The Top 5 Songs That Don't Show America In A Good Light

Hey everybody, it’s the new year! It looks like the Earth is still in tact, and the zombies haven’t consumed us all! Since I’m still alive, and not a ghost from the Astral Plane, I’ve got another year of posts for you. Since the past couple months have been incredibly controversial for the country I live in, and to perhaps create a little controversy, here’s my first post of 2013, the top 5 songs that don’t show America in a good light.

I’ve actually had some trouble when it came to making this list. While there’s definitely some bands & groups in the U.S. that make music that bash the country, but I’ve had to look beyond for a majority of the songs on this list. For those of you that are strong, fanatical patriots, I want to let you know that I do not hate America. I just hate the bullshit that practically happens day after day, and it gets incredibly tiring to see politicians pull shit from out of their asses, or when some joe schmo blurt out something ungodly stupid. It’s just makes me smack my head & weep.

5) David Bowie - I'm Afraid Of Americans

This is perhaps one of the few songs on the list that has threads of comedy. Some of these threads work, and others don’t. This song was created right at the end of Mr. Bowie’s career, a legacy that spanned decades. The problem is, when he reached the 90s, his style of music changed, and it changed in a way that confused & pushed back a lot of fans. By the time it got to the late 90s, he was at the point that he was just about done with music, and would release only two more albums (On in 2002, and the last just a year later). I’m getting off track...

As I said, this song has some rather comical moments. The whole video is basically David Bowie going around town, and just doing his thing. Throughout the video, he’s stalked by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, who also happened to work on the song. As Bowie is running away, Trent is chasing right after him. Even as he’s being chased, Bowie also sees many other people staring at him, and they also have the same dark, hungry stare that Mr. Reznor has. The whole Anti-American vibes seem to be rather laid back, but I guess the message Bowie is trying to get across is that Americans scare him, and are always trying to get him.

4) PSY - Dear America

I think we all know about PSY through his smash hit Gangnam Style. It’s so popular, it’s got over a billion views on Youtube (At the time of this writing, the video currently has been viewed 1,055,949,365 times. This will more than likely change as soon as I post this). Hell, I’ve heard this song on the radio at least once, and it continues to grow and grow. Recently, some info about Psy’s past have come into the light, and for fans you’ll know what I’m talking about, but for those that don’t know, I think some background is needed.

Back in 2002, two Korean school girls were ran over by a U.S. tank. As if that wasn’t tragic enough, the tank crew in question were acquitted. It was this act that influenced PSY to come up on stage at a concert in gold face-paint, and smashed a miniature tank on stage that created ruckus applause. PSY’s Anti-American beliefs only increased in 2004, when a Korean missionary was captured by Islamists in Iraq. Their demands were simply: if South Korea sent aid to the United States, then the missionary would be executed. South Korea refused to negotiate, and said missionary had he head cut off. This sparked massive protests in Korea, against both the Muslim extremists, and the U.S. military for indirectly bringing this fate upon a Korean missionary.

Due to the missionary’s death, numerous Korean bands, including PSY, put on a live performance of a Korean rock band's song "Dear American.". When it was PSY’s turn, he decided to perform the song as a rap, and spat out the following words:

“Kill those fucking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives Kill those fucking Yankees who ordered them to torture Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers Kill them all slowly and painfully”

Damn......that’s a lot of hate.

Given what happened, it’s understandable why someone would feel this way. Two terrible injustices inflicted, and those that were responsible got away scott free!? That’s bullshit on a scale that can’t be measured. Having said that, his lyrics are a little on the risque side of things, and to the politically correct in this country, are totally uncalled for. Recently, PSY admitted that what he said back then was wrong, and has since changed his views towards the United States. Whether it’s because of his massive popularity in the states, or because he really means it, no one knows.

3) Tamil Song

Now this is a song that rips America a new one!

Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure who’s singing this (Anybody who know, please send me the artist’s name), but I’m definitely sure as to what the singer’s message is. It’s hatred towards America, plain & simple. The lead singers spouts some of the most humorous & crude statements, that somehow manage to be outrageous & venomous at the same time. The video itself isn’t quite so bad, as a majority of it is stock footage & pictures from a variety of sources. Perhaps the most damning things about the video is that the singer is dancing on the White House, State Senate Room, and even on a tank barrel, perhaps in an effort to egg an American viewers. It almost worked on me, truth be told.

2) Laibach - America

Laibach has always been known for controversy. Dressing up in clothes that people sometimes mistake for Nazi/Fascist uniforms, political views that lean to the far left & far right at the same time (this also extends to their videos & songs) , and just being rather odd are right on the front page of Laibach’s resume. Perhaps their most controversial aspect is their views towards America, which are perfectly summed up in one song.

Compared to the other songs on this list, America is a bit more sophisticated in terms of lyrics, as well as the general vibe. As the song plays, the lead singer (who’s name escapes me at the moment) is basically asking America and it’s people if we’re still the great civilization we set out to be. Don’t believe me!? Then here’s some of the beginning lyrics:


“So the Land of the Free
and the Home of the Brave
Are your stars still so bright
Does your banner still waves”
------------------------------------
“Oh, the Land of the Free
and the Home of the Brave
Are you heaven on Earth
or the gloom of the grave”


These lyrics just ooze snarkiness & sarcasm, and it just makes you want to punch someone right in the face. The whole song is slapping everyone within the United States, yet it doesn’t stray into the realm of crudeness & vulgarity. Points in that regard.

1) Rammstein - Amerika (Original Version: *** / English Version: ***)

Couple of things before I go on about this song. For starters, I didn’t know this was an Anti-American song for a while. Eventually, I showed the video to my parents, and right off the bad they knew it wasn’t a nice song about my country. I didn’t realize it until about a year and a half later that it was Anti-American, and at first I was incredibly offended, but a few seconds after I got offended, visions of all the political bullshit that happened prior buzzed in my head (This was about one-fourth/halfway through Bush’s second term, and there was a lot of crap going on at the time), and I wasn’t offended any more afterwards.

Second, the translated lyrics are off. Not in the translations necessarily, as there are two correct versions. The problem is that the first translation, a.k.a. the translation most fans may know of, doesn’t fit with the instrumentation, and actually goes past the instruments. The second translation is the one they used, and fits in right with the instrumentation (Ironically, the English version cuts off a few seconds of instrumentation from the end, and partially alters some of the instrumentation about halfway through). With that out of the way, let’s examine the song itself.

The whole video itself is a mishmash of American components of pop culture, both good & bad. Hell, in the beginning moments of the video, and at other points, the band is dressed up in NASA suits, perhaps as a jab towards the conspiracy theorists who thought that the moon landing was fake. There’s also Maasai tribal members in Africa watching TV & eating pizza, a Muslim guru smoking a cigarette (generally, gurus aren’t supposed to smoke), and a host of other things. What’s interesting is that while the video is comical & crude to an extent, the lyrical choices are surprisingly sophisticated & clever. To sum things up, Amerika is the ultimate song that doesn’t show my homeland in a good light.

See you all next week, when we’ll delve into the world of songs & music videos that’ll make you go WTF...but in a good way. Until then, stay otaku!