I was just watching some Headbangers Ball on Archive.org when the lyrics to this video by Queensryche struck me. I don’t know that I ever heard this song before but I was around back then and recall plenty of “protest” / anti-government, anti-capitalist, anti-coldwar songs on the radio and MTV. It has me reflecting on the state of politics today and how things have shifted and twisted.
From 1988…
For a price I’d do about anything
Except pull the trigger
For that I’d need a pretty good cause
Then I heard of Dr. X
The man with the cure
Just watch the television
Yeah, you’ll see there’s something going on
Got no love for politicians
Or that crazy scene in D.C.
It’s just a power mad town
But the time is ripe for changes
There’s a growing feeling
That taking a chance on a new kind of vision is due
I used to trust the media
To tell me the truth, tell us the truth
But now I’ve seen the payoffs
Everywhere I look
Who do you trust when everyone’s a crook?
Revolution calling
Revolution calling
Revolution calling you
Revolution calling
Revolution calling
Gotta make a change
Gotta push, gotta push it on through
I’m tired of all this bullshit
They keep selling me on T.V.
About the communist plan
And all the shady preachers
Begging for my cash
Swiss bank accounts while giving their
Secretaries the slam
They’re all in Penthouse now
Or Playboy magazine, million dollar stories to tell
I guess Warhol wasn’t wrong
Fame fifteen minutes long
Everyone’s using everybody, making the sale
I used to think
That only America’s way, way was right
But now the holy dollar rules everybody’s lives
Gotta make a million doesn’t matter who dies
Revolution calling
Revolution calling
Revolution calling you
Revolution calling
Revolution calling
Gotta make a change
Gotta push, gotta push it on through
I used to trust the media
To tell me the truth, tell us the truth
But now I’ve seen the payoffs
Everywhere I look
Who do you trust when everyone’s a crook?
Revolution calling
Revolution calling
Revolution calling you
Revolution calling
Revolution calling
Gotta make a change
Gotta push, gotta push it on through
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Whole album is a banger, favorite rock opera of all time.
Spreading the Disease is just as big a protest song as Revolution Calling. Operation: Mindcrime as a whole is amazing.
“Religion, sex are power plays. Manipulate the people for the money they pay. Selling skin, selling God. The numbers look the same on their credit cards.”
Hey yeah. I only found out about these guys a couple years ago. Definitely one of the best to come out of that time. Couple of my favorites are Jet City Woman and Eyes of a Stranger. Geoff Tate is an awesome vocalist. Super happy to see this band on here!!!
It has me reflecting on the state of politics today and how things have shifted and twisted.
Speaking of which, now that book bans have once again become fashionable, here’s an anti-censorship song from the same era:
deleted by creator
Listen to the entire album, it’s one of the greatest rock operas of all time.
