravox (1984)
- "Dangerous Moments" By Martin Briley (1985)
- "Dawn Patrol" By Megadeth (1990)
- "The Day After" By The Men They Couldn't Hang (1985)
- "The Dead Next Door" By Billy Idol (1983)
- "De Bom" By Doe Maar (1983)
- "De Bom Valt Nooit" By Herman van Veen (1984)
- "Def.Con.One" By Pop Will Eat Itself (1992)
- "Destruction Preventer" by Sonata Arctica
- "D-Day" By Bus Boys (2001)
- "Dig a Hole in the Ground" By Fred Small (2011)
- "Disaster Area" By All Out Attack (2006)
- "Distant Early Warning" By Rush (1984)
- "Does Anybody Care" By Alex Hirsch (2022)[4]
- "Domino" By Genesis (1986)
- "Don't Crash" By Front 242 (1987)
- "Do the Evolution" By Pearl Jam (1998)[5]
- "Do You Believe in the Westworld?" By Theatre of Hate (1982)
- "Down from the Sky" By Trivium (2008)
- "Downer" by Nirvana
- "Dream Home in New Zealand" By The Beat (1981)
- "Dream Told by Moto" By Minutemen (1983)
- "Earth Crusher" By Mr. Lif (2002)
- "Eighth Day" By Hazel O'Connor (1980)
- "Einstein A Go Go" By Landscape (1981)
- "Einstein On The Beach (For An Eggman)" By Counting Crows (1994)
- "Electric Funeral" By Black Sabbath (1970)
- "End of the World" By Gary Moore (1981)
- "The End" By Discharge (1981)
- "Enola Gay" By OMD (1980)
- "Euroshima" By John Waite (1984)
- "Eve of Destruction" By Barry McGuire (1965)
- "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" By Wang Chung (1986)
- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" By Tears for Fears (1985)
- "Everyday Is Like Sunday" By Morrissey (1988)
- "Fabulous Disaster" By Exodus (1989)
- "Fact And Fiction" By Twelfth Night (1982)
- "Fallout" By Data (1980)
- "Fallout Shelter" By Peter Scott Peters (1961)
- "Famous Last Words" By Tears for Fears (1989)
- "Fight Fire with Fire" By Metallica (1984)
- "The Final Bloodbath" By Discharge (1982)
- "The Final Countdown" By Europe (1986)
- "Final Day" By Young Marble Giants (1980)
- "Fire in the Sky" By Saxon (1981)
- "Fireside Favourite" By Fad Gadget (1980)
- "Firestorm" By Leslie Fish (1989)
- "Five Years" By David Bowie (1972)
- "Flame of the West" By Big Country (1984)
- "Flyingdale Flyer" By Jethro Tull (1980)
- "Forever Young" By Alphaville (1984)
- "Four Minute Warning" By Mark Owen (2003)
- "Four Minutes" By Culture Shock (1989)
- "Four Minutes" By Roger Waters (1987)
- "Folded Flags" By Roger Waters (1987)
- "French Letters" By Herbs (1987)
- "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" By Timbuk3 (1986)
- "Games Without Frontiers" by Peter Gabriel (1980)
- "Glad It's All Over" By Captain Sensible (1994)
- "Grandpa Atomic" By New Bomb Turks (1994)
- "The Great Atomic Power" By The Louvin Brothers (1962)
- "Ground B Sound" By Death Piggy (1999)
- "Ground Zero Brooklyn" By Carnivore (band) (1987)
- "The Gunner's Dream- Paranoid Eyes" By Pink Floyd (1983)
- "Guns in the Sky" By INXS (1987)
- "Hallowed Ground" By Violent Femmes (1984)
- "Hammer to Fall" By Queen (1984)
- "Happy Birthday" By "Weird Al" Yankovic (1983)
- "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" By Bob Dylan (1963)
- "Harrisburg" By Midnight Oil (1985)
- "Heat" By Leslie Spit Treeo (1990)
- "Heatwave" By Fay Ray (1982)
- "A Hell On Earth" By Discharge (1982)
- "He Looks Like Spencer Tracy Now" By Deacon Blue (1987)
- "Help Save the Youth of America" By Billy Bragg (1986)
- "Hercules" By Midnight Oil (1992)
- "Here Comes President Kill Again" By XTC (1989)
- "Heresy" By Rush (1991)
- "History (remember Hiroshima & Nagasaki)" By John McGuinness (1984) John McGuinness & Vince Lewis band (2018)
- "Hiroshima" By Gary Moore (1983)
- "Hiroshima" By Sandra (1990)
- "Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulette" By Jim Page (1976)
- "Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulette" By Moving Hearts (1981)
