3 Classic Rock Songs That Secretly Predicted the Future as We Know It

If asked, how would you describe our modern times? Well, we’d guess words like polarization and division might spring to mind quickly. Or thoughts on the growth of technology or the dangers of war. These are all pretty obvious themes in society today.

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But there are actually songs from back in the day that seemed to predict our current moment. And here below, we wanted to highlight several of them. Indeed, these are three classic rock songs that secretly predicted the future.

“Welcome To The Machine” by Pink Floyd from ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975)

Released in 1975, this song had a prescient sense of what was to come. Human beings are vulnerable, creative people. And yet we seem more and more pushed towards living, well, in machines. Just as Pink Floyd noted. The band’s David Gilmour sings, “Welcome my son, welcome to the machine /
What did you dream? / It’s alright we told you what to dream.” It’s eerie to hear this song now, its clarity makes it feel as if the current moment was simply planned for us.

“Life During Wartime” by Talking Heads from ‘Fear Of Music’ (1979)

Life during wartime—what a smart title. Human beings seem always to be at war. But on this track, Talking Heads lead vocalist David Byrne seemed to have a sense of futuristic conflicts. Indeed, in the song, he sings, “Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock / We blended in with the crowd / We got computers, we’re tapping phone lines / I know that that ain’t allowed.” Privacy is gone. RIP privacy. Byrne knew this day would come.

“21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson from ‘In the Court Of The Crimson King’ (1969)

Even though this song was released in 1969, it has a lot to say about our current time. We’ve all seen those people who walk around on the streets like zombies. Sadly, drug addiction and mental health have claimed the lives of so many. And King Crimson seemed to predict that phenomenon. This song is about modern madness. And King Crimson nailed the matter on the head. Greg Lake sings on the chaotic song, “Cat’s foot, iron claw / Neurosurgeons scream for more / At paranoia’s poison door / Twenty-first century schizoid man.“

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