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[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL
"7 Songs Most Likely About Zombies" |
01.19.11 |
BY MIKEY MIGO
One genre of movie that has been a growing favorite is zombie movies. It was often just considered another subgenre of horror, but over the years it has developed its own personality and style. There are plenty of million dollar budget flicks out there, plenty of independent, and plenty of renditions and variations of the zombie. Many say it starts with "Night of the Living Dead". From them until now with a TV series like The Walking Dead, zombies have invaded pop culture. When someone becomes part of pop culture it's only a matter of time before it becomes intertwined with music.
There were some zombie songs I chose not to include for whatever reason. The song "Zombie Eaters" by Faith No More isn't about zombies at all, but is wittily titled that way. I bet Murderdolls/Wednesday 13 has something that could have made this list. Of course when the topic is that an undead brain eater the first genre that makes sense is rock. Especially metal. I'm aware of the band Cannibal Corpse. They have plenty of songs I could have used. Same with The Devil Wears Prada. The growl and speed metal isn't my cup of tea and I take no pleasure in discussing bands who focus on such attributes. It's my list, deal with it. On your list, which I'm more than willing to read and check out, please include bands of your taste.
And I'm sure I'm also missing some other obvious picks here. Ideally this would be the "ultimate list", but I just don't have the time or means to have heard every song out there. In the same, I've done my fair share of "on the edge living" and my memory has been "clouded" to say the least. I'm simply not going to remember everything. On your list, which I'm more than willing to read and check out, please display your awesome memory.
Without further any explanation, excuse, and/or reasoning let's get on with the list…
"Coffee" by Aesop Rock
I remember the video more than the song. The video features Aesop Rock, who was really hot "on the underground" for awhile and then kind of faded. He just never seemed to evolve much from that initial blow up. The video is why we're talking about this to begin with. I really dig it. The grimy and gritty take on zombies going at him and all the other weird stuff. He has better songs, but this video is his best. I'm pretty sure a lot of folk haven't heard of this guy and you're really missing out. He put out some great hip hop and even now is still better than the Lil Wayne stuff toping charts right now.
" Zombie" by The Pretty Reckless
I keep seeing this Taylor girl in headlines for being controversial and loud mouthed, but I haven't listened to her at all. I my lookings for this column, I came across this song by pure chance. I was going to include it regardless, but I'm kind of taken back. I was expecting something much different than this. She has some potential and this song isn't bad at all. I'm not going to rush out and buy their album, but I can't hate on this song at least. This is metaphorical and stuff. It's not about brain eating zombies or anything. It's about someone shutting themselves off from the haters or something. Still, she says "zombie" a lot.
"Kernkraft 400" by Zombie Nation
I'm always going to appreciate this song. It's forever going to be known as the ultimate "eurotrash techno song". I'm fairly certain more teenagers have overdoses on E while listening to this song more than any other. The only thing "zombie" about the song is that the words "Zombie. Zombie. Zombie. Zombie nation" are repeated over and over again. I'm okay with that. I had never seen the video before and this video is pretty weird, but suits the song perfectly. Gah… I think I'm going to go find a glow stick.
"Zombie" by The Cranberries
Guess what. This song isn't about zombies AT ALL. Yeah, the song is titled in such a way to make you think so, but no. It's a protest song about issues in Ireland. The song was pretty popular and is probably the band's biggest song. Still, it's a lie. The video is obviously "political" with he machine guns and kids. Whatever. It's sung in such conviction that you can tell it's not a "joke song" or a gimmick, but a little flesh eating wouldn't have hurt anyone. To top it off, no one in the band even comes close to looking like a cranberry. Stupid Irish metaphors.
"Thriller" by Michael Jackson
Anything with Vincent Price providing narration is good with me. On top of that, you could argue that this is one of the best pop songs of all time all day. It's a great zombie track and a Halloween party must. The video shows Michael Jackson morphing into a zombie while on a date with a chick. The zombies in this video don't want to attack your brains and drink your blood but rather bust a move and dance their rotting asses off. It's just weird to think that this whole group of dancers had to die for this video to happen, but at least they finally had a reason to kill Michael Jackson's clone. What? They didn't have special effects when this was made! Right?
"Zombie Prostitute" by Voltaire
I've been random so far, but my last song is easily my favorite zombie song of all time and possibly the least known of the bunch. Zombie Prostitute is a song about a lonely guy who ends up screwing a zombie prostitute. A song of this magnitude could only be done by one person and that is awesome Voltaire. He has other songs that could fit this topic, I'm sure, but I go with this one. His music, which you can imagine after hearing, was including in some cartoons. He's like a folkly-lounge singer who sticks in a "spooky" and "gothy" area. It's a really cool persona and fresh take on a few genres and mediums. I had the pleasure of seeing him live and bullshitting with him for well over an hour at a Horror Con in Chicago a few years back. This is a song that was performed in his impromptu performance that night. I dare you to listen to the song and not be amused. It will steal your brains.
"Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is a great man and perfect for such a discussion. He named himself Rob Zombie for crying out loud! Remember his old band? White Zombie! He IS the zombie of music and should be my number one, thus he is. Hellbilly Deluxe is easily one of the best metal albums of all time. We have Dragula, Superbeast, Living Dead Girl, Meet The Creeper, Demonoid Phenomenon and I could go on and list the entire album. It's just that damn good. In this song Mr. Zombie describes a pretty sexy sounding zombie chick and does it to one of the best songs ever. I may not listen to him enough these days, but Rob Zombie still doesn't get half the acclaim he deserves.
Discuss amongst yourselves….
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