What songs inspire you philosophically?

Use this forum to have philosophical discussions about aesthetics and art. What is art? What is beauty? What makes art good? You can also use this forum to discuss philosophy in the arts, namely to discuss the philosophical points in any particular movie, TV show, book or story.
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Grotto19
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What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Grotto19 »

What songs inspire you philosophically and a brief reason. I will lead with a few. Please post yours I want to listen to the artists who inspire others.

Mr. Bojangles-Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Practically a song about Diagenes of Sinope )

Dear God-XTC (indictment of organized religion)

Imagine-The Beatles (same as dear god plus anti nationalism)

Rock DJ-Robbie Williams (philosophy of dating, video only)

More to come
Last edited by Grotto19 on August 1st, 2012, 12:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Grecorivera5150
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Grecorivera5150 »

Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies (Man is born Free but everywhere he is in chains) The Social Contract-Rousseau , Happy by Mudvayne( existential angst extinguished through a cathartic and explosive condemnation of your oppressors)
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Rinoa
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Rinoa »

:D :D :D

Linkin Park - Easier To Run (about turning emotionally cold because you can't handle the pain of bad memories any more)

Muse - Assassin ("war is overdue, the time has come for you to shoot your leaders down, join forces underground" about overthrowing your own government)

Evanescence - Hello (about dealing with the death of someone close when you're still a child and don't understand what is going on)

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends (about a young man joining the army, having to leave home and his girlfriend)

Hoobastank - Same Direction ("So why does there only have to be one correct philosophy?" about wanting to go your own way and not follow the same path as everyone else)

Pink - Dear Mr. President (criticism on George Bush's policies)

Muse - Unnatural Selection ("They'll make you believe that they are the special ones, we have not been chosen, injustice is the norm, you won't be the first and you know you won't be the last" about living in a society that prefers certain groups over others and not giving everyone an equal chance)

Placebo - Broken Promise (speaks for itself, having a promise broken by someone and seeking revenge on them)

Kelly Clarkson - Break Away ("I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly, I'll do what it takes till I'll touch the sky, out of the darkness and into the sun but I won't forget all the ones that I love, I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change and break away "- about letting go and moving on)

Linkin Park - The Little Things Give You Away (about the inability of the American government to deal with hurricane Katrina)
Granth
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Granth »

Yeah, I like Muse lyrics (and sound). There was a song in the late seventies (I think it was). It went " yes sir, I can boogie. I can boogie all night long. I can boogie. Oogie woogie. All night long". Brought tears to my eyes.

-- Updated August 1st, 2012, 8:03 am to add the following --

It is philosophy in the sense that I am being philosophical. And being philosophical is my philosophy.
If reality was determined by a popularity vote we would not have any pioneers.
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Rinoa
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Rinoa »

Yeah Muse is awesome when it comes to thought provoking music. The entire album "The Resistance" is actually full of conspiracies. And you surely mean "Yes Sir, I can Boogie" by Sophie Ellis Bextor?
Granth
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Granth »

Yes, probably. I use "resistance" to excersise to.
If reality was determined by a popularity vote we would not have any pioneers.
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Grecorivera5150
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Grecorivera5150 »


I can't believe I forgot this one. Actually Quennsryche's entire Operation Mindcrime album is a foray into the rabbit whole of political reality in the modern era.
A Poster He or I
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by A Poster He or I »

I find lyrics to be incidental while I'm listening; I respond to the music itself and the singer's voice, not the words. Some pieces off the top of my head that inspire me philosophically:

Elbiris by Alan Hovhanness (even America can produce a timeless musical mystic)

Le Tambeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel (the need for frivolity amidst all that is serious)

Symphony #8 by Gustav Mahler (the realization of heaven here on earth)

Essay for Orchestra #2 by Samuel Barber (a mini homage to urban majesty amidst the questions raised by urban living)

The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky (evokes images of organic growth contrasted with entropy)
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Spiral Out
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Spiral Out »

"They Dance Alone" by Sting - It speaks to the sadness and loneliness caused by the Pinochet regime in Chile.

"Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" by Sting - Look to your spirituality for strength when the physical world can no longer help you.

"Island of Souls" by Sting - Illustrates the desperation of an industrial worker to break free of a bleak existence.

"The Wild Wild Sea" by (you guessed it) Sting - A song of an emotionally fulfilling and adventurous dream.
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Stormy
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Stormy »

I like the sound of "Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac...it makes me think of the beginning for everything, space, energy, the universe from the humble beginnings we know little about, called Infinity. The silent cry, echoed through reality.

-- Updated August 1st, 2012, 10:20 pm to add the following --

I like Tuesdays Gone by Lynyd Skynyrd...I don't know why, maybe that's enough.
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Weight
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Weight »

of course it would be pink floyd the wall.
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SKierLisabonna
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by SKierLisabonna »

Silence.
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Grecorivera5150
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Grecorivera5150 »

Belinda
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Belinda »

***** Riot's punk lyric in the Cathedral is inspiring me with more hope for humanity than I had before.


and


Mache Dich Mein Herze Rein by Bach .I do not know why, except that I can understand the music and the feeling.I am not entirely sure that I should be concerned about my heart being pure or not, but the feeling is a feeling that I have
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Grecorivera5150
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Re: What songs inspire you philosophically?

Post by Grecorivera5150 »

Belinda wrote:***** Riot's punk lyric in the Cathedral is inspiring me with more hope for humanity than I had before.


and


Mache Dich Mein Herze Rein by Bach .I do not know why, except that I can understand the music and the feeling.I am not entirely sure that I should be concerned about my heart being pure or not, but the feeling is a feeling that I have

That was a crazy tune. They have a video version on you tube as well as a video of the original footage of them in the cathedral without any music. This took some serious overies.
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