Dall'album "La casa di Alice"

[1965]
Testo di Thomas Frank
Musica di Michel Polnareff

[1966]
Testo di Silvio Settimi
Musica: Ripresa da Russian Spy and I degli Hunters

Il testo, scritto da Silvio Settimi, il chitarrista dei Jaguars, prendendo come base musicale un successo internazionale del gruppo olandese degli Hunters ("Russian Spy and I", Io e la spia russa), prende spunto, secondo una testimonianza dello stesso autore, proprio dall'ambientazione musicale con sonorità russe per sviluppare una storia originale. Si immagina che il protagonista della vicenda sia un anziano capo nomade russo o cosacco, che riunisce i suoi seguaci nell'ora della morte e lascia loro un messaggio di pace e di speranza per il futuro. Intorno il resto della tribù fa una festa di addio per il vecchio capo, immaginiamo attorno ad un falò notturno, con danze e canti russi.


Il tema pacifista e la ambientazione drammatica danno comunque alla canzone un tono "di protesta" che la pone accanto... (continua)

[1966]
Testo e musica di Roberto Castiglione

Un notevole brano beat nello stile di P.F.Sloan (l'autore di Eve Of Destruction, il grande successo di Barry McGuire) scritto e interpretato da uno dei più significativi cantautori beat, Roby Crispiano (Roberto Castiglione). Programmato dalle radio all'epoca (a Bandiera gialla, dove vinse diventando "canzone regina" e a Per voi giovani), ebbe anche un buon successo, aiutato anche dalla particolare voce roca di Roby e dalla sua convinta interpretazione. Crispiano - Castiglione, che ebbe altri buoni successi come ade esempio Brennero '66, presentata al Festival delle Rose in coppia con la prima formazione dei Pooh (e con annessi guai da parte della censura RAI), abbandonò presto la carriera musicale per non scendere ai compromessi richiesti dall'ambiente e dai discografici dopo la fine dell'epoca d'oro del beat, abbracciando una carriera di venditore... (continua)

[1998]
Da/From "Before These Crowded Streets"

This song is about inhumanity, particularly in the context of war. The song contradicts the belief that war is necessary to eventually reach peace, as displayed in the lyrics "War, the only way to peace, well I don't fall for that." The song also talks about the way people kill others without even thinking about it, almost in a robotic fashion: "How is this hate so deep, lead us all so blindly killing killing, fools we are." The song also discusses the US government's lies concerning war and their idea of supremacy in the world: "Right is wrong now, shut up you big lie." The last topic discussed is the pain caused by war, especially towards the families of those killed: "Mother's cry is hate so deep, must a baby's bones this hungry fire feed." (thanks, Liz - Ridgewood, NJ)

*

This song is obviously about Jerusalem, "the last stop" on a migragtion... (continua)

[1970]
Da / From "Question Of Balance"



Band member Justin Hayward wrote this. It reflected the thoughts of many young people who were questioning the war in Vietnam.
This was the opening track on their Question Of Balance album. It was recorded several months earlier than the other tracks on the album and its title was shortened from "Question Of Balance" to "Question"
in the liner notes of the 1997 remastered CD, Hayward wrote: "Sometime before we taped the album, we (documented) 'Question,' which was a song that I didn't have on Friday night for a session (the next day). But, by the morning, I had it and it was recorded very quickly." Hayward adds that it was "Recorded live, with no overdubbing or double-tracking, just a bit of echo."
In The UK this became their second biggest hit, after their 1964 #1 hit "Go Now."
Fish, who is the ex-lead singer of the UK rock group Marillion,... (continua)

[2005]
From / Da "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning"

This song is about the Iraq war, which the band feels is completely unnecessary. Conor Oberst sings, "There are kids playing guns in the street/and one's pointing his tree branch at me, so I threw my hands up, I said enough is enough, if you walk away, I'll walk away, then he shot me dead." This song suggests that even the youth are marred with violence. (thanks, Robin - Huntertown, IN)

