# Songs Referencing Then-Contemporary Public/Political Figures



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Kieran gave us the example in the Bob Dylan/Nobel thread of Dylan's Maggie's Farm being covered by The Blues Band as a commentary on Margaret Thatcher. Maggie Thatcher certainly drew her fair share of musical reference, and here's another: The (English) Beat's _ Stand Down Margaret_...






I invite others to share with us similar examples of popular songs commenting upon figures of the day. Blow Monkeys, anyone?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Mother Knows Best by Richard Thompson is a scathing portait of Thatcher.

Zappa-Dickie's Such An A#%hole is about Nixon, of course.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Here are those rascally Blow Monkeys, who are going to celebrate _The Day After You_, in this case again, Maggie Thatcher. The BBC banned the song, because it was released too near the British election, though her name is never mentioned in the song. Maggie won.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Back in 1984, Christian rocker Steve Taylor blasted Bob Jones University for outlawing interracial dating.






Here's his Meltdown, referring to the politics of the '80s. It features a cameo by our own Marschallin Blair. Uh, right?


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

Ewan Maccoll, The Grocer


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The Beatles, _Taxman_, from 1966. Written in anger, 'tis said.

"As their earnings placed them in the top tax bracket in the United Kingdom, the Beatles were liable to a 95% supertax introduced by Harold Wilson's Labour government (hence the lyrics "There's one for you, nineteen for me")"

Both Wilson and Edward Heath are mentioned…


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

John Mellencamp, _Country Gentleman_, was a jibe at Ronald Reagan. Neil Young then commented negatively on Reagan's successor, George H.W. Bush, in _Rockin' in the Free World_. Both good songs. Again, no names mentioned, but no need either.


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)




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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)




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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

Dead Kennedys "California Uber Alles" about then and present governor Jerry Brown:





And then repurposed as "We've got a Bigger Problem Now" after Reagan got elected:





Eminem wrote "Mosh" about Bush in 2004:





An unprecedented thing that happened during the 2008 election--pop musicians actually celebrating a politician.

Young Jeezy on Obama:





Nas on Obama:


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## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

"I made a fool of myself over John Foster Dulles" as sung by Carol Burnett:


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## motoboy (May 19, 2008)

Pretty much all of Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut."


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Lou Reed - Good evening Mr. Waldheim


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Gorillaz have a song called "Clint Eastwood..."


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

motoboy said:


> Pretty much all of Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut."


Which is by the way a great album by Pink Floyd and not mentioned that often I think.


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

cwarchc said:


> Ewan Maccoll, The Grocer


Great 'folk song'. Makes me so sad.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Just think of all the TRUMPet concertos out there. 

(no one noticed this?)


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