Don't Tell the Band... History References in Songs

L.O.C. 04402

This post will reveal a bit about my personality. As I was working through a weekend's worth of email this morning I was listening to a music playlist of mine titled, "Dead, Phish, Panic." In it there is a song by Widespread Panic titled Don't Tell the Band. In it there are references to the Battle of Gettysburg and the sinking of the Titanic. But I'm not sure that all history students would pick up on the references.

Listening to Don't Tell the Band got me wondering about other songs that make veiled and not-so-veiled references to significant events in history. Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire is the obvious one, but what else is out there? I've added a few songs below. Please leave a comment if you have more to add to the list.


Barry McGuire - The Eve of Destruction
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young - Ohio