Write Back Weekend "Makes Me Mad"
They say there is a fine line between love and hate. After asking last week's TITMT question, I definitely see what they mean.
When I asked which songs best evoke anger on some level, a lot of you loved the idea of generating a list inspired by hate. Then when it came time to create my own list, I realized I loved a lot of songs that made me mad. I'm really not an angry person, honest. I guess I just enjoy living vicariously through the anger of others I suppose.
For whatever the reason, anger is an emotion that a lot of us feel guilty for having, especially in retrospect. Maybe we're mad that we let our anger get the best of us, or specifically letting someone get the best of us. From a writer's perspective, I have to say I was always challenged more creatively when I was angry or passionate about something. When I was happy, I didn't get the urge to write flowery poetry, but when I was angry or hurt, I did get the urge to express those emotions more freely. Hey, it could be worse, at least I didn't channel my anger into boiling some bunnies on a stove, right?
The list I came up with is a group of songs that reflect different shades of angerm, complete with links to their lyrics. Just don't hate on me if yours isn't on the list.
1. I Don't Care Anymore- Phil Collins When most people think of Phil Collins they think of the mild mannered singer/drummer who was behind hit after hit in the pop laden eighties. But a few songs of Phil's solo and group efforts have really struck a chord for being packed with emotion. In my opinion, I Don't Care Anymore is the best representation of Phil's darker side although not as well known as some of his other hits. In this song, Collins is essentially telling someone they can go to hell cause he...just doesn't care... anymore. It builds slowly as someone who has been pushed to their limits often does, before Collins is screaming at the end of the song about how much he just doesn't care. Me think he doth protest too much.
2. Positively 4th Street- Bob Dylan The first time I heard this song I was in middle school. I was listening to Bob Dylan's greatest hits at a friend's house trying to understand what all the fuss was about. When it came on, I was equal parts amused and appalled. I had to listen to it a few times before my middle school mentality could wrap my mind around its meaning. This is when I realized that I had found it at a perfect time in my life, during my adolescent years when falsities ruled supreme. The one verse was the part that got me, and everyone for that matter: "You see me on the street, you always act surprised. You say, "How are you?" "Good luck", but you don't mean it. When you know as well as me, you'd rather see me paralyzed. Why don't you just come out once and scream it?" For years after the fact I referred to it as Dylan's "paralyzed" song since I didn't know its title.
3. Killing In the Name- Rage Against the Machine Sure, everyone has a bad day every now and again. Every once and awhile though, a band comes along that just exudes anger to the point you can't imagine them ever being complacent or happy. Rage Against The Machine is one of those bands. Hell, even their name advertises that. They are the type of band that is typically too angry for even me, but Killing In The Name is a song I found in college and one we used to blast to pump us up. Its beat draws you in, but its lyrics keep you there. The repressed man's anthem kicks in towards the end when he starts repeating, "F**k you I won't do what you tell me!" over and over. If you weren't angry going into this song, you will be by the time it's over.
4. Dear Mr. President- Pink This is perhaps the most controversial choice on my list considering the timeliness of this recording and where you stand politically. In short, it's a hypothetical Q & A session with our current president from the point of view of a non supporter. I love how she chose to sing this song in a beautiful quiet way, but its message is anything but. The most powerful part to me is "What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away? And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay? I can only imagine what the first lady has to say. You've come a long way, from whiskey and cocaine." In that way I suppose it can evoke anger in all sorts of people. If you agree with Pink (like I do) then you are angry right along with her, if you don't agree with Pink, you become angry at her.
5. Nugget- Cake The deeper I got into creating this list the more I realized I had a lot of songs that evoked great anger from my college years. I'm not sure what that says about me, I'm just saying. At any rate, Cake's Nugget is another one of those songs. A lot of the time I'll admit I have no idea what Cake is trying to get at. Yet that didn't stop me from wearing out some of their albums from loving them so much. Nugget has always been one of my favorites because it's chorus is great to chant to yourself when you're pissed at someone. Cursing in a chorus has a way of doing that sometimes.
