What are your favorite songs about atheism?

What are your favorite songs that have a message about atheism?

I think the first song I remember hearing that had a clearly atheistic message was Freewill, by Rush.

I found this one more recently: Shine a Little Light, by The Black Keys. I like The Black Keys, but hadn't heard this album before. The lyrics are describing a person struggling with their faith. I like the part in the second verse about not being recognized by your old community.

25 points · 34 comments · view on lemmy.world

34 Comments

grue@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 257d (1 reply)

All these comments and nobody's basic-bitch enough to mention Imagine by John Lennon? I don't know if it's the best song, but it's the obvious first one I thought of when I read the question.

FritzApollo@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 257d

Heh. I played this at a Christmas street party years ago, and I had a gaggle of bitter old women march towards me, intent on causing trouble. They told me the song's satanic because "imagine no religion" is exactly the same thing as "imagine no God/spiritual presence". I replied that the song is actually about the kind of religion that turns people nasty, like them. I turned around to get support from my band, only to see them half a mile down the road. Very memorable Christmas street party, that one.

albbi@piefed.ca · 8 pts · 257d (1 reply)

Atheists don't have no songs

I love Steve Martin.

tuckerm@feddit.online · 2 pts · 257d

I hadn't heard this one before, that was amazing. :D

banazir@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 257d

God Was Never On Your Side by Motörhead. Lemmy was always highly critical of religion, and I think that is his definitive statement on the matter. He's an underappreciated writer.

AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 257d

Maybe "Dear God," by XTC?

CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 257d

“Judith” by A Perfect Circle, and Tool’s “Wings for Marie” are both pretty down on religion. Both are excellent songs, and they are about the same person.

wols@piefed.social · 6 pts · 257d

I enjoy Tim Minchin's fun piano playing and cheeky lyrics: Tim Minchin - Thank You God

FritzApollo@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 257d
whyrat@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 257d

Two of my favorites are kind of tangential; but certainly involving atheism as a main theme:

Vampire Weekend "Unbelievers": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJd5EMB9im0

Death Cab For Cutie "I Will Follow You Into the Dark": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iV_1ESMHaI

I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 257d

Thank You God by Tim Minchin

https://youtu.be/IZeWPScnolo.

Kolanaki@pawb.social · 4 pts · 257d

I don't think I know any, unless maybe A Perfect Circle's Judith counts. It's definitely anti-god.

Or possibly Thoughts of a Dying Atheist by Muse.

nullroot@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 257d (1 reply)

origin of species by mc frontalot

tuckerm@feddit.online · 1 pts · 254d

Oh nice, I haven't heard this one before. I've been listening to his album "Solved" a lot lately.

MolochHorridus@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 257d (2 replies)

Pantera has a couple of nice ones. More about anti religion than atheism per se, but still.

Heresy: https://youtu.be/rc-19z52Da0

Slaughtered: https://youtu.be/8DnUwNops-E

baggachipz@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 257d (1 reply)

Panthera

Vulgar Display of Purr

MolochHorridus@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 257d

Thanks for a laugh!

Pat_Riot@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 257d (1 reply)

Bad Religion have a few, but that's pert'near cheating.

hondaguy97386@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 257d

Right? I was going to put a couple of NOFX songs but that seems too easy too.

user_name@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 257d

“No Gods & Precious Few Heroes” by Dick Gaughan. A lot of his stuff is similarly themed: “Revolution” and “Stand Up for Judas” also come to mind. He’s a Scottish communist folk singer.

FuglyDuck@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 257d (1 reply)

I... don't really have a favorite song about atheism.

I'll just go with "I'm Free... Free Balling" by that guy who apparently really likes going commando. (I'll take misheard lyrics for 100, alex.)

tuckerm@feddit.online · 1 pts · 257d

I mean, he did leave that girl, who loves Jesus, and America too. Could be atheist.

5in1k@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 257d
P00ptart@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 256d

Lol nobody's mentioned Ghost yet? I'll go with watcher in the sky by Ghost.

sem@piefed.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 257d

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Aqw0jROxPxs curious if this counts. (Relatable to me as an agnostic).

Probspot - God Shaped Hole

HotHamWater@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 255d

Modest Mouse Third Planet.

It's very subtle, but there's a lot of atheist sentiment in there.

cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 257d

Would you say The Trees, also by Rush, is more about politics or religion? I take the line about “hammer, axe, and saw” to be about anything that divides people. Though it might not actually be about religion. I don’t know. I do like that song by them though.

botbot@feddit.org · 1 pts · 50d
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baggachipz@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 257d

Man in the Box by Alice in Chains

hendrik@palaver.p3x.de · 1 pts · 257d

I don't think it's my favourite, but a bit ago Tidal played "Mein Gott hat den Längsten" from Alligatoah for me. A rap song basically how his God has the biggest ... He reads between the lines of scripture and signals for his God with a pile of dead people. And all the plundering and murdering shows salvation to people and makes them blessed.
Not exactly atheism, more anti-religion. Songs has a lot of text and proceeds from Islam over Christianity to death cults.

FritzApollo@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 257d
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ghostlychonk@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 257d
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anton@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 257d

I don't know many, so I would go with The preacher and the slave. It's an old but good piece on the intersection of religion and capitalist oppression.

EchoCranium@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 257d

"No" by the Subhumans, if you like old '80s punk. Anti-religion and anti-establishment.

SteveCC@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 257d
essell@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 257d

"The green and grey"

Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 257d

Big Houses by Squalloscope is a song about leaving formal religion while having appreciation for the human aspects that modern religion is distinct from. My favourite line is "I have a soft spot for your ancient book of horror stories."