This playlist contains an array of songs pertaining to your favorite historical figures and events—perfect for any and all history lovers.
“Rasputin” by Boney M.
A true classic. Best enjoyed while watching the Just Dance music video and whispering poor advice into the ear of Czar Nicholas’ wife.
“Young Ned of the Hill” by The Pogues
The song that inspired this playlist (shoutout to Mr. Kelly); an upbeat and fierce song condemning Oliver Cromwell’s 17th century campaign through Ireland. A great song for inciting civil war.
“Pompeii” by Bastille
This song describes the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE which buried the city of Pompeii in ash, to be discovered and excavated hundreds of years later. This song is perfect to listen to while trying to outrun rivers of fiery, hot lava which will inevitably incinerate your civilization.
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel
Catchy, fast-paced, and exciting, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a song that explores significant events and figures of the twentieth century. While it touches on more recent events, this song is definitely at home on this playlist and is the ideal song to listen to while trivializing world events by suggesting that Joseph Stalin’s murder of millions is equivalent to the founding of Disney Land.
“Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” by They Might Be Giants
An upbeat and cheerful cover of a song about the renaming of a city in 1930 from Constantinople to Istanbul. It’s perfect for spontaneous dance-parties and while musing on the evolution of knowledge and naming conventions.
“Famine” by Sinead O’Connor
Continuing with the theme of songs about the Irish, this song discusses the circumstances surrounding the potato famine in Ireland. It also happens to be written by Sinead O’Connor, who was an amazing lyricist and singer. Great to listen to while snacking on some french fries.
“Requiem in D Minor, K. 626: Sequence: VI. Lacrimosa Dies illa” by Mozart
Straying away from the other songs on this list, this piece isn’t about history, it is history. And a classic, so it earned a place on this list. Great to listen to if you plan to complete your first compositional masterpiece by five years old.
“American Pie” by Don Mclean
This song centers on a tragic plane crash in 1959 that killed three rock icons, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper. Listen to this in your final minutes of life.
For more songs, go listen to the full playlist on Spotify!