- "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" By Ultravox (1977)
- "House at Pooneil Corners" By Jefferson Airplane (1968)
- "Human Error" By Subhumans (1981)
- "I.C.B.M." By Amebix (1987)
- "I Come and Stand at Every Door" By The Byrds (1966)
- "I Don't Wanna Die" By 4 Skins (1982)
- "I Found That Essence Rare" By Gang of Four (1979)
- "Ignorance" By Sacred Reich (1987)
- "I Melt with You" By Modern English (1982)
- "In the Hole" By Armored Saint (1985)
- "Invasion" By Skrewdriver (1984)
- "I Remember the Sun" By XTC (1984)
- "Is There Something I Should Know?" By Duran Duran (1981)
- "It's a Mistake" By Men At Work (1983)
- "I've Known No War" By The Who (1982)
- "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" By Nik Kershaw (1984)
- "Janitor" By Suburban Lawns (1980)
- "Just Another Day" By Oingo Boingo (1985)
- "Jesus Hits Like the Atomic Bomb" By Lowell Blanchard and the Vally Trio (1998)[1]: 117
- "Juggernaut" By Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush (1982)
- "Kill for Peace" By The Fugs (1966)
- "Kill the Poor" By Dead Kennedys (1978)
- "Killer of Giants" By Ozzy Osbourne (1986)
- "Kinky Sex Makes the World Go Round" By Dead Kennedys (1982)
- "King of the World" By Steely Dan (1973)
- "Land of Confusion" By Genesis (1986)
- "Last Domino" By Genesis (1986)
- "Last in the House of Flames" By UK Decay (1981)
- "Lawyers in Love" By Jackson Browne (1983)
- "Leave in Silence" By Depeche Mode (1982)
- "Leningrad" By Billy Joel (1989)
- "Let Me Die In My Footsteps" By Bob Dylan (1963)
- "Let's All Make A Bomb" By Heaven 17 (1981)
- "Let's Have A War" By Fear (1982)
- "Let's Talk About it" By Dweezil Zappa (1986)
- "Life During Wartime" By Talking Heads (1979)
- "Listen" By Tears For Fears (1985)
- "Live Fast, Die Young" By Circle Jerks (1980)
- "Living Through Another Cuba" By XTC (1980)
- "Lock and Key" By Rush (1987)
- "London Calling" by The Clash
- "Love Missile F1-11" By Sigue Sigue Sputnik (1986)
- "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" By Bruce Cockburn (1984)
- "M.A.D." by Hadouken!; lyrics and title refer to nuclear war; the whole album's and lyrics refer to atomic war
- "Man at C&A" By The Specials (1980)
- "Manhattan Project" By Rush (1985)
- "Maralinga" By Urban Guerrillas (1983)
- "Massive Retaliation" By Sigue Sigue Sputnik (1986)
- "Mediate" By INXS (1987)
- "Merry Minuet" By Kingston Trio (1959)
- "Missiles" By The Sound (1980)
- "Morning Dew" by Bonnie Dobson; also recorded by Jeff Beck, Blackfoot, Einstürzende Neubauten, Tim Rose, and The Grateful Dead
- "Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D.)" By Gillan (1986)
- "Nagasaki Nightmare" By Crass (1981)
- "New Frontier" By Donald Fagen (1982)
- "New Mexico" By Oppenheimer Analysis (1982)
- "No Nuclear War " By Peter Tosh (1987)
- "North Winds Blowing" By The Stranglers (1985)
- "Nuclear" By Mike Oldfield
- "Nuclear Attack" By Gary Moore (1981)
- "Nuclear Attack" By Sabaton (2006)
- "Nuclear Cop" By Redgum (1980)
- "Nuclear Sunrise" By Hand of Fire (2017)
- "Nuclear War" By Sun Ra [6] Arkestra (1982)
- "Nuclear War" By New Politics (2010)
- "Nuclear War" By Yo La Tengo (2001)
- "Oblivion" By Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (1987)
- "Old Man Atom" By Sons Of The Pioneers (1950)
- "On the Beach" By The Comsat Angels (1980)
- "One of the Living" by Tina Turner, from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
- "Oppenheimer" By Leni Oppenheimer (2019)
- "Paranoid Chant" By Minutemen (1980)
- "Party at Ground Zero" By Fishbone (1985)
- Pink World by Planet P Project
- "Planet Earth" By Duran Duran (1981)
- "Political Science" By Randy Newman (1972)
- "Pride of Man" by Hamilton Camp (1964)
- "Pronto viviremos en la Luna" (Soon we will be living at the Moon), by Spanish singer-songwriter Víctor Manuel.
