Curated by Monk
To mark Remembrance Sunday, we are presenting a very special edition of the Singles Club, in which I have picked a short playlist of six songs commemorating the horror, pain and aftermath of war.
First up, Metallica’s epic ‘One’, which needs no further introduction:
Next a classic song which was one of the first to address the issue of what later was diagnosed as PTSD, and ironically became an anthem for US troops serving in Vietnam. I am, of course, talking about the Rolling Stones’ powerful commentary ‘Paint It Black’:
Next, we turn the clock back to the dark days of World War One, and Sabaton’s stunningly realized retelling of the ‘Christmas Truce’ of 1914. It’s a powerful song – the only one on this list which is a current single release – and is accompanied by a similarly powerful and evocative video:
There is something about power metal bands being able to address the subject of war with eloquence and passion, and Northern Ireland’s Stormzone did so brilliantly with this stand alone single about soldiers returning from the more recent conflicts in regions such as Afghanistan and Iraq:
I’m staying in my home city of Belfast for my next choice, in which Ricky Warwick eloquently expresses how the “greater” cause of war often united people of different backgrounds in fighting for a “common good”, this time in the tale of a Protestant and a Roman Catholic who found themselves dying beside each other on the bloody fields of the Somme:
I’m not sure if Bolt Thrower ever officially released my final selection as a single, but it summarizes the message of today… #LestWeForget:
Please take a moment at some stage today to pause and remember those who have sacrificed everything, often without knowing, or questioning, why, so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today, as well as those who continue to endure the pain and consequences of their service.