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Songs about us humans doing ourselves in


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How about Randy Newman's

"Lets Drop the Big One" ;)

No one likes us-I don't know why

We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try

But all around, even our old friends put us down

Let's drop the big one and see what happens

 

We give them money-but are they grateful?

No, they're spiteful and they're hateful

They don't respect us-so let's surprise them

We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

 

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old

Africa is far too hot

And Canada's too cold

And South America stole our name

Let's drop the big one

There'll be no one left to blame us

 

We'll save Australia

Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo

We'll build an All American amusement park there

They got surfin', too

 

Boom goes London and boom Paree

More room for you and more room for me

And every city the whole world round

Will just be another American town

Oh, how peaceful it will be

We'll set everybody free

You'll wear a Japanese kimono

And there'll be Italian shoes for me

 

They all hate us anyhow

So let's drop the big one now

Let's drop the big one now

Lynn G
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Doh! I forgot one of my absolute favorites!

 

Billy Joel - Miami 2017 (I've Seen The Lights Go Down On Broadway). This is an amazing song of nuclear devastation and a rockin' song! Listen to it on Songs In The Attic, though. This is a song that really feeds off being played in a huge stadium in New York. (References to New York abound. The locals go wild! :thu: )

It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman

 

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fntstcsnd

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Originally posted by fantasticsound:

Doh! I forgot one of my absolute favorites!

 

Billy Joel - Miami 2017 (I've Seen The Lights Go Down On Broadway). This is an amazing song of nuclear devastation and a rockin' song! Listen to it on Songs In The Attic, though. This is a song that really feeds off being played in a huge stadium in New York. (References to New York abound. The locals go wild! :thu: )

I thought of that one but wasn't sure what it was entirely about! The only Billy Joel I have is one of the greatest hits collections and that's my favourite track, it sounds like it is live, but it doesn't say on the liner notes, thought it might just have some crowd sounds for effect.

 

Cool song tho...!

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Originally posted by Base:

I thought of that one but wasn't sure what it was entirely about! The only Billy Joel I have is one of the greatest hits collections and that's my favourite track, it sounds like it is live, but it doesn't say on the liner notes, thought it might just have some crowd sounds for effect.

 

Cool song tho...!

Ok... ditch your Greatest Hits album for a while and purchase Songs In The Attic! ;):D

 

I assure you they did not add the crowd sounds to that track. Bear in mind this album was released after he had 4 early albums that were all but ignored other than Piano Man and Captain Jack. Then he released 3 albums that sold millions. The liner notes explain that Songs In The Attic was conceived with the intent of introducing his audience to some of the older songs that were overlooked before he became a star.

 

They went to small bars, large clubs, concert halls and stadiums and recorded many concerts worth of tracks. Then they listened to each song, judged each according to whether the live track brought something new to the song and which type of venue supported the song best.

 

Some of the more intimate songs sound great in small venues, whereas Miami 2017, Captain Jack and others seem to gain immense energy from stadium crowds. They left off Piano Man and other songs he had hits with because they were not particularly better or different in concert when compared to the studio tracks. The results are amazing. And as previously stated, the Long Island, NY stadium crowd added a huge energy boost to Miami 2017 because of all the New York references. "Broadway", "Queens", "the Yankees", "the Empire State", "the Palisades", "Brooklyn", "the island bridges", "42nd Street", "Harlem", "the Bronx", "Manhattan", and "the Battery" were all mentioned. As you well know from listening to the track, it's HUGE. :thu:

 

Sorry to go off on such a lengthy tangent, but this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Certainly one of the best conceived and recorded projects. It truly captured the essence of each song at its' best. :thu:

It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman

 

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Originally posted by fantasticsound:

Sorry to go off on such a lengthy tangent, but this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Certainly one of the best conceived and recorded projects. It truly captured the essence of each song at its' best. :thu:

No, that's cool, I keep meaning to check out some more of Billy's stuff, I'll start with this, thanks :)
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  • 4 weeks later...

Lost track of this one but saw it when checking through the back pages...

G Geezer's citing of Randy Newman's "Drop the Big One" is a cool song but I'd point out that it carries the connotation that there are survivors ("us" & Australia, at least) & it doesn't address annihilation.

 

I'd suggest "Smithsonian Institute Blues/the Big Dig" by Captain Beefheart on his Lick My Decals Off album.

 

It's about how we base our current world culture & industries on the remains of the dinosaurs (oil comes from long-decayed organic material) & suggests that if not careful, we may go the way of those one-time rulers of the Earth.

 

Sample lyrics:

"The new dinosaur is walking in the old one's shoes" [an apt analogy for cars, eh?]

& "Come on down to the big dig/ you can't get around the big dig"

 

For those wary of Beefheart's sometimes daunting music, i point out that this one is a riff-oriented blues.

The same album features another song called "Space Age Couple/Flash Gordon's Ape" which suggests that humans need to develop some new attitudes & abilities to face the modern (& future) world before we fail.

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