6. A Better Son, Daughter- Rilo Kiley Although I LOVE Rilo Kiley, I sometimes wonder what happened to lead singer Jenny Lewis to turn her from straight laced teen actress into an introspective, indie music queen. I'm not sure if her journey is why she she conveys being jaded so well or if she's simply... acting. I'm also not sure I really care. Either way, A Better Son/Daughter is a great song about the pressure to live up to expectations that sometimes just seem too much to handle. As Jenny sings, "And sometimes when you're on, you're really f***ing on, and your friends they sing along and they love you. But the lows are so extreme, that the good seems f***ing cheap, and it teases you for weeks in its absence. But you'll fight and you'll make it through, you'll fake it if you have to, and you'll show up for work with a smile. And you'll be better, you'll be smarter, more grown up and a better daughter or son, and a real good friend. You'll be awake, you'll be alert, you'll be positive though it hurts, and you'll laugh and embrace all of your friends. You'll be a real good listener, you'll be honest, you'll be brave, you'll be handsome and you'll be beautiful. You'll be happy." So many of us make mental "to do lists" about our own imperfections but very few of us have managed to make it so easy to relate to.
7. You Outta Know and Perfect- Alanis If there's one person in the world who knows what Jenny Lewis is going through, it's probably Alanis Morissette. After all, they both came from the happy go lucky world of child acting and they both grew into thoughtful and sometimes jaded observers on the world around them. In the case of Alanis, it was very hard to pick just one song to add to the list. Instead I chose two and even that somehow doesn't seem to be enough. You Outta Know is here because it's a classic in terms of the "jilted lover" anthem era and needs no extra explanation. Perfect meanwhile is like the prequel to A Better Son/Daughter in terms of impossible expectations. Whatever the subject, no one does anger like Alanis.
8. Thanks for Showing- Adam Schmitt- Many of my favorite songs over the years have been bargain bin discoveries that I took a chance on. I always loved the wild card element of purchasing an artist you'd never heard of before for a dollar or two and found I was usually very good at picking the types of artists I would like merely by looking at the cover and the titles of songs, much like that of browsing for a good book to read. Adam Schmitt's album Illiterature was one of those finds and on it, the angry song, Thanks For Showing. Unfortunately, as it often is with bargain bin discoveries, there is little information on Adam or this album online, including the complete lyrics. Its tone is sarcastic since Schmitt says he's "thanking" the girl for her involvement in his life, but it isn't far into the song before you realize his true feelings. "So thanks a lot for going, you said you'd never leave. But thanks a lot for showing, it was me you didn't need." Oh yeah, and it goes on like this for over six minutes. Since it's complete lyrics are not online, you'll just have to take my word for its awesomeness or better yet, download it for yourself.
9. Song for the Dumped- Ben Folds Five If you're looking for a good break up song, especially one from a male perspective, look no further than Ben Folds Five's Song For the Dumped. It's quick and to the point and does not mince words when Ben Folds sings, "Give me my money back, give me money back you bitch. I want my money back, and don't forget to give me back my black t-shirt." Nuff said.
10. Tyler and Possum Kingdom- The Toadies- Journeying back to the college years again, a friend of mine actually bought me this album in high school. I never much listened to it until I got to college where we would play both Tyler and Possum Kingdom on heavy rotation. In fact to this day, I still interchange both songs and need to read the lyrics to remember which one is which. Mainly, Possum Kingdom was a mainstream hit where Tyler was not. The band itself never did much past this album worth mentioning. To this day I'm not completely certain what either song is actually about, but they are both great at evoking anger.
11. Untouchable Face or Fuel- Ani DiFranco Although Alanis is the queen of the jilted lovers, even she could learn a thing or two from the wrath of Miss Ani Difranco. In Untouchable Face, Difranco "gives her blessing" to the guy she used to have (or the guy she never did have) and his new girl. In Fuel meanwhile Ani is still angry, just this time it's not of the relationship variety. In a nutshell, it's a song about her dissatisfaction with society in general and is full of lots of rants that seem to just be flowing out of her. She makes sure to throw in her feeling about conformity in the music business, too. "People used to make records, as in a record of an event, the event of people playing music in a room. Now everything is cross-marketing, it's about sunglasses and shoes, or guns and drugs...you choose."
