The Ruts: Babylon’s Burning (1979)īefore their career was tragically curtailed by singer Malcolm Owen’s premature death, highly proficient West London punks The Ruts looked like being one of the 80s’ major players. A highlight of their 1978 debut, First Issue, “Religion” was performed with a spine-chilling intensity and offered Lydon the opportunity to lambast church politics with gusto. Post-Sex Pistols, John Lydon formed the considerably more leftfield-inclined Public Image Limited (PiL). It remains a sinister but magnificent set piece. A scathing satirical attack on the then governor of California, Jerry Brown, vocalist Jello Biafra’s lyrics referred to a hippie-fascist US akin to the totalitarian regime imagined by George Orwell’s 1984. Influential San Franciscan punks Dead Kennedys’ brilliant debut single, “California Über Alles,” remains one of the best political punk songs to come out of the US. They could also knock out short, sharp and savage political punk with the best of ’em.Ĭlick to load video Dead Kennedys: California Über Alles (1978) Founders of the anarcho-punk subculture, the band’s music advocated animal rights, feminism and environmentalism, and sometimes leaned towards the avant-garde – as “Do They Owe Us A Living?” shows. Crass: Do They Owe Us A Living? (1978)Ī curious mix of hippie ideals and white-hot punk fury, Crass operated out of a communal house deep in Epping Forest, from where they promoted anarchism as both a political ideology and a resistance movement.
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However, they did write great songs full of socio-political commentary, also including “Guns Of Brixton” and the oil-crisis epic “Rock The Casbah.” Arguably better still is “Tommy Gun,” Joe Strummer’s hard-hitting critique of terrorists and the cult status their nefarious activities can attract. With hindsight, The Clash played the role of punk’s cultural ambassadors rather than nail their colors to any specific political mast. John Lydon’s furious invective still sends shivers up the spine, however, and, to this day, “God Save The Queen” packs an almighty clout that will forever ensure its place among the best political punk songs.Ĭlick to load video The Clash: Tommy Gun (1978) Sex Pistols: God Save The Queen (1977)Īrguably the daddy of all political punk songs, Sex Pistols’ notorious second single hijacked Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee and shocked the public so much that Britain’s broadcasting bastion, the BBC, banned the song and refused to admit it had gone to No.1 during the summer of 1977. Listen to the best punk music on Spotify, and scroll down for our best political punk songs. Accordingly, punk has sired some of music’s most potent political critiques, and while few were written with longevity in mind, many of the best political punk songs have retained their relevance.
Punk’s anti-establishment stance means it openly thrives on controversy and the desire to provoke, so its spearhead acts have inevitably been drawn to commenting on socio-political issues since the genre’s inception in the 70s.
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