Songs For Earth Day

by editor Michele Catalano

You care about the environment. You recycle your plastics and cans. You stopped using Aqua-Net many years ago, after Skid Row broke up for the first time. On the measuring line of environmentalists, you fall somewhere between the girl who uses a canvas bag for food shopping to keep her conscience in good spirits and the guy who stands on the street corner wearing a sandwich board proclaiming climate change is the devil’s work. And you’re ok with that most of the time. But today is Earth Day and you’d like to appear a little more…caring. Everyone at work or school is doing something important for the day. Your boss has put out recycling bins.  Cindy in accounting is making organic cupcakes that look like planet Earth with a frowny face.  Your best friend is dressing up like Mother Nature and is going to stand in Penn Station lecturing people about Styrofoam containers. So how do you - the casual environmentalist - fit in without looking like a damn hippie? How do you maintain your cool demeanor while letting people know that you too care about the world, the future and the plight of Planet Earth?  Easy. You make a playlist of songs that will allow you to say “Look! Earth day is my day, too! I care!” while still being able to rock the hell out.

I give you seven songs for Earth Day:

1. The Yardbirds - Shapes of Things

The Yardbirds were light years ahead of their peers both in music (Jeff Beck’s fuzzy solo on this was innovative for the time - and still rocks) and in lyrical content.

Now the trees are almost green. But will they still be seen? When time and tide have been. Fall into your passing hands. Please don’t destroy these lands. Don’t make them desert sands.

Who knew a hard rocking band was at the forefront of the green movement?

2. Cake - Carbon Monoxide

John  McCrea can get a little preachy and apocalyptic sometimes but at least here, he makes it entertaining. This song has a happy, sing-a-long feel to it and you’ll find yourself cursing the cars and trucks and buses even if you don’t care that you’re choking on fumes all day long.

3. Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla

What? Of course this is about environmentalism. It’s not all about recycling those plastics, people. It’s also about man destroying man. Geez, didn’t you listen to anything John McCrea had to say in the beginning of that video?  Maybe Blue Oyster Cult’s classic will hammer home the point:

History shows again and again how nature points up the folly of men

4. The Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven

Environmentalism, numerology, mythology, Frank Black and a killer hook. You really can’t go wrong here as far as rocking out while contemplating man’s place in the world goes.

5. Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction

I’m not a big fan of Dave Mustaine, but you gotta admit, the earnestness in the lyrics here are endearing and the song gives you the opportunity to bang your head and throw up the metal sign while still maintaining Earth Day dignity.

One hour from now another species of life form will disappear off the face of the planet forever and the rate is accelerating

6. Soundgarden  - Hands All  Over

Chris Cornell on “Hands All Over”: “It’s basically about how we humans tend to screw up everything that’s good enough as it is…or everything that we’re attracted to, we love to go and defile it.”

7. Radiohead - Idioteque

You can’t do environmentalism and rock without including Radiohead. Thom Yorke is one of music’s most outspoken artists when it comes to climate change.  While this song has a very apocalyptic feel to the lyrics (We’re not scaremongering , this is really happening) it’s got a good beat and you can dance to it.  So it works on a couple of levels for your Earth Day festivities.

Enjoy your Earth Day before they take the holiday away.