12. You're So Vain- Carly Simon While I never have been (and probably never will be) a fan of Carly Simon's music in general, one of my favorite songs of all time is her classic, You're So Vain. Who it was actually about is irrelevant now, although speculation is what fueled the success of this song initially. It's a sarcastic take on being in love with a man who is really only in love...with himself. It's actually perfect that Simon never revealed the actual subject of the song if there was one. It makes the lyric "You probably think this song is about you, don't you? Don't you?" all the more delicious.
13. Success Has Made A Failure Of Our Home- Sinead O'Connor Ask anyone who remembers Sinead O'Connor from her heyday and they will tell you that was most definitely a woman on the edge. But what most people don't know about O'Connor is that she was actually much more than a one hit wonder, without the actual "hits" that is. One of my favorite songs of hers is Success Has Made A Failure Of Our Home, its subject self explanatory from reading the title. Because O'Connor has such a sweet voice, her manic transformation by the end of this song is all that more dramatic as she incessantly chants, "And am I not your girl?" over and over. No one does damsel in distress desperation better than Sinead.
14. It's Not Right, But It's OK- Whitney Houston Once upon a time Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive was the anthem of choice for jilted women, but many decades, many songs and many weddings have since made the song seem played out. Music lovers who are looking for angry alternatives need to look no further than the dance club hit, It's Not Right, But It's Ok, the type of song you scream at the top of your lungs at a club where you're drunk and partying with the girls who have your back.
15. Ain't No Doubt- Jimmy Nail I first discovered this song when I was in high school. They were playing it late one night on a new music showcase and instantly I was hooked. Now follow me here. At the time we were watching a movie called Lady Jane in history class that I didn't expect to enjoy, but actually did, mainly because of Cary Elwes. (Many people fell in love with Elwes during The Princess Bride, but it was Lady Jane that did it for me.) At any rate, in my mind, Ain't No Doubt and Lady Jane went hand in hand then and still do now because I discovered them at the same time. The spoken word portion of this song emphasizes Nail's heavy British accent and sounded exactly like Elwes to me at the time. As a result, I imagined Cary Elwes was singing this song about a man who had just been dumped and given the "I still want to be friends" speech. After seeing what Nail actually looked like, I still much prefer my version.
16. Freshmen- The Verve Pipe Yet another song that reminds me of college, I actually believe Freshmen came out when I was a sophomore, though that is neither her nor there. Freshmen itself was more symbolic than anything as the lyric kept singing "We were only freshmen" eluding to the first time discovery part of life as a grounds for dismissal for any sort of responsibility. While I never knew the actual meaning of the song, I always interpreted it as this girl killed herself over this guy. Whether or not they were an actual couple was debatable, but his knowledge of her interest was there. Fast forward all these years later and wikipedia's wealth of knowledge tells me that the song was inspired by true events, but the lyrical hint at suicide was just "poetic license." Instead it was a song about a guy who's girlfriend had an abortion. Still pretty powerful stuff, though I prefer the poetic license part, personally.
17. Just A Girl- No Doubt Before Gwen Stefani went solo and decided to make crappy music, she created some kick ass stuff with No Doubt. Just A Girl was the world's introduction to Stefani and is a great anthem for all the girls out there who aren't feminists, but do believe women have something to say. I love how she manages to sing the song and evoke anger, while being playful all at the same time.
18. Just Like A Man- Del Amitri I swear it was not planned that Just Like A Man came after Just A Girl in this list. Seriously. Del Amitri was one of my favorite bands in the early nineties and they had many great songs, I still don't know why more people didn't get to realize this. Anyway, Just Like A Man is great because it's about repressing anger, or more specifically jealousy. The guy in this song is involved in a triangle where he once had the girl, but he lost her. Now he's trying to pretend like he doesn't care she's moved on, just "like a man" would. "And just like a man he holds you gently. And just like a man he strokes your hair. And just like a man I still pretend that I'm immune to the whole affair. But I wanna die, I wanna cry, I wanna tell you I was wrong. Yeah I wanna die, I wanna cry. But it's too late, so I soldier on, just like a man."
19. I've Done Everything For You- Rick Springfield Anyone who knows AOGB and me knows a list like this wouldn't be complete without a little Rick Springfield in the mix. If I'm being technical, I've Done Everything For You was made a hit by Springfield, but it was actually written by Sammy Hagar. Regardless it's a great song from a guy's perspective who just woke up to the fact that he is in a one sided relationship. As the lyric states, "I've done everything for you...you've done nothing for me."
