Results for “satire of institutional bloodlust”

Songs

XTC

A jaunty, whistle-inflected pop song that uses upbeat melody as a Trojan horse for a satire of military brass hungry for…

militarism and glorification of war irony between form and content boredom and status anxiety among the powerful

The Clash

The Clash build a mock-Orientalist fable in which a ruler bans music and the population -- eventually even his own military --…

censorship and authority cultural resistance satire of power

Elvis Costello

A deceptively bouncy pop song about an elderly woman lost inside dementia, watched by relatives and caregivers who can no longer…

aging and memory loss identity erasure institutional care/neglect

Public Enemy

A protest anthem built as a dance record: Chuck D argues that political consciousness and Black pride are things you build in…

Black pride and self-definition institutional racism who gets to be a national hero

Bob Dylan

Dylan's cover of a call-and-response children's Christmas polka builds a cumulative list of Santa's attributes through a…

holiday ritual and repetition Americana and civic satire nonsense/novelty performance

King Crimson

This opening track sets a nightmarish, distorted portrait of modern civilization against a savage instrumental attack, using the…

dehumanization war and atrocity technological/medical horror