*

I agree. I think it's about many different things, not only the Irag War. It says a lot about running away from different situations, I think. One of my favorite verses in this is, "We made love on the living room floor With the noise in background of a televised war And in the deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say 'If we walk away, they 32ll walk away'" I think that verse just speaks so much about how you can never be free of war and pain and... (continua)

[1971]
Da / From "The Yes Album"

This is an anti-war song: The term "I've seen all good people" is ALL the people, including the so-called enemy.
The line, "Don't surround yourself with yourself" refers to self-righteous behavior; "Move on back two squares" is a chess term meaning to retreat and rethink your position. The lyrics also refer to the queen, which is the most versatile and powerful chess piece. It talks about how news is captured for use by the queen, which uses forces to take control and manipulate troops against the enemy. War is like a game of chess.
This song references "Instant Karma" which was a song recorded by John Lennon a year earlier.
The lines: "Just remember that the gold is for us to capture all we want, anywhere, Yea, yea, yea" refers to the rich and powerful victimizing the weak and poor. The US was taken off the Gold standard by Richard Nixon August 15, 1971... (continua)

[1998]
Da / From " This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours"


Commento di Giacomo:

The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold

La frase-monito per l'attuale generazione, che non puo' combattere una guerra.

'So if I can shoot rabbits
Then I can shoot fascists'

Molti sostengono che questa sia la frase pronunciata da un allevatore che ando' a combattere la guerra...

Bullets for your brain today
But we'll forget it all again

La guerra civile spagnola fu "presto" dimenticata dall'inizio della seconda guerra mondiale

Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder

Gli eroi nazionali che compaiono sui giornali fanno sentire i giovani (di oggi) dei "codardi" (gutless)

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will... (continua)

Dal'album: Comunque contro

[2000]
Da/From "The State"

This is about Concentration Camps/Death Camps during World War II. The "Human Mile" refers to the Jews who will never come back. (thanks, Jay - Reading, England)

(From "Songfacts")

[1983]
Da / From "Piece Of Mind"

This song is based on the Crimean War, which was fought by the Russians and the Ottoman Empire (England, France, and Sardinia). There are several mentions of the Russians such as, "The mighty roar of the Russian guns" and "When a Russian gets me in his sights." (thanks, Michael Olsen - West Hills, CA)

*

As it mentions in the songfacts section this track is indeed about the Crimean War Between Russia and Britain.
- Steven, Penzance, England

(From "Songfacts")

[1990]
Da / From "No Prayer For The Dying"

A sequel to Maiden's 1984 song Aces High It depicts the battle from another perspective. It was co-written by Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris.
Contains the harshest profanity Iron Maiden has ever used in their song lyrics- the F-word.
Bruce Dickinson: "The title came from a porno movie about anal sex. Then I thought, well I can't write the lyrics about that, so I write it about real tailgunners. I had some words which began 'Trace your way back fifty years, to the glow of Dresden, blood and tears.' I know we shouldn't mention the war but it's about the attitude of bombing people. It was real death in the skies back then. But there aren't any tailgunners on planes anymore, it's all done by computers using missiles. At least it used to be man-on-man, but now it's machine-on-machine. Who uses bullets anymore?"
The first track off the album, it... (continua)

[2000]
Da / From "Bang Bang"



This song tells a story about a brilliant and battle-torn young general who has a dream in which he realizes the futility of war. He then attempts to persuade his men that they do not have to participate in the battle, but that he would fulfill the job he had sworn to do. He wants them to leave and live a full life, but none of his men will leave him. (thanks, Jim - Pittsburgh, PA)

*

When I first heard this song, it was at a service project program call Sierra Service Project, where a counselor sang it for us while accompanying himself on guitar. It seemed then, and it still seems now, that this song is religious in nature. The whole song to me seems like an extended metaphor for Jesus, or some other "savior"-type person. for the sake of simplicity, let's just say its Jesus. It seems to me that you could make the connection between Jesus and the General... (continua)