Music about society alludes to a myriad of different things. From tracks about political disgust and feeling outcast from the world, to tracks tackling upper-class lifestyles and the concept of celebrity, our playlist of pop and rock songs about society crosses the genres and covers it all.
Songs About Society
1. Valley – Society
Valley’s quirky indie-style pop track, Society, sheds light on the manipulative pressures of the music industry.
This should-be-optimistic song about attempting to find fame as a musician contrastingly comes from the society-hating perspective of a rising star in an industry they know is inherently toxic, but is their lifeblood regardless;
“Ironically, I wanna be a piece of everything I hate on TMZ … Hang on, I thought I was winning, I made a fool of myself, society sucks, I think I messed up, I think I sold out on the day I signed up for society.”
2. The Small Society – Political Songs Don’t Sell Anymore
This obscure indie pop track by The Small Society exemplifies Valley’s sentiments above through artful irony, subverting their title with a song about love.
Political Songs Don’t Sell Anymore exhibits the concept literally, the Brit-rock band crafting their lyrics around resentment for an ex, whilst translating equally as well to political disgust; disguising their true theme under the common light of pop culture, as being direct in their message simply wouldn’t sell;
“Silence would be okay if there was nothing left to say, being you would be just fine if there was nothing on my mind.”
The Small Society give glimpses of the truth in their bridge section, cementing the dominating theme of manipulative control and separating from the herd and recognising;
“When the day comes, when I’m just someone you can sell… There’s more to life than the market price and the money you could make, not making it to number 1 is the risk we’re willing to take.”
3. Title Fight – Secret Society
Title Fight’s punk-inspired emo rock track, Secret Society, is anchored in a metaphor for concealing your true depressive apathy for society, the narrator’s distaste covertly gathering any disenchanted listeners to form their own secret society against the mainstream;
“I was the one who locked the door, I lost the key, I said, ‘Everything is fine with me,’ I lied through my teeth, I’ve lost all of my self respect, I’m such a wreck. I think it’s sad you’ll never know, my true feelings will never show.”
Smothering their track in youthfully overwhelming levels of raw distortion and putting imperfection before falsehood, this is a rock anthem for anyone rebelling against society.
4. Little Mix – Woman’s World
Little Mix’s 2018 album track, Woman’s World, centres around feminist themes of gender inequality and the perpetually imbalanced struggle of women living in a man’s world.
Through each timelessly profound sentiment and anecdote woven into their lyrics, a determined message of societal change and peace-seeking emerges, empowering their majoritively teen female audience to embrace smarts as well as beauty, whilst sparking the next generation’s continuation of the feminist movement;
“If you never been told how you gotta be, what you gotta wear, how you gotta speak, if you never shouted to be heard, you ain’t lived in a woman’s world.”
5. Louis Armstrong – High Society
Louis Armstrong’s 1954 release, High Society, gives a refreshing twist to our playlist’s sound so far, his calypso track composed with an innately uplifting, summery soundscape crafted from bongos and hula-style guitar riffs.
This track is about aspiring to attain vintage riches and socialite status as a musician, uniquely underlayed with humble human connection, the narrator seeking to lift a friend from his heartbreak by enticing the ex back through his trumpet playing.
Most strikingly is the opposition of soul-inspiring harmony to bluesy lyrical melancholy, mirroring the notion that money, fame and upper class lifestyles don’t always equate to happiness.
6. Eddie Vedder – Society
Eddie Vedder’s 2018 acoustic track, Society, harnesses elements of country within its soundscape, padding his plush, story-based lyrics about fleeing from society to a simpler life.
Vedder adopts the perspective of a man who’s seen through society’s façade and is making his final farewell to the life he’d always despised, but had failed to pinpoint exactly why, until now;
“It’s a mystery to me, we have a greed, with which we have agreed, you think you have to want more than you need, until you have it all, you won’t be free. Society, you’re a crazy breed, I hope you’re not lonely without me.”
7. John Mayer – Waiting On The World To Change
John Mayer’s 2006 hit, Waiting On The World To Change, is a political pop track about seeking the strength to rise above the system which contains you.
Mayer focuses his lyrics upon the inertia of society in the face of trouble, and the modern mentality to sit back and let those in power solve the problems they’ve created;
“We see everything that’s going wrong with the world and those who lead it, we just feel like we don’t have the means to rise above and beat it, so we keep waiting, waiting on the world to change.”
Mayer counteracts his initial complacency by publicising the discrete forms of escapism-based tyranny, controllably hidden from the public’s conscience by their governments;
“When you trust your television, what you get is what you got, ’cause when they own the information, they can bend it all they want.”
8. OneRepublic – Truth To Power
OneRepublic’s 2017 pop soundtrack for climate change documentary, Truth To Power, is a grippingly emotive track about natural preservation.
OneRepublic uniquely adopt the perspective of the Earth, personifying the planet as a living, ancient being that illustrates its struggles whilst only wanting to nurture and inspire its inhabitants.
This is a track about casting out your fears for the greater good and persevering through both personal and natural disasters with optimism in the place of wallowing anguish;
“I could tell you I was fragile, I could tell you I was weak, I could write you out a letter, tell you anything you need, I’ve seen minutes turn to hours, hours turn to years, and I’ve seen truth turn to power.”