History in Music

Frenjamin Church returns for a deep dive into Tennessee Ernie Ford's take on The Ballad of Davy Crockett. While Disney might have revitalized the King of the Wild Frontier for 1950s TV, the real Crockett was a rugged frontiersman who went from dirt-poor Tennessee hunter to Congress, fought for and then against (politically) Andrew Jackson, and died fighting at the Alamo rather than retire to a cus...

Returning guest and friend of the show Giordano joins us as we wax patriotic discussing Bruce Springsteen's 1984 Born in the U.S.A. We pick apart Springsteen's ironic rock ballad memorializing a returning Vietnam veteran's blackpilling at the bleak events of his pre and post-war life and decide that the song is based and cool actually (we're media literacy experts). After all, what's more American...

Frenjamin Church joins us for a moving discussion of Sabaton's 2014 Hearts of Iron. Sabaton lauds the unsung heroes of the Second World War and sheds much needed light on an underserved part of history: the Wehrmacht soldiers protecting Berlin (and it's civilians) in May 1945. The song specifically deals with a lesser known theater in the Battle of Berlin known as the Battle of Halbe (or the Halbe...

For our 25th episode Scott Fischbuch joins us for a much needed white pill. We discuss the traditional Irish hymn Be Thou My Vision (Rop tú mo baile in Irish). Originating in the 6th Century AD and written in Old Irish, the hymn was not translated into English until 1905 and was not set to music until 1919. The poem was written by the Ollamh Érenn (Chief Poet of Ireland) Eochaid mac Colla (AKA Sai...

Tyler Magleby joins us for an uplifting discusson centered around Yellowcard's "Believe." The song, while written in 2003, praises the first responders that sacrificed and died during the 9/11 attacks in New York City in 2001. A much needed whitepill in today's cynical and negative world. The world changed 22 years ago (partially for the better and partially for the worst) as a result of this even...

Movie theater snack purveyor and 60's BritRock enjoyer Hot Buttered Popcorn (of Twitter fame) joins us for Episode 23; discussing The Kinks' 1969 song Shangri-La. The song, relevant today more than ever, was a sleeper when it was released 50 years ago. The Kinks sarcastically poke fun at normie mentality and the inflexibility of middle-classism and beg the question, what if it's all fake? Resonant...

Oh you were canceled for your political beliefs anon? Imagine having your whole country canceled. Fellow podcaster Patrick Payne joins us for a riveting traipse through Rome's 2014 song One Fire from his album A Passage to Rhodesia. Despite Rome's (Jerome Reuter's) lefty sensibilities, his hauntingly mournful ode to the people and state of Rhodesia provided excellent fodder for a rousing discussio...

Forget your political compass and Myers-Briggs tests, what's your favorite Napoleonic Wars Coalition War? If you're a Sixth Coalitioner, this episode is your episode. Scott and I were joined by veteran podcaster and barbecue enjoyer Joe McGregor to talk through Johnny Horton's 1959 The Battle of New Orleans. An in-depth discussion of the War of 1812, the eponymous battle, and it's later results fo...

In celebration of our 20th episode we are discussing Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son from 1969. Bro. Felix joins us for a stimulating conversation on the Vietnam War, the Draft, David Eisenhower, John McCain, and all things Fogerty. Were you born with star spangled eyes anon? Your country's military-industrial complex plays Hail to the Chief and points the cannon at you, wyd? Link to...

This episode is brought to you by the film Raising Arizona (1987). Down in the Willow Garden is an old Applachian folk song and murder ballad. In this episode, famed podcaster and movie buff Granite discusses Bon Iver and The Chieftains' rendition of this classic song. An intriguing discussion on the history of murder ballads and women's inexplicable obsession with CSI whodunnit Dateline murder my...

Hark! A dark deed has been done and scurrilous work is afoot Give an ear as John Taylor entreats us with a discussion of English Curse by Frank Turner. The song is an instrument-less ballad from 2011's England Keep My Bones. The tune is brimming with Englishness and condemns William the Conqueror's exploits in 1st Century England. And more explicity the mysterious circumstances surrounding the dea...

In probably our most scandocious episode yet, we are joined by the world's best bike rider Greg Smith to talk Bad Books' song Pyotr. The indie jam tells of an alleged affair Tsarina Catherine (not Catherine the Great) had which was later discovered by her husband Tsar Peter the Great and ended with rather macabre results. A brief discussion of 17th Century Russia, Peter the Great, St. Petersburg,...

