Recently I’ve come back to the album “A Thousand Suns” from Linkin Park, that got me thinking a lot about the world we live in. I first came into contact with its thoughts and message(s) when I was 16 years old - ten years younger than now. It is one of the albums where the music itself is the medium to provoke thinking about society, life, war, fears, technology, the essence of humanity, love, peace, and the world; one of my favourite albums ever.
Some other songs like “After the War” from Gary Moore, Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”, and Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”, Toto’s “Child’s Anthem”, or Noisia’s “Machine Gun” are many more inspirations to make me contemplate the world better.
Now I’m looking for more deep-thought songs that are eye-opening; songs that make the listener think critically. I want to find philosophical value within music. Just like reading books about the great thinkers of mankind: Which songs/albums do you see as great thinkers with a deep meaning to you? Songs that reflect an aspect of life and make you contemplate it from another perspective; that are intended to challenge your thoughts?
I am very, very thankful for all your recommendations. Thank you very, very much in advance to you for sharing your inspirations here.
@chris_van_hoven Absolutely stunning! These are songs that a listener has to repeat several times in order to get all their meanings. What a breathtaking-good selection you shared here! You are an amazing listener to this deep music!
Thanks a lot!
I always listened to it after a bad, filthy, underground, dark weekend where I did everything I was not supposed to do with people I was not supposed to know in locations that were not supposed to exist … before getting back to my 9-5 job!
It’s just critical of myself, so that’s ok
Lyrics:
I used to hate the sun because it shone on everything I’d done.
Made me feel that all that I had done was overfill the ashtray of my life.
All my achievements in days of yore range from pathetic
To piss-poor, but all that’s gonna change.
Because here comes sunrise. Yeah, here’s your sunrise.
I used to hide from the sun, tried to live my whole life underground.
Why’d you have to rise & ruin all my fun?
Just turned over, closed the curtains on the day.
But here comes sunrise.
Yeah, here’s your sunrise when you’ve been awake
All night long and you feel like crashing out at dawn.
But you’ve been awake all night, so why should you crash out at dawn?
Rather than songs, the decade of my young adulthood (90’s) had some great albums themed this way. Aenima by Tool and OK Computer by Radiohead being some of the better examples without putting any kind of deep thought into it (sorry, working from home and actually working atm).
No Surprises off of OKC:
A heart that’s full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won’t heal
You look so tired, unhappy
Bring down the government
They don’t, they don’t speak for us
I’ll take a quiet life
A handshake of carbon monoxide
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
Silent
Silent
This is my final fit
My final bellyache with
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises, please
Such a pretty house
And such a pretty garden
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises, please
Especially with the Radiohead album, you’re really going to do yourself a favor by just putting it on track 1 and playing the whole thing all the way through. If you live somewhere that weed is legal, highly (he-he) suggest it.
Here’s a great song performance by Jimi Hendrix (what a god of a guitarist ). The way he is “speaking” his thoughts through his guitar is absolutely stunning and thought provoking. A bitter criticism about the Vietnam War, and war in general. Give it a try.
This solo is pure criticism and a legendary masterpiece of guitar playing.
) check out the album Dead Silence, and really, their whole discography.
). The way he is “speaking” his thoughts through his guitar is absolutely stunning and thought provoking. A bitter criticism about the Vietnam War, and war in general. Give it a try.
