13 Awesome Eco-Friendly Songs That’ll Help You Celebrate Earth Day

Originally posted on BuzzFeed

1. Bad Religion, “Los Angeles Is Burning”

This song is about the excessive human consumption and media frenzy that has taken over the world with no concern for the well-being of our home and humanity.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “When the hills of Los Angeles are burning, palm trees are candles in the murder wind.”

2. The Beach Boys, “Don’t Go Near the Water”

The Beach Boys were obviously ocean enthusiasts. This song says to show some love to the oceans and to stop polluting our waters.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “Don’t go near the water to do it any wrong, to be cool with the water is the message of this song.”

3. Dead Kennedys, “Cesspools in Eden”

It’s all about how big corporations don’t care about us and that they’re building the factories that are poisoning us and our environment.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “Groundwater’s poisoned, air stings like hell, the lines for doctors grow long.”

4. Devo, “No Place Like Home”

A great tune that makes you want to angry-dance to the fact that mankind is obliviously spoiling the Earth, and soon we won’t even have a home to spoil.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “If we should all just disappear, the skies and waters will clear in a world without us.”

5. Gorillaz, “Superfast Jellyfish”

Typical Gorillaz, hitting you square in the face with how nothing is natural anymore and we’re all puppets to consumerism.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “The sea is radioactive, all hail king Neptune and his water breathers.”

6. Metallica, “Blackened”

This song is based on the apocalypse according to the Bible and relates it to pollution, deforestation, and other social problems we see now.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “Death of Mother Earth, never a rebirth, evolution’s end, never will it mend.”

7. Michael Jackson, “Earth Song”

MJ preaches for everyone to join together to save our planet and bring peace to humanity.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “Did you ever stop to notice, this crying Earth, this weeping shore?”

8. Miley Cyrus, “Wake Up America”

We all know she loves at least one kind of plant. This old-school Miley song is about getting America to stop ignoring Mother Nature’s cry for help.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “We’re all in this together! It’s our home so let’s take care of it.”

9. Mos Def, “New World Water”

A pissed-off Mos Def explains that while human beings are feeding their obsession with money, their home is deteriorating around them and will soon be gone.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “It’s the New World Water, and every drop counts. You can laugh and take it as a joke if you wanna, but it don’t rain for four weeks some summers.”

10. Pixies, “This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven”

This song points it out plain and simple: Humanity is killing the Earth, and we are all going down with it.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “There was a guy, an underwater guy who controlled the sea, got killed by 10 million pounds of sludge from New York and New Jersey.”

11. Talking Heads, “Nothing but Flowers”

A sarcastic song about a time when Mother Nature takes over and things like highways and 7-Elevens are missed, even though they are now in a “peaceful oasis.”

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “Once there were parking lots, now it’s a peaceful oasis. You got it.”

12. Tegan and Sara, “Our Trees”

From the ladies who sing “Everything Is Awesome” in The Lego Movie (another movie about social injustices), this song is about how we need to stand up for Mother Nature and be her voice.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “If the trees could be lions, would they still fall and be tagged? Would they refuse to surrender, refuse to be gagged?”

13. Will.i.am., “S.O.S. (Mother Nature)”

Will.i.am. explains how we need to open up our eyes and see the pollution humanity is causing that’s killing our planet.

Most Environmentally Friendly Lyric: “And here they come choppering down, chopping down our rain forest, fucking up our air for us, they don’t really care for us.”

So listen up, ‘cause Mother Nature is awesome!

This Day in Music History — December 7

1956 : Rock! Rock! Rock!, one of the earliest Rock and Roll movies, opens in theaters. The film features the popular disc jockey Alan Freed along with Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and Lavern Baker.

1956 : Britain’s Tommy Steele makes his concert debut at Finsbury Park, Astoria, London. Reviews proclaim him “Britain’s answer to Elvis.”

1964 : Brian Wilson suffers a nervous breakdown while on a flight from Los Angeles to Houston. He would stop touring with The Beach Boys soon after.

1987 : Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and Judy Collins (among others) appear onstage at Carnegie Hall to pay tribute to Harry Chapin, who would have been celebrating his 45th birthday.

2011 : 30 Seconds to Mars breaks the record for most shows performed during a single album cycle when they play their 300th concert in support of their album This Is War at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

This Day in Music History — November 5

1979 : Mick Jagger officially divorces his first wife Bianca

1982 : Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys part ways on the orders of Wilson’s new psychiatrist and caretaker, Dr. Eugene Landy.

1999 : Van Halen announces that lead singer Gary Cherone is leaving the band. All parties claim the split is amicable.

2000 : U2 scores their eighth UK #1 album when All That You Can’t Leave Behind tops the chart, keeping Blur off the top.

2012 : With one day to go until the United States General Election, which includes the presidential election, dozens of music stars take to the press to support incumbent Barack Obama over Mitt Romney, including Jay-Z, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and Stevie Wonder. This should come as no surprise, as music celebrities traditionally come out to support the progressive candidate in elections.

This Day in Music History — November 4

1977 : The Last Waltz, director Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed documentary of The Band’s star-studded last concert, premieres in New York City, featuring Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Joni Mtchell, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, The Staple Singers, Dr. John, and more.

1993 : At a memorial service for the actor River Phoenix, Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys has a run in with a videographer and is later charged with battery and grand theft (for stealing his tape). He is sentenced to 200 hours of community service.

1997 : Capitol Records releases the four-disc set The Pet Sounds Sessions, chronicling the creation of The Beach Boys’ classic 1966 LP. It contains, in addition to a remastered version of the original album, as well as outtakes, unreleased tracks, and a capella tracks.

1998 : Michael Jackson announces that wife Debbie Rowe is pregnant with his first child, denying tabloid reports that Rowe was paid to be artificially impregnated and carry the child to term.

2001 : Michael Jackson proves that he’s “Invincible” in the U.K. as his Epic album Invincible goes straight to the top of the country’s album chart, earning him his seventh British No. 1 album as a solo artist.

The best mass musician sing-a-longs EVER

from Hello Giggles

by Sophia Elias

Before Tuesday night, mass musician sing-a-longs were few and far between. Thankfully, BBC Music pulled out all the stops with their star-studded cover of the Beach Boys 1996 hit, “God Only Knows”. In light of the BBC Music launch, the network got everyone (and by everyone, I mean 29 world class musicians) to participate in the promo. With the likes of Elton John, Florence Welch, Pharrell, Lorde, Chris Martin, Dave Grohl and Sam Smith, it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Much like its all-star predecessors, “God Only Knows” will contribute to a good cause. The song is set to be released as a single in order to raise money for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. I have to say, I haven’t been one to seek out celebrity sing-a-longs, but there is something powerful about world class artists collaborating on a single project. I think we ought take a trip down memory lane and give a nod to all those great musical collabs from the past. There are more than you probably know:

1. We Are The World (1985)

“We Are The World” is the mother of all mass musician sing-a-longs. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, “We Are The World” was released in an effort to raise awareness and bring relief to the famine in Africa between 1983-1985. The song raised over $10 million in record sales from the United States alone. The song included performances from over 44 world class musicians—including Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Ray Charles—who operated under the name of USA for Africa. Fun fact: When the musicians entered the studio, they were met with a sign that read: “Check your egos at the door.” Continue reading