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Sep 27, 2023 · Will Fenton. September 27, 2023. Explore the powerful realm of music’s reflections on conflict with our compilation of the best songs about war. In this article, we journey through an array of poignant and thought-provoking songs that capture the harrowing and transformative aspects of warfare.
- Graham Land
- Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Immensely popular and enduring, this hit was recorded by the American trio the Andrew Sisters and introduced in the Abbott and Costello film Buck Privates, which was released in January 1941, nearly a year before the US entered the war.
- Don’t let’s be Beastly to the Germans. Noël Coward blended humour and patriotism in this satirical British World War Two gem. It was an immediate favourite of Winston Churchill’s upon the Prime Minister’s first listen, but was banned by the BBC in 1943 due to complaints by survivors of the Luftwaffe, who didn’t feel very humorous about the war.
- Katusha. Composed by poet Mikhail Isakovsky and popular composer Matvey Blanter in 1938, this Soviet war song is equal parts peasant folk music, patriotic battle anthem and love song.
- Stalin wasn’t Stallin’ Recorded by a capella gospel group Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet (and written by member Robert Wyatt) in 1943, this piece of history praises the Soviet Army and Joseph Stalin’s fight against Nazi Germany.
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- “War” By Edwin Starr. One of the best songs that embodies the horrors and futility of war is Edwin Starr‘s “War.” It works as a protest song against any war, with Starr clarifying that it was about neighborhood wars and conflicts in general.
- “One” By Metallica. The powerful anti-war song “One” by Metallica exposes the brutal realities of war. The track won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1990 and became one of the band’s most popular pieces.
- “Zombie” By The Cranberries. Up next is a protest song about the violence in Northern Ireland. The Cranberries‘ lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan, wrote “Zombies” as a response to the death of two kids in an IRA bombing in Cheshire.
- “The Unknown Soldier” By The Doors. Another anti-war song on our list is The Doors‘ “The Unknown Soldier,” which they released in 1968. Though it’s a protest song against the Vietnam War, its themes can be applied to war and its effects in general.
- Maddy Shaw Roberts
- 4 min
- ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ Published in 1938, ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ became one of the most popular songs around the time of the Second World War. In an era of uncertainty and grief, its soothing sounds and nostalgic words resonated with people.
- ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ Composed by Harold Arlen for the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939), ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ gained a new poignancy during the war.
- ‘White Cliffs of Dover’ Most famously sung by Vera Lynn, ‘White Cliffs of Dover’ is a song yearning for peace in a time of war. Lynn’s voice, with the promise of ‘love and laughter’ and ‘peace ever after’, vows that in a time of darkness, something good will eventually happen.
- ‘White Christmas’ Bing Crosby’s old-fashioned Christmas hit found new audiences in the middle of the Second World War. Its mix of nostalgia – ‘just like the ones I used to know’ – with its comforting images of home – ‘where the treetops glisten’ – began to resonate with people.
- Mike Floorwalker
- 99 Luftballons by Nena. An international smash hit in 1984, "99 Luftballons" from German rockers Nena was a poetic, rather than literal, examination of the post-World War II era — the Cold War, during which all of the nations of the world watched anxiously to see what would happen in the decades-long staring contest between the United States and Soviet Union.
- The Longest Day by Iron Maiden. In 1959, author and journalist Cornelius Ryan wrapped up a solid decade of research and writing by publishing "The Longest Day," a fictional account of the pivotal World War II battle known as D-Day.
- Veracruz by Warren Zevon. The great Warren Zevon was a singular talent in many ways. His ragged baritone was like no other voice in rock, his skills as a songwriter and lyricist were without equal, and his subject matter tended toward ...
- P.L.U.C.K. by System of a Down. In 1915, there were around two million people of Armenian descent living in Turkey. In 1922, some four years after the fall of the ruling Ottoman Empire, there were fewer than half a million.
May 25, 2015 · James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich of Metallica wrote "One" based on Dalton Trumbo’s 1939 book, Johnny Got His Gun.The song tells the story of a World War I soldier who has lost his eyes, ears ...
May 17, 2022 · May 17, 2022 Eric Miller. Music is one of the oldest forms of storytelling and war is one hell of an inspiration for it. Screenshot from YouTube. Just about every generation in America has its own war, and its own war songs along with it.
