10. “Zombie” by The Cranberries
- History: The Troubles in Northern Ireland, particularly the 1993 Warrington bombings by the IRA, which killed two children.
- About: Dolores O’Riordan wrote it as an anguished reaction to continued violence. The lyrics refer to “1916” and the long legacy of conflict, lamenting how historical grievances fuel ongoing bloodshed.
9. “Red Sector A” by Rush
- History: The Holocaust and concentration camp experiences in World War II.
- About: Inspired by Geddy Lee’s mother, a Holocaust survivor, this song presents the terror and dehumanization of life inside a camp through dystopian science‑fiction imagery (“Red Sector A”), making the horror feel both historical and chillingly timeless. It wrestles with survival, disbelief that the outside world allows it to continue, and the trauma of liberation.
8. “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin
- History: Norse/Viking exploration and mythology.
- About: Driven by a pounding rhythm and Robert Plant’s iconic wail, this song evokes Viking sea raids and voyages to new lands (“We come from the land of the ice and snow”). It blends references to Norse gods, Valhalla, and warrior culture with the idea of fierce explorers arriving in foreign territory—loosely inspired by the band’s experiences touring Iceland.
7. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” by U2
- History: The life and assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- About: While somewhat impressionistic, the lyrics clearly center on King, his philosophy of nonviolent resistance, and his death in 1968. The song celebrates moral courage in the face of oppression and has become an unofficial anthem tied to King’s legacy (despite a famous factual slip about the time of his death).
6. “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday
- History: The lynching of Black Americans in the Jim Crow South.
- About: Based on a poem by Abel Meeropol, this haunting, minimalist jazz piece uses stark imagery (“Southern trees bear a strange fruit”) to confront racist terror. It’s often cited as one of the earliest and most powerful protest songs.
5. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot
- History: The 1975 sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior.
- About: A ballad that meticulously recounts the ship’s final voyage, the storm, and the loss of 29 crew members. Lightfoot follows the known facts closely, turning a recent maritime disaster into modern folklore.
4. “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan
- History: The arrest and imprisonment of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in the 1960s.
- About: A detailed narrative arguing that Carter was wrongly convicted of murder due to racism and corruption in the U.S. justice system, effectively turning his case into a civil rights cause.
3. “Alexander Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda (from Hamilton, 2015)
- History: The early life and rise of Alexander Hamilton, one of the U.S. Founding Fathers.
- About: This hip-hop–infused opening number functions like a musical biography prologue. Various characters—Burr, Washington, Eliza, and others—introduce Hamilton’s origins in the Caribbean, his intellect, ambition, and journey to New York, setting up the political and personal struggles that will define both his life and the new nation.
2. “Alexander the Great (356-323)” by Iron Maiden
- History: Life and conquests of Alexander III of Macedon
- About: A mini-biography in song form, it traces Alexander’s life from his birth and tutelage under Aristotle to his battles across Persia, Egypt, and India. The lyrics name key battles (Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela) and emphasize his ambition to unite the known world, as well as his early death.
1. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel
- History: A rapid-fire list of political, cultural, and historical events from 1949 (Joel’s birth year) to 1989.
- About: Each line references a specific person, event, or phenomenon (e.g., “Dien Bien Phu falls,” “JFK—blown away”). The chorus insists that the singer’s generation didn’t create these problems, only inherited them, framing history as a continuous blaze of crises.
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