The Mayan Apocalypse was a no-show on December 21, 2012, leaving doomsday dreamers scrambling to find a new date for end times. Whether by war, nature, prophecy or aliens, the end of the world is a source of endless inspiration for musicians, and there are countless songs documenting the details surrounding such times. So while you’re digging that bomb shelter or building your spaceship to fly away from this doomed planet, enjoy our very own Rockin’ The Apocalypse playlist, with ten awesome Armageddon songs to make a party of even the most fiery finale!
R.E.M. — “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”
The perfect singalong to welcome the apocalypse! A featured track on every end-times playlist, “End of the World” is among R.E.M.’s most infectiously catchy tracks. It just so happens to be a song about being perfectly comfortable with the whole circus crashing down, in fact meeting the end with a giddy smile.
David Bowie – “Five Years”
What happens when the world runs out of resources, and we’re given a five-year notice on armageddon? Our narrator, Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust alter-ego, embraces the inconceivable chaos of the oncoming apocalypse, and emphasizes a message of love before it all comes to an end.
Tom Waits – “The Earth Died Screaming”
It’s fitting that this gravely, plunking Waits gem was used in the post-apocalyptic Brad Pitt/Bruce Willis film Twelve Monkeys – it’s a twistedly poetic ode to a doomed planet, documenting the arrival of the end with such vivid imagery as this: “There was thunder, there was lightning. then the stars went out / And the moon fell from the sky, it rained mackerel, it rained trout”
The Postal Service — “We Will Become Silhouettes”
Electronic producer Dntel and Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard have returned to give new life to their collaboration album Give Up, and despite some of the more uplifting ethereal songs on the album, it certainly had its share of darkness. In the fan-favorite “We Will Become Silhouettes,” Gibbard laments the fact that the world outside the bomb shelter only holds inevitable, horrible death now that the apocalypse has arrived.
“Because the air outside will make our cells / Divide at an alarming rate until our shells / Simply cannot hold all our insides in/And that’s when we’ll explode / and it won’t be a pretty sight”
U2 – “Until The End of The World”
A master of double meanings, U2 frontman Bono takes a hard look at an impossible woman in a doomed relationship and spins it into an actual doomsday prophecy. Whether you’ve felt death creeping up on you (and somehow escaped) or just found yourself in a relationship where pessimism blots out the sun, there’s a little bit of something in this song for every morose spirit out there.
Soundgarden – “Blow Up The Outside World”
A man finding himself a survivor after going through inconceivable trials and tribulations, realizes that he’s not going to be happy unless he can simply watch it all go to hell. He knows it’s not possible, but he can still dream of ending it all. “Trying though I know it’s wrong / blowing it to hell and gone / Wishing though I never could / Blow up the outside world”
Elvis Costello – “Waiting for the End of the World”
The final track off Costello’s solo debut is perfectly poppy doomsday listening. When end times are upon us, who’s going to bother with scandals and lies? “Dear Lord, I sincerely hope you’re coming, ’cause you really started something,” Costello urges as he lays out a narrative of characters hedging their bets and flying too close to the sun, counting on the end to absolve them of their wrongdoings and flaws.
Muse – “Apocalypse Please”
Centering on religious fanatics praying for the end so their beliefs will be confirmed around a swarming piano, Muse’s rock assault holds a flame to the hypocrisy of fanaticism. “This is the end of the world, it’s time we saw a miracle / Come on, it’s time for something biblical,” singer Matt Bellamy urges, calling for a sign worth believing.
Nine Inch Nails – “The Day The Whole World Went Away”
A torturously slow build sets the stage for the dystopian visions of what’s to come. Featured on the magnificent double album The Fragile, as well as the trailer for Terminator: Salvation, the song could be interpreted as a man simply being shunned from all that he knows and loves – or, it could be perceived as a song about hellfire raining down and eliminating the world. Choose your own dark and twisted adventure!!
The Clash – “Armigideon Time”
Originally by Jamaican reggae and dub musician Willi Williams, the B-side of the Clash’s “London Calling” single delivers the isolating truth about what happens at The End: you’re going to head into that great unknown all alone, just as you were when you came out of it. But hey, at least you’ll have The Clash as a soundtrack to the end of it all.
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