From New York to London
The end of the world is inevitable. Should Earth take its natural course, none of us will be here to witness it, however there is a chance it will happen during our lifetimes, if something like a nuclear war or a massive natural disaster occur, or if our planet is hit by an asteroid!
Doomsday has indeed been the topic of many songs over the years. In this gallery, you'll get to know some of the most relevant ones. Click on to discover them all.
The original version of '99 Red Balloons' has a surprisingly dark backstory. According to Nena, the song "imagines someone’s helium-filled party favors drifting over the Berlin Wall, getting mistaken for enemy aircraft, and kickstarting World War III."
This song from Metallica's 1984 album 'Ride the Lightning' is about how "nuclear warfare shall lay us to rest" because "Armageddon's here like said in the past."
The opening track of Bowie's classic album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars' is also about doomsday. The lyrics go: "News had just come over / We had five years left to cry in / News guy wept and told us / Earth was really dying."
"The sky is on fire, the dead are heaped across the land," sings Nick Cave.
This classic Doors song really takes us on a journey... to the end. "This is the end, beautiful friend / This is the end, my only friend."
This song from Morrissey's debut album is inspired by Nevil Shute's apocalyptic novel 'On the Beach.' As with some other songs on this list, it touches on nuclear devastation. "This is the coastal town /That they forgot to close down "Armageddon, come Armageddon" and "In the seaside town / That they forgot to bomb / Come, come, come, nuclear bomb," sings Morrissey.
If there is one uplifting song that will get you through doomsday with a smile on your face, this is it!
While the weather might be used as a metaphor, it's a pretty heavy song about the end of times. "I hear hurricanes a-blowin' / I know the end is comin' soon / I fear rivers over flowin' /I hear the voice of rage and ruin" and "Hope you got your things together / Hope you are quite prepared to die / Looks like we're in for nasty weather / One eye is taken for an eye."
'The Man Comes Around' is about the second coming of Jesus, which pretty much means the end of the world as we know it, according to the Book of Revelation.
This 1986 hit (and karaoke favorite, has Joey Tempest painting both an apocalyptic and optimistic picture of abandoning Earth before the world collapses.
Only Prince can make us dance as the world collapses. "We could all die here today (1999) / I don't want to die / I'd rather dance my life away," he sings.
There is a strong sense of urgency in this song as "we only got four minutes to save the world!"
This doomy song makes sense, taking into account it was released in 1963, right after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Dylan sings about a dream he had about "walkin' into World War Three."
Method Man raps about the collapse of civilization and Armageddon.
"Come on, it's time for something biblical [...] And this is the end / This is the end / Of the world," sings Matt Bellamy.
The end of a relationship can indeed feel like the end of the world. So, metaphorically speaking, this is a song about collapse and destruction.
"Well the earth died screaming / While I lay dreaming of you." Sounds pretty poetic... and devastating, right?
This might be a James Bond theme song, but it does have strong apocalyptic connotations, with lyrics such as "This is the end / Hold your breath and count to 10" and "Skyfall is where we start / A thousand miles and poles apart / Where worlds collide and days are dark."
This song can be found in Costello's 1977 debut album 'My Aim Is True.' "Waiting for the end of the world / Dear Lord, I sincerely hope you're coming / 'Cause you really started something," sings Costello.
"Gas mask's on / Wait in the sunshine overhead / If this is living, sakes alive / Well, then, we can't win, no one survives / Is everyone afraid? / You should be ashamed / Apocalyptic screams mean nothing to the dead," sings Billy Corgan.
Thom Yorke sings about bunkers, fire, and a coming ice age. Sounds pretty apocalyptical to us!
Joe Strummer captured a real end-of-times feel with this song. "The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in / Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin / A nuclear era, but I have no fear / 'Cause London is drowning / I, I live by the river," he sings.
Jimi Hendrix sings about making love in the sand as the world collapses. "Hurrah I awake from yesterday / Alive but the war is here to stay / So my love Catherina and me / Decide to take our last walk," he sings.
This song is all about the nuclear war fear of the 1980s, and paints a pretty sad picture of doomsday: "It's five and I'm driving home again / It's hard to believe that it's my last time / The man on the wireless cries again /It's over, it's over."
"And drop drills will be extinct / Speed Racer cloud has come / They know not what they've done / Sin has just won / And the Earth is a crumb," sings Angelo Moore.
Crosby, Stills & Nash sing from the perspective of survivors. "Horror grips us as we watch you die / All we can do is echo your anguished cries / Stare as all human feelings die."
Wouldn't you want for your loved ones to know how much you care if the world came to an end?
Sources: (Paste) (Diffuser) (Zing Instruments) (Foundations of Music)
Doomsday songs about the end of the world
The ultimate Armageddon playlist
MUSIC Playlist
The end of the world is inevitable. Should Earth take its natural course, none of us will be here to witness it, however there is a chance it will happen during our lifetimes, if something like a nuclear war or a massive natural disaster occur, or if our planet is hit by an asteroid!
Doomsday has indeed been the topic of many songs over the years. In this gallery, you'll get to know some of the most relevant ones. Click on to discover them all.