Feature

Election week special: 10 biggest anti-Bush songs

12:23 p.m. · November 3, 2008 · by Chris DeLine

In the eight years he's been in charge of the nation, George W. Bush's approval ratings have hit all-time lows. That sentiment has, of course, been manifest into song, as well. To help us prepare to say goodbye to eight of the most disheartening years in the country’s history, here are 10 of the biggest anti-Bush songs of the era. 

Beastie Boys: “In a World Gone Mad”

Internet Exclusive [2003]

 
LL Cool J &Wyclef Jean: “Mr. President”

Exit 13 [Def Jam, 2008]

"Mr. President, truth or dare/ Terrorist is hiding. Do you know where?"

Released on LL Cool J's 13th and final Def Jam album, "Mr. President" finds the MC taking a nonpartisan look at the reality of the past eight years, ultimately asking for the truth on where the country stands. For the most part he uses nonaccusatory statements, something that is a rarity on this list, but ultimately "Mr. President" paints a similarly bleak picture: "I’m not Republican or Democratic/ I’m independent; I want the facts/ When are the soldiers come back?/ Are we prepared for a terrorist attack?"

Pearl Jam: "Bu$hleaguer"

Riot Act [Epic, 2002]

Childish Things [Compadre, 2005]

"Will work for food/ Will die for oil/ Will kill for power and to us the spoils/ The billionaires get to pay less tax/ The working poor get to fall through the cracks."

A commentary on the state of the nation, James McMurtry's "We Can't Make It Here Anymore" is exponentially true four years after he first wrote the song. Throughout the story McMurtry delivers examples of things that break his heart -- eventually pointing the finger at the source of the trickle down, "if the president wants to admit it or not." In 2005 the economy was relatively solid compared to today's, but now more people are hurting and more fingers are being pointed. A lot of people are looking at the administration and saying, "We can't make it here anymore."

Bright Eyes: "When the President Talks to God"

[iTunes, 2005]

Zack de la Rocha and DJ Shadow: "March of Death"

MarchofDeath.com [2003]

"Here it comes the sound of terror from above/ He flex his Texas twisted tongue/ The poor lined up to kill in desert slums/ For oil that boil beneath the desert sun."

For the many looking for a glimpse of some (even then) long-overdue Zach de la Rocha solo material, "March of Death" was a gift. Distributed for free via MarchofDeath.com, the song focused de la Rocha's anger and frustration into roughly four minutes of pounding beats. Co-opting a one of the last solid tracks DJ Shadow produced before his dreadful The Outsider album, “March of Death” is as much a banger as it is a fierce commentary.

The openly outspoken de la Rocha accompanied the song’s release with this message: "Lies, sanctions, and cruise missiles have never created a free and just society. Only everyday people can do that. Which is why I'm joining the millions worldwide who have stood up to oppose the Bush administration's attempt to expand the U.S. empire at the expense of human rights at home and abroad. In this spirit I'm releasing this song for anyone who is willing to listen. I hope it not only makes us think but also inspires us to act and raise our voices."

NOFX: "Idiot Son of an Asshole"

Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2 [Fat Wreck Chords, 2003]

American Idiot [Reprise, 2004]

Living With War [Reprise, 2006]

"Let's impeach the president/ For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected/ Dividing our country into colors/ And still leaving black people neglected."

The Grammy-nominated song was released on Neil Young’s Living With War album, primarily taking focus on the Patriot Act, Al Qaeda, New Orleans and the seemingly innumerable contradictions made by George W. Bush during his presidency. Blatantly calling for his impeachment, Neil Young closes the song by chanting "Thank God," poking at the skepticism behind the President habitually putting his "born again" values ahead of the law, the nation and the world.

Eminem: “Mosh”

Encore [Shady/Interscope Records, 2004]

"Rebel with a rebel yell, raise hell we gonna let 'em know/Stomp, push, shove, mush, Fuck Bush, until they bring our troops home."

The single from Eminem's 2004 album, Encore, proved controversial for both its lyrics and the accompanying Ian Inaba-directed video. Opening to a sequence depicting Eminem surrounded by newspaper articles condemning Bush's administration, the video depicts a nation lost and angry and on the verge of an uprising. "And assemble our own army/ To disarm this Weapon of Mass Destruction/ That we call our president, for the present/ And mosh for the future of our next generation." The closing scene of the video, which accompanies those words, depicts citizens standing in a voting line, all bitterly wearing masks of dissent. Here, four years later, the only thing that has changed is that the line is a lot longer.