- "Protect and Survive" By Runrig (1987)
- "Put Down That Weapon" by Midnight Oil
- "Quite Unusual" By Front 242 (1987)
- "Radiation Sickness" By Nuclear Assault (1986)
- "Red Rain" By Peter Gabriel (1986)
- "Red Shadows" By T.S.O.L. (1984)
- "Red Skies" By The Fixx (1982)
- "Red Skies over Paradise By Fischer-Z (1981)
- "Ride the Wind" By Crazy Planet (1988)
- "Ronnie Talk to Russia" by Prince (1981)
- "Russians" By Sting (1985)
- "Rust in Peace... Polaris" By Megadeth (1990)
- "S.D.I." By Loudness (1987)
- "Seconds" By U2 (1982)
- "Set the World Afire" By Megadeth (1988)
- "Shattered" by Pantera
- "Skeletons of Society" by Slayer
- "Sign o' the Times" By Prince (1987)
- "So Afraid of the Russians" By Made for TV (1983)
- "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" By A Perfect Circle (2018)
- "So Long, Mom (A Song for World War III)" By Tom Lehrer (circa 1965)
- "Soviet Snow" By Shona Laing (1987)
- "The Stage" By Avenged Sevenfold (2016)
- "Stagnation" By Genesis (1970)
- "Stop the World" By The Clash (1980)
- "Strike Zone" By Loverboy (1983)
- "Strontium 90" By Fred & Betty Dallas with Ron Fielder (1959)
- "The Sun Is Burning" By Ian Campbell (1963)
- "Summer of ‘81" By Mondo Rock (1981)
- "Sunrise" By Icehouse (1987)
- "Survive" by Nuclear Assault
- "Survivor's Song" By Julia Ecklar (1986)
- "Talkin' World War III Blues" by Bob Dylan
- "The Apple Tree" by Difford & Tilbrook (1984)
- "The Temptation of Adam" by Josh Ritter (2007)
- "Thank Christ for The Bomb" By Groundhogs (1970)
- "Thank God for The Bomb" By Ozzy Osbourne (1986)
- "The Sun Is Burning" By Simon & Garfunkel (1964)
- "This World Over" by XTC (1984)
- "Time After Time" By Electric Light Orchestra (1983)
- "Time Will Crawl" By David Bowie (1987)
- "Total Eclipse" By Klaus Nomi (1981)
- "Town to Town" by Microdisney (1987)
- "Tropicana" By Gruppo Italiano (2002)
- "Twilight Gods" By Helloween (1987)
- "Two Minute Warning" By Depeche Mode (1983)
- "Two Suns In the Sunset" By Pink Floyd (1983)
- "Two Tribes" By Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984)
- "Vamos a la Playa" by Righeira (1983)
- "Vaporized" by X-15 (1981)
- "Victims of the Future" By Gary Moore (1983)
- "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was) (1987)
- "The Wanderer" By U2 and Johnny Cash (1993)
- "Warhead" by Tarot
- "Warhead" By UK Subs (1980)
- "We Don't Want No Nuclear War" By Peter Tosh (1987)
- "We Will All Go Together When We Go" By Tom Lehrer (1959)
- "We Will Become Silhouettes" By The Postal Service (2005)
- "What Have They Done" By Squeeze (1986)
- "When the Wind Blows" By David Bowie (1986)
- "When They Drop the Atomic Bomb" By Jackie Doll and the Pickled Peppers (1951)[1]: 130
- "White Train" by Bananarama (1986)
- "Will The Sun Rise?" by Dokken
- "Wind of Change" By Scorpions (1991)
- "Wooden Ships" By Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
- "World Destruction" By Time Zone (1984)
- "World War III" recorded by D.O.A.
- "World Wars III & IV" By Carnivore (band) (1985)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Charles K. Wolfe; James E. Akenson (2015). Country Music Goes to War. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-4965-3.
- ^ Hurley, Jessica (2014). "War as Peace: Afterlives of Nuclear War in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest". In Blouin, Michael; Shipley, Morgan; Taylor, Jack (eds.). The Silence of Fallout: Nuclear Criticism in a Post-Cold War World. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-4438-4479-6.
- ^ "Dancing at the Nuclear Holocaust". YouTube.
- ^ "Does AnybodyCare". YouTube.
- ^ Pearl Jam - Do the Evolution (Official Video), retrieved 2022-12-23
- ^ "Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra on Amazon Music". Amazon.