20. Date Rape- Sublime If you had asked me years ago if I had ever believed there could be a catchy song about the subject of date rape, I would have scoffed at the idea. But lo and behold, in the early nineties, now defunct reggae/rock/rap band Sublime actually managed to make that happen. Not only is it a song about a touchy subject, it's actual humorous at points. It still manages to get me angry because of its subject matter, but it has a happy ending, no pun intended. It's a shame that talented lead singer Bradley Nowell died before knowing true success, and that ultimately the potential for more great music died with him. On some level, there's a whole other layer of anger that comes with this choice.
21. Voices Carry- Til' Tuesday Sometimes I think the world would have been a scary place had Til' Tuesday singer Aimee Mann and Sinead O'Connor met in say, high school. They would have been the scary goth chicks that managed to both intrigue and terrify the male population. Voices Carry, Til' Tuesday's biggest hit, best captured the always sullen Aimee Mann on lead vocals. In this song she's carrying on a relationship with a man who wants to keep her a secret. Incidentally, the video of this song is just as powerful as it was made in a time period where music videos actually reflected the song itself.
22. Dear Mr. Jesus- Powersource When I was a little kid, the first news story that caught my attention was the horrific tale of Hedda Nussbaum and Joel Steinberg and how he beat his adopted kids and his wife, who remained silent out of fear, or blind devotion. This story always struck a chord with me because the kids were about my age. Around the same time a song came out that eerily seemed semi-inspired by those events though the time line indicates it was not. What was haunting about this song was that it was told (and sung) from an actual child's perspective who was writing letters to Jesus about being witness to and a victim of abuse. For years I searched for this song without being able to find it. Listening to it now still gives me chills and makes me angry for all the kids out there who have been (or will be) in a situation like this.
23. We're Not Gonna Take It- Twisted Sister Some songs just scream I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore. We're Not Gonna Take It personifies this feeling. Not only is its message one of anger, it's delivered in a way that pumps you up, only getting you more angry. The video itself was also a classic, the sights of which you really don't see much of anymore these days, yet another reason to be angry.
24. Signs- Tesla First of all, let me say that I know this song is a remake of the Five Man Electrical Band hit from the seventies. I included their version though because that's the version that I knew best. I discovered this song as this version when I was in middle school and acoustic was just starting to become cool. I love the hypocrisies that are present in the lyrics. Even more so I think it's telling that hypocrisies that were relevant in the seventies were still relevant in the nineties, and even so now. Basically the song is about judging a book by its cover and how the "signs" of the world sometimes put rules and restrictions on things that aren't necessary.
25. Kiss Off- Violent Femmes Everything about Violent Femmes songs seems to scream angst and anger. They always seem to be teetering on the edge of insanity, and yet they grasp a good concept of the world around them, too. Kiss Off is a classic song because it's a good way to tell off anyone about anything. So if anyone has ever done you wrong ever, just tell them to kiss off, Violent Femmes style.
Honorable Mentions (And there are a LOT of them!)
Nothing But A Fool- PC Quest
One Step Closer- Linkin Park
Last Resort- Papa Roach
Never Is A Promise or Sleep to Dream- Fiona Apple
Everything About You- Ugly Kid Joe
Break Stuff- Limp Bizkit
Little Liar- Joan Jett
Did He Do It To You?- Tami Show
Loser- Three Doors Down
Pressure- Billy Joel
Losing A Whole Year- Third Eye Blind
Father and Son- Cat Stevens
I Don't Care- Coward
Another Brick In The Wall- Pink Floyd
Anything by Creed
What If God Fell From the Sky?- Danielle Brisebois
Barely Breathing- Duncan Sheik
Everything She Wants- Wham
Epic- Faith No More
Pardon Me- Incubus
Since U Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson
Smile- Lily Allen
What A Day- Nonpoint
I Hate Everything About You- Three Days Grace
Cold Hearted Snake- Paula Abdul
Jeremy- Pearl Jam
Like Father, Like Son- Rick Springfield
Strut- Sheena Easton
Anything, Anything- Dramarama
Circle- Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
Silent All These Years- Tori Amos
When I asked which songs best evoke anger on some level, a lot of you loved the idea of generating a list inspired by hate. Then when it came time to create my own list, I realized I loved a lot of songs that made me mad. I'm really not an angry person, honest. I guess I just enjoy living vicariously through the anger of others I suppose.
