Top Twenty Songs to Introduce You to Punk

One thing to remember about punk music is that there's really no defining element that dictates whether or not a song or a band is punk. Metal bands have penned music that is considered punk; so have Elvis Costello, R.E.M, and Fishbone. Joy Division and Bauhaus are seen as two of the original "goth" bands, but before the term goth was coined, they were simply punk. And then there are punk bands that have had crossover hits or experimented with different styles. As a result, you will hear and see many descriptive phrases like glam punk, skater punk, thrash core, ska punk, emo, screamo, slowcore, riot grrl, crust punk, and so on.

Punk's anarchist attitude towards music production, shows, and well...everything...made it the perfect genre for speaking out about social issues. Sure, some of the bravado was just posturing, but for the most part, if your music and fan base operate outside the typical recording industry setup, then you don't have to censor yourself for fear of angering the record gods. Some bands adopted a nihilistic, "no future" approach, while others strove for a positive social message. And some just wanted stripped down rock and roll that was an alternative to disco and overblown arena rock. True, some of it has been adopted for radio-friendly airplay, but if it serves to interest new listeners then why not? I would never consider myself a huge fan of punk music, and yet even I can come up with a list of twenty songs without wrinkling my brow too much. Though these twenty songs are by no means the best of the best, they are my top twenty favorite punk rock songs. You'll find a few links at the end to places you can find the music.

1. "Smash It Up" by The Damned. Punk was never so pretty! While it might leave you with the impression that punk is all about the destructive urge, there's an undeniable wild glee within the catchy lyrics, minimal melody, and crooning vocals.

2. "We Care a Lot" by Faith No More. I've always pictured an army of Care Bears in leather and camouflage marching along to this song.

3. "Trust" by 7 Seconds. 7 Seconds' signature hardcore sound with a positive message.

4. "Rawhide" by The Dead Kennedys. It was a jab at Ronald Regan without being overtly political. Before Jello Biafra really started to run amok with his spoken word whinefests, DK was to punk like Led Zeppelin was to rock. "Rawhide" is one of those great cover tunes that has a personality distinct from the original.

5. "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols. Here are a bunch of pimpled young thugs blatantly ripping on Britain's cherished head of state. Classic!

6. "London Calling" by The Clash. The Clash was such a successful band that it is easy to forget that their music was punk. "London Calling" is a song about waking up to the social problems around us, set to an insistent and urgent beat. To this day it holds up.

7. "Rock 'n' Roll High School" by The Ramones. The most representative of the teen experience in all its carefree, innocent idiocy and descriptions of driving around in a GTO looking to get kicks and chicks.

8. "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies. It's like eavesdropping at your surly teen's closed bedroom door. All I wanted was a Pepsi!

9. "Blister in the Sun" by The Violent Femmes. The gateway drug for punk that introduced a lot of pop and new wave fans to the genre. You started tapping your feet and nodding your head and before you knew it, you were in Sam Goody buying a Black Flag album.

10. "Aren't You Hungry?" by S.O.D. Facetious, funny, and outrageously offensive lyrics. One of the band members has stated that they "never intended to be serious" and only meant to irritate people. It worked.

11. "The End of the World As We Know It" by R.E.M. Another lightweight tune, but proof that a good beat and catchy hook aren't off limits for punk music.

12. "On the Verge" by Le Tigre. Few female artists succeed in punk. Sure, there's Patti Smith, Blondie (sort of), and Wendy O. Williams but considering the vast ocean of music out there, that's a miniscule sampling. Yeah, yeah, The Donnas - whatever. I think women are afraid to be nasty and ugly and sweaty, which is the whole point of punk. Le Tigre pretty much steps up and sticks their armpits in your face - in drag.

13. "Party at Ground Zero" by Fishbone. More ska than punk, but the members of Fishbone have never defined themselves as ska and some of their sound is fairly hardcore. Party at Ground Zero is not, but to me it's got all the elements of good punk - a fast beat, lyrics about something horrible, and band members with crazy hair.

14. "Repeater" by Fugazi. Like 7 Seconds, Fugazi managed to be straight edge without looking weak. I have to say that I still prefer 7 Seconds to Fugazi, but I recognize that Fugazi is a big name for punk fans. And actually, 7 Seconds never did call themselves "straight edge" while Fugazi hit you over the head with it.

15. "Lust For Life" by The Stooges. It's been taken over by commercials, but still is a great Stooges song.

16. "Hot Freaks" by Guided by Voices. The other side of punk - wallowing in hormones.

17. "Disco Sucks" by D.O.A. The highlight of my wanna-be rebel, under-twenty live music years was at a D.O.A. show. Fairly influential in their day, although they're barely remembered now.

18. "Partytime" by .45 Grave. A one hit wonder from the Return of the Living Dead soundtrack, but what a hit!

19. "Caught in a Mosh" by Anthrax. Those of who heard it back in the day can still recite it by heart twenty years later.

20. "Get the Time" by the Descendents. Off their goofy "Enjoy!" album, "Get the Time" was an emotional heart-warmer in the middle of an album of fart jokes. Proof that under all that hardcore, even punks have a soft core.

When possible, in the true punk spirit, I've included a link directly to the band's web page for your purchasing convenience (or at least a link at their site to click through - they might get affiliate revenue that way). If you can't find it there, then by all means head to iTunes and the like...although you might find it interesting to check out your local record (yes, record) store and browse the vinyl. Some of the old album artwork is as great as the music. Have fun, and remember: if it's too loud, then you're too old!

iTunes
Rhapsody
Amazon
Faith No More's music page
7 Seconds' MySpace Music page
The Sex Pistols link to Amazon.co.uk
The Clash's official band site
The Ramones store
Official Suicidal Tendencies Merch Shop
The Violent Femmes Merchandise
Fishbone's iTunes link
Le Tigre's Webstore
Fugazi's band page at Dischord
Guided By Voices' comprehensive and extremely eye-crossing Merchandise page
D.O.A.'s MySpace Music page
Return of the Living Dead Soundtrack Amazon link
Anthrax BandMerch Store and a double thumbs up to Scott Ian for knowing how to punctuate "CDs" correctly - unlike most everyone else!
The Descendents Merch Store