Punk Rock Music Lyrics And Bands

Classic punk songs like "California Uber Alles," "Anarchy in the UK," "God Save the Queen", "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Blitzkrieg Bop", although considered by many to be punk music standards, are familiar even to those who may claim to have never heard or listened to punk music. Punk music has long been considered by many as a violent, "primitive" and "animalistic" subculture. Often overlooked because of the more popular portrayal of its negative stereotype, the punk music scene, songs, and lyrics are rarely considered products of a "personal expression of uniqueness" and rarer still, as a statement of the "experience of growing up in touch with [the] human ability to reason and ask questions."

Despite the seemingly antithetical commercial success of punk bands and popularity of punk music, pure or fused, the genre still holds true to the "ability to reason and ask questions," to challenge common social conventions, and put forth a strong anti-authoritarian/ anti-establishment message. Punk as a philosophy has embraced an agenda that challenges government absolutism, social conformism, and consumerism. The music also embraces progressive stands on social and political concerns on a gamut of issues from environmentalism and animal rights to legal rights and liberties, and broadly as anti-war/ pro-peace advocates.

Punk lyrics have made punk bands unofficial spokespeople for many different causes. However, the best punk lyrics writers have the gift of delivering their message without sounding like politicos or news network commentators. Although plenty of punk bands like Anti-Flag have successfully used sloganeering in punk lyrics, some of the best punk music is hopelessly acidulous, best known for its sarcasm and satirizing. These are characteristic of punk legends like Jello Biafra, former frontman of the Dead Kennedys and Fat Mike of NoFX fame. Others, like the punk music of singer/ songwriter Greg Graffin of Bad Religion, are meticulously melodic.

Although punk music is looked at as an agent of social, economic and political change, it has also had to fight hard against the tide of its stereotype. However, punk music has made strides legitimizing that effort, and the effort has been noticed. Congressman Jim McDermot (WA-D), saluted the efforts of Justin Sane, Chris Head, Chris Two and Pat Thetic in a speech before the United States House of Representatives, for their efforts to encourage Americans to register and vote. What was unique was that the "four young men" were the members of punk music icon, Anti-Flag. McDermot applauded Anti-Flag's efforts to inform the youth of America about "where to go and fight [against] an administration that will not talk straight to the American people." Congressman McDermot made an example of Anti-Flag's straight-edged lifestyle (a punk music movement espousing alcohol and drug use among other indulgences) and to recognize the "great [messages]" of punk music, despite the "interesting colored hairdos."


Sources:
Greg Graffin. “A Punk Manifesto.” Bad Religion. 1998. Bad Times. 28 Mar. 2007. http://badreligion.com/news/essays.php?id=5.
“Voting Is Going To be the Thing In 2004.” United States Congressman Jim McDermot.  2007. 28 Mar. 2007. http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/sp041008a.shtml.
"Punk Ideologies." Wikipedia. 28 Mar. 2007. 28 Mar. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_ideology