For whatever the reason, anger is an emotion that a lot of us feel guilty for having, especially in retrospect. Maybe we're mad that we let our anger get the best of us, or specifically letting someone get the best of us. From a writer's perspective, I have to say I was always challenged more creatively when I was angry or passionate about something. When I was happy, I didn't get the urge to write flowery poetry, but when I was angry or hurt, I did get the urge to express those emotions more freely. Hey, it could be worse, at least I didn't channel my anger into boiling some bunnies on a stove, right?
The list I came up with is a group of songs that reflect different shades of angerm, complete with links to their lyrics. Just don't hate on me if yours isn't on the list.
1. I Don't Care Anymore- Phil Collins When most people think of Phil Collins they think of the mild mannered singer/drummer who was behind hit after hit in the pop laden eighties. But a few songs of Phil's solo and group efforts have really struck a chord for being packed with emotion. In my opinion, I Don't Care Anymore is the best representation of Phil's darker side although not as well known as some of his other hits. In this song, Collins is essentially telling someone they can go to hell cause he...just doesn't care... anymore. It builds slowly as someone who has been pushed to their limits often does, before Collins is screaming at the end of the song about how much he just doesn't care. Me think he doth protest too much.
2. Positively 4th Street- Bob Dylan The first time I heard this song I was in middle school. I was listening to Bob Dylan's greatest hits at a friend's house trying to understand what all the fuss was about. When it came on, I was equal parts amused and appalled. I had to listen to it a few times before my middle school mentality could wrap my mind around its meaning. This is when I realized that I had found it at a perfect time in my life, during my adolescent years when falsities ruled supreme. The one verse was the part that got me, and everyone for that matter: "You see me on the street, you always act surprised. You say, "How are you?" "Good luck", but you don't mean it. When you know as well as me, you'd rather see me paralyzed. Why don't you just come out once and scream it?" For years after the fact I referred to it as Dylan's "paralyzed" song since I didn't know its title.
3. Killing In the Name- Rage Against the Machine Sure, everyone has a bad day every now and again. Every once and awhile though, a band comes along that just exudes anger to the point you can't imagine them ever being complacent or happy. Rage Against The Machine is one of those bands. Hell, even their name advertises that. They are the type of band that is typically too angry for even me, but Killing In The Name is a song I found in college and one we used to blast to pump us up. Its beat draws you in, but its lyrics keep you there. The repressed man's anthem kicks in towards the end when he starts repeating, "F**k you I won't do what you tell me!" over and over. If you weren't angry going into this song, you will be by the time it's over.
4. Dear Mr. President- Pink This is perhaps the most controversial choice on my list considering the timeliness of this recording and where you stand politically. In short, it's a hypothetical Q & A session with our current president from the point of view of a non supporter. I love how she chose to sing this song in a beautiful quiet way, but its message is anything but. The most powerful part to me is "What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away? And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay? I can only imagine what the first lady has to say. You've come a long way, from whiskey and cocaine." In that way I suppose it can evoke anger in all sorts of people. If you agree with Pink (like I do) then you are angry right along with her, if you don't agree with Pink, you become angry at her.
5. Nugget- Cake The deeper I got into creating this list the more I realized I had a lot of songs that evoked great anger from my college years. I'm not sure what that says about me, I'm just saying. At any rate, Cake's Nugget is another one of those songs. A lot of the time I'll admit I have no idea what Cake is trying to get at. Yet that didn't stop me from wearing out some of their albums from loving them so much. Nugget has always been one of my favorites because it's chorus is great to chant to yourself when you're pissed at someone. Cursing in a chorus has a way of doing that sometimes.
