History lesson through music!

[Charger]

So this go around we'll be doing 10 songs about historical people.

Songs about real life heroes or anti-heroes or villains that have left a mark in the books of history.


I'm gonna kick things off with and ICED EARTH tune about one of the most known killers in history.

This is a bit of a different take on the topic and surely takes some creative freedoms but the song is still a pretty good rockin' tune about the man they called JACK THE RIPPER!

[Vyn]

Iron Maiden - Alexander the Great. Because, of course

Also, this was the last IM record I purchased contemporaneously. It was many years before I picked up another one, and it was used. But I enjoyed this record and I think Bruce's vocals did a great job with dynamics over the course of this lengthy tune.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

My first pick is

Lard - Sylvestre Matuschka

From the Lard album The Last Temptation of Reid, the band comprised Jello Biafra and members of Ministry.

I thought this was song about a real person (actually spelled Szilveszter Matuska) but googled it just to make sure... he is real and the lyrics pretty much covers the notorious elements of his life.

[Zzzptm]

The land rush is on! Grab the Saxon songs while you can!

And this one's a two-fer, gets us Kublai Khan and Marco Polo! 

[Charger]

Oh come on! 2 from my list already gone! And the funny thing was I was seriously thinking about starting my list with Alexander but on the last minute decided not to! Bugger!


Well I'm gonna do this one now then before someone takes that away from me too!


Let's go to Scotland and the middle ages with this one...this is about a man called William Wallace who by all accounts was THE CLANSMAN!

If I'd be doing these in the best of order this would be #1. As this is my all time favourite Iron Maiden song and probably one of my all time favourite songs period. A total masterpiece!

[Zzzptm]

It's Maiden vs Saxon in this thread! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!

Saxon - Dallas 1PM

About the JFK assassination, great live version here:

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

If I had remembered Dallas 1AM I might well have included it!

For my next pick I'll go with...

Chris de Burgh - Crusader

The song covers Saladin the Saracen King who captures Jerusalem and Richard the Lion Heart who recaptures it. Off Chris de Burghs 1979 album of the same name and only a few short years before he becomes a ghastly person by releasing Lady in Red and other tripe!!!

[Vyn]

Heroes End by Judas Priest. About Marilyn Monroe

[Charger]

^^^
Is it?? Wow I never knew that!



Well I'm gonna go the bad guy route again...this is about a certain doctor that did unspeakable things to innocent people during World War 2

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I too thought about that one!

[Zzzptm]

I'm kicking around ideas today, thought of using Deep Purple's "Smooth Dancer", as it's about Ritchie Blackmore, but felt he's not "historical" enough for the list, so I'll pass over that one.

But I won't pass over James Brown's song about Gerald Ford, it's a gas...

James Brown - "Funky President", one of many, many songs to emerge from the funk/soul genre about the Watergate scandal and its fallout.

[Vyn]

Is it?? Wow I never knew that!

Yep! Blew my mind when I first learned that. Nothing in that title suggests such a thing.

This one here is about Erwin Rommel and the armor he commanded in WWII, Ghost Division by Sabaton:

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

For my 3rd pick I've gone quite modern (this person is still alive albeit in his late 80s)

The Dead Kennedys - California Über Alles

The person in question is Californian Governor Jerry Brown. I'm not particularly familiar with the guy but the song makes him out to be some sort of ultra right wing poliitician... in fact he was a Democrat!!

Second song so far to have Jello Biafra on vocals, I promise not to include him again!!

[Vyn]

I'm not too hip on California politics, but since the guy ran for President and was in the news all the damn time, I got the impression that people in California really liked Jerry Brown. No one outside of California could understand it.

[Zzzptm]

^ Was wondering when Sabaton would show up. They're all over the bonus content HOI4 and EU4 soundtracks because they're history and stuff.

And punk rock songs about politicians are always a great go-to. Suicidal Tendencies' "I Shot the Devil" is on the table for anyone that wants to grab it.

But for me, I choose...

Saxon "Lionheart" ... about one King Richard the First of England...