Top Five's -- Historical Songs

1 With God on Our Side, by Bob Dylan

In terms of history, Dylan’s “With God on Our Side”, happens to mention several historical events from Native American wars to the Cold War. Dylan runs through the history of the United States and goes with a manifest destiny approach, in which he shows how America grew to be such a powerful country. He looks at religions influence on the mindset of a country that is being taught who to hate and who to accept as friend. Almost as if Dylan is challenging God to end war, but in the end, is it possible that God is our only hope to end war, because man can’t stop war.

2 Youngstown, by Bruce Springsteen

Youngstown is a song that highlights the industrial juggernaut and the massive military complex of America. Springsteen reveals that the backbone of the American military during the major wars that America has fought in, were the people in these steel factories and coal mines. Now these factories are all but disappearing and the people are all but forgotten. Something that you can see happening all over America is factory towns are left barren wastelands and therefore a living Hell for people that once thrived and survived off building bombs and tanks.

3 Cortez the Killer, by Neil Young

The way this extraordinary clash of civilization is portrayed in Cortez the Killer, it is almost as if you are taken back hundreds of years and you are standing on the coast and watching the giant ships coming toward land. Young expresses the magnificent culture of the Aztecs and their extravagant clothing and rituals and how in one swift moment that can all be taken away. The build up of the song, reaches a climatic moment when we realize that an entire culture is wiped out by a few conquistadors that are left with no choice but to conquer and wipe out the entire Aztec Civilization.

4 Washington Bullets, by the Clash

“Washington Bullets” is a song that attacks America’s world police policy and at the same time attacks communism’s and capitalism’s hypocritical approaches. Who is benefiting from all these bullets that are spread throughout the world? Someone is making lots of money off of old tanks, planes and guns. The song lets you know that even though the words have changed, America is still involved in building up an Empire and in order to maintain the Empire, the Washington Bullets have to carve the way. The Clash had an effective way of exposing deep problems around the world and the Cold War Era had its share of deceptive intentions.

5 The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordan Lightfoot

Ever since I was able to board the Niagara in Erie, PA, I have been fascinated with ship wrecks. It’s obvious that the sea is a powerful force and Lightfoot takes you on the perilous journey of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in Lake Superior back in Nov, 1975. He shows the comradery of the ships crew as the cook says, “It’s been good to know ya”. This song opens your eyes to how unforgiving the sea can be and how difficult and dangerous of a journey it had to of been for the first ships crossing the Oceans around the world, let along the Great Lakes.

Others that deserve mention: "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down", by the Band and "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda", by the Pogues. Sorry to anyone that felt that Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" should be in the top five list, but just repeating random historical names does not consist in a great historical song.