6. A Better Son, Daughter- Rilo Kiley Although I LOVE Rilo Kiley, I sometimes wonder what happened to lead singer Jenny Lewis to turn her from straight laced teen actress into an introspective, indie music queen. I'm not sure if her journey is why she she conveys being jaded so well or if she's simply... acting. I'm also not sure I really care. Either way, A Better Son/Daughter is a great song about the pressure to live up to expectations that sometimes just seem too much to handle. As Jenny sings, "And sometimes when you're on, you're really f***ing on, and your friends they sing along and they love you. But the lows are so extreme, that the good seems f***ing cheap, and it teases you for weeks in its absence. But you'll fight and you'll make it through, you'll fake it if you have to, and you'll show up for work with a smile. And you'll be better, you'll be smarter, more grown up and a better daughter or son, and a real good friend. You'll be awake, you'll be alert, you'll be positive though it hurts, and you'll laugh and embrace all of your friends. You'll be a real good listener, you'll be honest, you'll be brave, you'll be handsome and you'll be beautiful. You'll be happy." So many of us make mental "to do lists" about our own imperfections but very few of us have managed to make it so easy to relate to.
7. You Outta Know and Perfect- Alanis If there's one person in the world who knows what Jenny Lewis is going through, it's probably Alanis Morissette. After all, they both came from the happy go lucky world of child acting and they both grew into thoughtful and sometimes jaded observers on the world around them. In the case of Alanis, it was very hard to pick just one song to add to the list. Instead I chose two and even that somehow doesn't seem to be enough. You Outta Know is here because it's a classic in terms of the "jilted lover" anthem era and needs no extra explanation. Perfect meanwhile is like the prequel to A Better Son/Daughter in terms of impossible expectations. Whatever the subject, no one does anger like Alanis.
8. Thanks for Showing- Adam Schmitt- Many of my favorite songs over the years have been bargain bin discoveries that I took a chance on. I always loved the wild card element of purchasing an artist you'd never heard of before for a dollar or two and found I was usually very good at picking the types of artists I would like merely by looking at the cover and the titles of songs, much like that of browsing for a good book to read. Adam Schmitt's album Illiterature was one of those finds and on it, the angry song, Thanks For Showing. Unfortunately, as it often is with bargain bin discoveries, there is little information on Adam or this album online, including the complete lyrics. Its tone is sarcastic since Schmitt says he's "thanking" the girl for her involvement in his life, but it isn't far into the song before you realize his true feelings. "So thanks a lot for going, you said you'd never leave. But thanks a lot for showing, it was me you didn't need." Oh yeah, and it goes on like this for over six minutes. Since it's complete lyrics are not online, you'll just have to take my word for its awesomeness or better yet, download it for yourself.
9. Song for the Dumped- Ben Folds Five If you're looking for a good break up song, especially one from a male perspective, look no further than Ben Folds Five's Song For the Dumped. It's quick and to the point and does not mince words when Ben Folds sings, "Give me my money back, give me money back you bitch. I want my money back, and don't forget to give me back my black t-shirt." Nuff said.
10. Tyler and Possum Kingdom- The Toadies- Journeying back to the college years again, a friend of mine actually bought me this album in high school. I never much listened to it until I got to college where we would play both Tyler and Possum Kingdom on heavy rotation. In fact to this day, I still interchange both songs and need to read the lyrics to remember which one is which. Mainly, Possum Kingdom was a mainstream hit where Tyler was not. The band itself never did much past this album worth mentioning. To this day I'm not completely certain what either song is actually about, but they are both great at evoking anger.
11. Untouchable Face or Fuel- Ani DiFranco Although Alanis is the queen of the jilted lovers, even she could learn a thing or two from the wrath of Miss Ani Difranco. In Untouchable Face, Difranco "gives her blessing" to the guy she used to have (or the guy she never did have) and his new girl. In Fuel meanwhile Ani is still angry, just this time it's not of the relationship variety. In a nutshell, it's a song about her dissatisfaction with society in general and is full of lots of rants that seem to just be flowing out of her. She makes sure to throw in her feeling about conformity in the music business, too. "People used to make records, as in a record of an event, the event of people playing music in a room. Now everything is cross-marketing, it's about sunglasses and shoes, or guns and drugs...you choose."
