Worldly Success and Liberation

Heads up because there's foul language in a lot of these songs.


Worldly Success:

1.) Zimmer's Hole, "We Rule The Fucking Land," Metal, 2008
2.) Fear Factory, "Fear Campaign," Metal, 2010
3.) Celtic Frost, "Ain Elohim," Metal, 2006
4.) Iron Maiden, "Powerslave," Metal, 1984
5.) Devin Townsend, "Planet Smasher," Metal/Progressive, 2007

Liberation:

1.) Devin Townsend, "Soul Driven," Metal/Prog, 1998
2.) Black Sabbath, "A National Acrobat," Rock/Metal, 1973
3.) KISS, "We Are One," Rock, 1998
4.) Fear Factory, "Resurrection," Metal, 1998
5.) Sigh, "Scarlet Dream," Metal, 2001


I wound up using primarily metal songs for this post because in truth that's primarily what I listen to. Because metal tends to be darker (and sillier) in its lyrical nature than other genres, the metal definition of worldly success doesn't include much in terms of material wealth, but rather focuses on having power over others. This is most easily demonstrated by the song I embedded, "We Rule The Fucking Land." Even if you didn't listen to it, the title tells you everything you need to know about the attitude of the song. Zimmer's Hole is kind of a tongue-in-cheek group, so their use of this title is an exaggeration of the attitude of a lot of other corny metal bands. A huge difference between the metal understanding of this aim is that these bands are expressing worldly success garnered decidedly without any help from any faith or religion, as demonstrated by Celtic Frost's "Ain Elohim," which means "Without God." On the flip side of this lust for power, there are several metal songs that critique such an aim. "Fear Campaign" criticizes the methods used to obtain and secure such power, while "Powerslave" and "Planet Smasher" both express an ideal in common with the Hindu understandings of this aim: that power is ultimately impermanent and fickle. Which brings us to the next aim.

When worldly success and the other earthly aims leave one unfulfilled, the last remaining aim is that of liberation. Since the lyrics of many metal bands are either secular or downright blasphemous, this aim is not really expressed in explicit religious terms, but it is still expressed in some form or another. For example, the Kiss song up there was most likely written to express a connection with the band's many fans, the lyrics are vague enough in their discussion of oneness and letting one's spirit fly that they can readily be interpreted as encouraging liberation and an escape from samsura. Other songs, such as "A National Acrobat," are sung from the point of view of some sort of entity that perhaps has already experienced liberation, expressing a knowledge of unknowable information ("I am the world that hides/the universal secret of all time"). Even though these songs differ from the Hindu tradition in that they are more secular, what they share in common with that tradition is the desire for knowledge over ignorance. "Scarlet Dream" and "Soul Driven" both show the speaker searching for answers that the apparent world cannot give.

The Aims of Pleasure and Community Service

Pleasure:

1. Bad Religion, "Billy," Punk Rock, 1989
2. Bad Religion, "Where The Fun Is," Rock, 2010
3. Bad Religion, "Can't Stop It," Punk Rock, 2002
4. Bad Religion, "I Love My Computer," Rock, 2000
5. Bad Religion, "Get Off," Punk Rock, 1990

Community Service:

1. Bad Religion, "I Want To Conquer The World," Punk Rock, 1989
2. Bad Religion, "Modern Day Catastrophists," Punk Rock, 1993
3. Bad Religion, "It's A Long Way To The Promise Land," Rock, 2000
4. Bad Religion, "Parallel," Punk Rock, 1996
5. Bad Religion, "Too Much To Ask," 1992

First of all, I know we didn't have to only choose songs by one artist, but I thought it would be fun, so I did it. Second of all, I picked Bad Religion because they have a big catalog to choose from and I liked the thought of using a band called Bad Religion for a religion class. Plus, it's interesting to see how Hindu beliefs represent themselves in decidedly secular music.

In a lot of punk rock, there are calls for changes to the status quo, and Bad Religion can usually be counted on to do so in a more positive and constructive tone than a lot of their peers. If a band is singing things like "The government is lame!" or "I hate you, dad," then to me, the aim of true community service isn't as clear as it is in something like "It's a long way to the promise land/if we work we might find it here." And though the title of "I Want to Conquer the World" suggests that it would better represent the Worldly Success aim, the chorus lyrics illustrate what the singer would do to help the world if he had that kind of complete control.

The songs about pleasure differ from the Hindu view of the aim (that pleasure is an acceptable pursuit if followed responsibly) in that pleasure seems more like an unwelcome temptation that distracts from the community service aim. Both "Get Off" and "Can't Stop It" seem to be about the singer's inability to control his urges, try as he might. And even the lyrics of "I Love My Computer," which offer little hint of shame for the singer's pleasure-seeking, are set over a slow, slightly dark piece of music. Thus, the line "I've never been quite so happy" is hard to hear as anything but sarcastic. "Billy" is the clearest example of pleasure-seeking being viewed as something wasteful, as the titular boy "squandered the hours of his day."

I think the fact that the songs about pleasure are viewed through this filter of community service stems from the fact that punk rock bands from the Eighties were generally started with social and political ideas already in their minds (as evident even by Bad Religion's band name). Growing up with that aim as a focus, it would have been silly to then turn around and write a song about rocking and rolling all night and partying every day. And on the flip side, artists that start off singing about how great pleasure is always sound ridiculous if they try to get serious later on (like Van Halen did. Sammy Hagar is a turd with a goatee).