Listening to punk rock music is like turning the temperature of a room up. At its best, the stuff was just able to get your blood boiling. And that’s just what we wanted to explore below.
We wanted to dive into three punk rock songs from back in the day that know how to heat things up. Indeed, these are three songs from the 1980s that will instantly turn you into a fan of punk rock.
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“Should I Stay Or Should I Go” by The Clash from ‘Combat Rock’ (1982)
Punk rock is often simple. It’s often basic. And that’s just what we love about it. The best punk rock bands imbue that rudimentary sound with enough swagger, energy, and snarl that they turn the chords and rhythms into something else. The songs are no longer bits of entertainment. They become war songs. Battle cries. They are calls to action. A sonic ad for rebellion. Fires that can never be quelled. For evidence of this, look no further than the 1982 tune, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”, by The Clash.
“Banned In D.C.” by Bad Brains from ‘Rock For Light’ (1983)
Bad Brains helped to create punk rock music. They helped to breathe life into the genre that thrashed and kicked and smacked and laughed in your face. They belong on the Mount Rushmore of punk rock. The band is a monument to the style’s brash energy. Need an example of this? Check out “Banned In D.C.” from the group’s 1983 LP, Rock For Light. It is a revolutionary tune that will turn you into a punk rock soldier.
“N*zi Punks F*ck Off” by Dead Kennedys from ‘In God We Trust, Inc.’ (1981)
Has any song ever had a better and truer title? Dead Kennedys really hit the nail on the head when it came to this 1981 tune. The group truly understood the assignment. If punk rock is supposed to rebel, then this song certainly fits the bill. It almost shouldn’t have to be said, but sometimes we need to repeat the obvious. That’s just what this punk rock outfit did—and thank goodness for it!
Photo by Anne Fishbein/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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