12. You're So Vain- Carly Simon While I never have been (and probably never will be) a fan of Carly Simon's music in general, one of my favorite songs of all time is her classic, You're So Vain. Who it was actually about is irrelevant now, although speculation is what fueled the success of this song initially. It's a sarcastic take on being in love with a man who is really only in love...with himself. It's actually perfect that Simon never revealed the actual subject of the song if there was one. It makes the lyric "You probably think this song is about you, don't you? Don't you?" all the more delicious.
13. Success Has Made A Failure Of Our Home- Sinead O'Connor Ask anyone who remembers Sinead O'Connor from her heyday and they will tell you that was most definitely a woman on the edge. But what most people don't know about O'Connor is that she was actually much more than a one hit wonder, without the actual "hits" that is. One of my favorite songs of hers is Success Has Made A Failure Of Our Home, its subject self explanatory from reading the title. Because O'Connor has such a sweet voice, her manic transformation by the end of this song is all that more dramatic as she incessantly chants, "And am I not your girl?" over and over. No one does damsel in distress desperation better than Sinead.
14. It's Not Right, But It's OK- Whitney Houston Once upon a time Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive was the anthem of choice for jilted women, but many decades, many songs and many weddings have since made the song seem played out. Music lovers who are looking for angry alternatives need to look no further than the dance club hit, It's Not Right, But It's Ok, the type of song you scream at the top of your lungs at a club where you're drunk and partying with the girls who have your back.
15. Ain't No Doubt- Jimmy Nail I first discovered this song when I was in high school. They were playing it late one night on a new music showcase and instantly I was hooked. Now follow me here. At the time we were watching a movie called Lady Jane in history class that I didn't expect to enjoy, but actually did, mainly because of Cary Elwes. (Many people fell in love with Elwes during The Princess Bride, but it was Lady Jane that did it for me.) At any rate, in my mind, Ain't No Doubt and Lady Jane went hand in hand then and still do now because I discovered them at the same time. The spoken word portion of this song emphasizes Nail's heavy British accent and sounded exactly like Elwes to me at the time. As a result, I imagined Cary Elwes was singing this song about a man who had just been dumped and given the "I still want to be friends" speech. After seeing what Nail actually looked like, I still much prefer my version.
16. Freshmen- The Verve Pipe Yet another song that reminds me of college, I actually believe Freshmen came out when I was a sophomore, though that is neither her nor there. Freshmen itself was more symbolic than anything as the lyric kept singing "We were only freshmen" eluding to the first time discovery part of life as a grounds for dismissal for any sort of responsibility. While I never knew the actual meaning of the song, I always interpreted it as this girl killed herself over this guy. Whether or not they were an actual couple was debatable, but his knowledge of her interest was there. Fast forward all these years later and wikipedia's wealth of knowledge tells me that the song was inspired by true events, but the lyrical hint at suicide was just "poetic license." Instead it was a song about a guy who's girlfriend had an abortion. Still pretty powerful stuff, though I prefer the poetic license part, personally.
17. Just A Girl- No Doubt Before Gwen Stefani went solo and decided to make crappy music, she created some kick ass stuff with No Doubt. Just A Girl was the world's introduction to Stefani and is a great anthem for all the girls out there who aren't feminists, but do believe women have something to say. I love how she manages to sing the song and evoke anger, while being playful all at the same time.
18. Just Like A Man- Del Amitri I swear it was not planned that Just Like A Man came after Just A Girl in this list. Seriously. Del Amitri was one of my favorite bands in the early nineties and they had many great songs, I still don't know why more people didn't get to realize this. Anyway, Just Like A Man is great because it's about repressing anger, or more specifically jealousy. The guy in this song is involved in a triangle where he once had the girl, but he lost her. Now he's trying to pretend like he doesn't care she's moved on, just "like a man" would. "And just like a man he holds you gently. And just like a man he strokes your hair. And just like a man I still pretend that I'm immune to the whole affair. But I wanna die, I wanna cry, I wanna tell you I was wrong. Yeah I wanna die, I wanna cry. But it's too late, so I soldier on, just like a man."
19. I've Done Everything For You- Rick Springfield Anyone who knows AOGB and me knows a list like this wouldn't be complete without a little Rick Springfield in the mix. If I'm being technical, I've Done Everything For You was made a hit by Springfield, but it was actually written by Sammy Hagar. Regardless it's a great song from a guy's perspective who just woke up to the fact that he is in a one sided relationship. As the lyric states, "I've done everything for you...you've done nothing for me."
