Playlist for the End of the World

I was thrilled when I started listening to Muse's album The Resistance and found a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, romantic dream. Fits perfectly with the novel I'm working on.

Plus, it got me thinking. How many of the songs I love are about the end days? With some thought (okay, and some googling) I ended up discovering the answer: a whole lot. Here's my ideal Playlist for the End of the World, a selection of my favourite songs with apocalyptic, post-apoclayptic and dystopian themes*. Totally biased toward my own tastes, of course!

1) Bad Moon Rising – CCR
2) 99 Red Balloons – Goldfinger

3) Panic in Detroit – David Bowie

4) Dead Flag Blues– Godspeed You Black Emperor

5) London Calling – The Clash

6) We Will Become Silhouettes – Postal Service

7) Aenema – Tool

8) Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones

9) Brother – The Organ

10) 5 Years – David Bowie

11) Lovecraft in Brooklyn – The Mountain Goats

12) When the Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash

13) Los Angeles is Burning – Bad Religion

14) Eve of Destruction – Barry McGuire

15) The Sky is Fallin’ – Queens of the Stone Age

16) The End – The Doors

Goodbye Blue Sky by Pink Floyd was going to be number 17, since it really has that war-torn, end-of-the-world feeling. But since the whole album has a dystopian slant, I'm instead saying: The Wall. 



 

*I realize that a few of these are actually based around battles in history  (#14 in particular), but I think they could still apply today - and plus, that makes them even more disturbingly delightful.

 

Do you have any favourite songs about the end of the world? Let me know in the comments!