Best Antiwar Rock Songs of All Time

Sick of the Iraq war? Better yet, are you feeling intensely anti-war right about now that you need a cathartic release? Well, here are a few songs to get you there and in a hurry. What I consider to be the best five antiwar songs ever. Not just peace or protest songs — but tunes that stick to the brutality of war.

1. Black Sabbath – War Pigs (above, from 1978). Lyrics such as “As the war machine keeps turning” will make you think of war profiteers Halliburton and Blackwater and curse them loudly.

2. Bob Dylan – Masters of War. One of the most caustic songs you will ever hear on the politics of war. In fact, if this song were written today the lyrics could be a good reference to Cheney or Rummy, among others. The song ends at the politician’s grave, where the songwriter gives the ultimate disrespect.

3. Edwin Starr-War. Simple and to-the-point, this song pretty much says it all in a catchy and popular tune.

4. The Doors – The Unkown Soldier. Basically all Jim Morrison here. About the senselessness of the battlefield and the faceless statistics that carry home.

5. Metallica – One. This song takes you directly into the experience of a wounded soldier. A musical essay on how a soldier’s existence is human and not merely an automaton with a gun.

And as an extra: Best antiwar album of all-time is U2’s War. An anti-war masterpiece.

Feel free to pick more favorites in comments below.