20. Date Rape- Sublime If you had asked me years ago if I had ever believed there could be a catchy song about the subject of date rape, I would have scoffed at the idea. But lo and behold, in the early nineties, now defunct reggae/rock/rap band Sublime actually managed to make that happen. Not only is it a song about a touchy subject, it's actual humorous at points. It still manages to get me angry because of its subject matter, but it has a happy ending, no pun intended. It's a shame that talented lead singer Bradley Nowell died before knowing true success, and that ultimately the potential for more great music died with him. On some level, there's a whole other layer of anger that comes with this choice.
21. Voices Carry- Til' Tuesday Sometimes I think the world would have been a scary place had Til' Tuesday singer Aimee Mann and Sinead O'Connor met in say, high school. They would have been the scary goth chicks that managed to both intrigue and terrify the male population. Voices Carry, Til' Tuesday's biggest hit, best captured the always sullen Aimee Mann on lead vocals. In this song she's carrying on a relationship with a man who wants to keep her a secret. Incidentally, the video of this song is just as powerful as it was made in a time period where music videos actually reflected the song itself.
22. Dear Mr. Jesus- Powersource When I was a little kid, the first news story that caught my attention was the horrific tale of Hedda Nussbaum and Joel Steinberg and how he beat his adopted kids and his wife, who remained silent out of fear, or blind devotion. This story always struck a chord with me because the kids were about my age. Around the same time a song came out that eerily seemed semi-inspired by those events though the time line indicates it was not. What was haunting about this song was that it was told (and sung) from an actual child's perspective who was writing letters to Jesus about being witness to and a victim of abuse. For years I searched for this song without being able to find it. Listening to it now still gives me chills and makes me angry for all the kids out there who have been (or will be) in a situation like this.
23. We're Not Gonna Take It- Twisted Sister Some songs just scream I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore. We're Not Gonna Take It personifies this feeling. Not only is its message one of anger, it's delivered in a way that pumps you up, only getting you more angry. The video itself was also a classic, the sights of which you really don't see much of anymore these days, yet another reason to be angry.
24. Signs- Tesla First of all, let me say that I know this song is a remake of the Five Man Electrical Band hit from the seventies. I included their version though because that's the version that I knew best. I discovered this song as this version when I was in middle school and acoustic was just starting to become cool. I love the hypocrisies that are present in the lyrics. Even more so I think it's telling that hypocrisies that were relevant in the seventies were still relevant in the nineties, and even so now. Basically the song is about judging a book by its cover and how the "signs" of the world sometimes put rules and restrictions on things that aren't necessary.
25. Kiss Off- Violent Femmes Everything about Violent Femmes songs seems to scream angst and anger. They always seem to be teetering on the edge of insanity, and yet they grasp a good concept of the world around them, too. Kiss Off is a classic song because it's a good way to tell off anyone about anything. So if anyone has ever done you wrong ever, just tell them to kiss off, Violent Femmes style.
Honorable Mentions (And there are a LOT of them!)
Nothing But A Fool- PC Quest
One Step Closer- Linkin Park
Last Resort- Papa Roach
Never Is A Promise or Sleep to Dream- Fiona Apple
Everything About You- Ugly Kid Joe
Break Stuff- Limp Bizkit
Little Liar- Joan Jett
Did He Do It To You?- Tami Show
Loser- Three Doors Down
Pressure- Billy Joel
Losing A Whole Year- Third Eye Blind
Father and Son- Cat Stevens
I Don't Care- Coward
Another Brick In The Wall- Pink Floyd
Anything by Creed
What If God Fell From the Sky?- Danielle Brisebois
Barely Breathing- Duncan Sheik
Everything She Wants- Wham
Epic- Faith No More
Pardon Me- Incubus
Since U Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson
Smile- Lily Allen
What A Day- Nonpoint
I Hate Everything About You- Three Days Grace
Cold Hearted Snake- Paula Abdul
Jeremy- Pearl Jam
Like Father, Like Son- Rick Springfield
Strut- Sheena Easton
Anything, Anything- Dramarama
Circle- Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
Silent All These Years- Tori Amos
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