Occupy Pop

Spinner.com has compiled a list of “Occupy Wall Street Protest Songs” which the site subtitles “A List for the 99 Percent.” The selections are 99 percent obvious, from famous worker sing-alongs such as “This Land is Your Land” to pop songs that happen to be about money (“All About the Benjamins,” “Money for Nothing”) to rock anthems about not backing down (“Won’t Back Down”).
Here’s some they missed. Yes, some are worker sing-alongs and some are pop songs that happen to be about money, but at least they’re not as obvious. Some of them even have a positive message.

1. “Capitalism,” Chris Butler. An incredible distillation of the capitalist philosophy into one selfish guy’s workplace ritual.
2. “The Wall Street Shuffle,” 10cc. “Oh, Howard Hughes, did you money make you better? Are you waiting for the hour when you can screw me?”
3. “It’s Money That I Love,” Randy Newman. Simplifies greed and financial status to the point where it’s baldly ludicrous.
4. “Conservative,” Iggy Pop. Spinner picks Pop’s 1999 tune “Corruption,” but this is Mr. Osterberg’s most articulate first-person screed about systemic social problems.
5. “Killed My Boss,” The Presidential Targets. This Connecticut mock-rock band has a slew of working-class rants in their repertoire, but this one goes directly to the point, defenestrating the administrative evildoer.
6. “Give Me Some Money,” Spinal Tap. A simple and direct have-not plaint.
7. “A Song for Occupations,” Walt Whitman. A poem, but he calls it a song, and asks all the right questions about society’s feelings about work, government and power.
8. “Sure as I’m Sitting Here,” Three Dog Night. Sitting yourself down and figuring out what’s important.
9. “Spread It Around,” Johnny Paycheck. “If you’ll hand it to somebody and help him when he’s down/Tell him some good news, spread it around.”
10. “That’s What I Want to Hear,” Phil Ochs. A call to action that’s framed as rant against apathetic bitching and whining.
So you tell me that your last good dollar is gone
and you say that your pockets are bare.
And you tell me that your clothes are tattered and torn
and nobody seems to care.
Now don’t tell me your troubles
No I don’t have the time to spare.
But if you want to get together and fight, good buddy
That’s what I want to hear.

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