For Episode 16 we were joined by the illustrious Jesus to discuss a folk song from 1799 called Canto dei Sanfedisti. The Sanfedisti were founded by based TradCath Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo in 1799 to drive French revolutionaries and Jacobins from his home in Naples Italy. The song recounts the retaking of Naples in the name of King Ferdinand I - King of the Two Sicilies. Catholics, Royalists, and Ne...

This week we were joined by the History in Music Podcast catalyst and overall Eiffel 65 enthusiast Bobdaduck. Bob's song suggestion for this episode was Bloc Party's Hunting for Witches (released 1/25/2007). The song mentions both the September 11 and July 7 terrorist attacks in New York City and London respectively. Specifically the singer lampoons the mainstream media and what he perceives as a...

This week we were joined in the HiM spacecraft by Giordano Lives AKA The Mambo Wizard AKA The Italian Stallion AKA Mr. Giordano to discuss Drab Majesty's 2017 hit Dot in the Sky. The song is a new new wave hit about the Heaven's Gate cult and their 1997 mass suicide (spoiler alert). What in the Hale-Bopp was Heaven's Gate? Who were Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles? How can one achieve the Ne...

In third chair this week we are joined by resident runic scholar and based metalhead Runes. The song we discuss is Canute the Great (King of Danish Pride) by Rebellion from their 2005 album Sagas of Iceland - The History of the Vikings, Vol. 1. Sail along with us as we raid, pillage, and plunder the historical details of Cnut's life contained in this ballad. How can one man unify the fractured kin...

Dr. Bennett joins us in third chair discussing his song suggestion: Batzorig Vaanchig's rendition of the traditional Mongolian song Chinggis Khaanii Magtaal (Ode to Genghis Khan/In Praise of Genghis Khan). During our discussion of the great Khan's life, we pontificate on the idea of ensuring your own immortality (it may involve conquering most of the world and fathering hundreds of children by mul...

Typhus, scurvy, and dysentery will not stop us - the show must go on. Maladies aside, in this episode we are joined by Tiberius to discuss his song suggestion: Alestorm's 1741 (The Battle of Cartagena). The song (and the album it's taken from ) are inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. The tune specifically tells the story of the 1741 Battle of Cartagena between the British and the Spanish during...

New Mexico stan, history buff, and fluent German-speaker New Mexico Supremacist joins us in third chair for another German folk song. Wir sind des Geyers schwarzer Haufen (We are Geyer's Black Company). The song, while written in the early 1920's, details the struggles of the common man in the German Peasants' War of 1524-1525 and specifically the only heavy calvalry unit to fight on the side of t...

In third chair we are joined by renaissance man and talented musician Beta Pvnk discussing his song suggestion Wind of Change by the Scorpions. The song holds a special place in his heart which comes through in our discussion. This rock ballad is one of the best selling singles of all time, did it also single-handedly bring down the USSR? Was the song actually written by the CIA as a psyop during...

Scott and Sean are joined by Andrew in third chair. We discuss The Pogues' 1985 cover of And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda. The song while fictional, details the horrific slaughter wreaked upon ANZAC soldiers during the WWI Gallipoli Campaign in 1915. The song begs the question of a soldier's sacrifice and what was it all for? Originally written during the Vietnam War but set during The Great W...

Derek joins Scott and Sean to discuss Young the Giant's 2010 song Garands (formerly called Garands at Normandie). While the song itself only vaguely references a soldier searching the woods during WWII, the lyrics inspire a larger discussion on the everyman placed in extraordinary situations. Derek enlightens us on Christopher R. Browning's 1992 book Ordinary Men and it's expose on the "ordinary m...

In this episode Scott and Sean are joined by esteemed podcast guest and published author Nim, in third chair. Spirited discussions ensue addressing Karl Freiherr von Manteuffel-Katzdangen's moving poem Die Grenzwacht hielt im Osten (AKA Die Baltenfahne) which was later set to music. Nim enlightens us on the Interwar period of Germany, Baltic Germans, and the Freikorps. Baltic Germans-where are the...

Matt Wilson joins us to discuss the Screeching Weasel deep track "El Mozote." We expound on the El Mozote Massacre from the El Salvadoran Civil War and the My Lai Massacre from the Vietnam War. Matt imparts his knowledge on the song he picked and the band that inspired so many more well-known punk bands. Join us as we delve deeper into this unknown (and horrific) chapter in El Salvadoran history....

In this episode Scott and Sean are joined by the great Brett Cain. We discuss Gordon Lightfoot's ballad (and his magnum opus) The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the maritime disaster that inspired it. Brett is a published author, artist, boxer, and huge Gordon Lightfoot fan. Think you know everything about Lightfoot's most popular song? Give this episode a listen, you may be surprised... Follo...