these are the songs that provide the
soundtrack to the apocalypse
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll
be counting down our picks for the top
ten doomsday songs for this list we’ll
be taking a look at songs that are about
the end of the world or have apocalyptic
feet however we won’t be including songs
that are more focused on death such as
Blue Oyster cult’s don’t fear the reaper
number 10 the man comes around Johnny
Cash there’s a man going round taking
names and he decides who to free and who
to blame the title track off the man in
blacks American for the man comes around
album this doomsday song draws heavily
from the Biblical Book of Revelations
for its lyrical content his in the thorn
tree
it’s hard for thee to kick against the
pricks inspired by a dream cash hat in
which queen elizabeth ii compared him to
a thorn tree in a whirlwind Cash’s own
research discovered a similar phrase in
the book of Job which led him to pen the
man comes around
evoking imagery of the judgment of a man
4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse
and imminent Armageddon the religious
warnings of the song are made even more
unsettling when delivered by Johnny
Cash’s calm soothing voice
it’s Alpha and Omega stings
number nine until the end of the world
you too
conceived by bono as a conversation
between Jesus Christ and Jews as
Iscariot this doomsday song has a more
romantic quality to it which masks the
darker nature of its lyrics
you
spoken primarily from the perspective of
a remorseful Judas it emphasizes a bleak
dwelling on the inevitable end of times
which adds to the song somber tone
– straw divided into three parts which
discuss the Last Supper Judas Kiss on
Jesus’s cheek in the Garden of
Gethsemane and Judas’s eventual suicide
until the end of the world draws on
themes of betrayal guilt and despair
which make for an appropriately
apocalyptic song
number eight earth died screaming Tom
Waits
a cryptic and nightmarish song about the
end of the world
Tom Waits his earth died screaming
relies on dark imagery and the macabre
to describe the apocalypse as the stars
go out and the moon falls out of the sky
Waits’s lyrics paint a frightening
picture of gigantic and multi-headed
animals as well as violent storms and
swarms of locusts which allude to the
deadly plagues as described in the Bible
Waits’s guttural delivery an eccentric
musical style perfectly complement the
surrealist tone of this track making for
a memorable doomsday saw
number seven raining blood Slayer a
thrash metal gem rife with foreboding
imagery the closing track on Slayers
third album rain and blood remains a
staple of the Bands live shows and one
of their most well known songs beginning
with an ominous riff that warns of the
chaos to come raining blood erupts into
a metal mile strum which foretells of a
demonic force lacerating the sky and
returning to power as the most sacred
laws are abolished
yeah all of us
wielding the merciless dual guitar
attack of Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman
Dave Lombardo thunderous drumming and
Tom Araya
haunting vocals raining blood welcomes
the apocalypse with open bloody arms
number six 1999
prints a song that takes a more positive
approach to dealing with the apocalypse
1999 is less about despair and more
about making the most of the time you
have left when the year 2000 brings
about purple skies destruction and war
the title track off Prince’s fifth
studio album encourages celebration and
good times instead of fighting or
fleeing in terror reasoning that life is
just a party and parties aren’t meant to
last this more optimistic doomsday song
takes a more glass half full approach to
the end of the world which is a
refreshing take on an otherwise gloomy
subject
ladies and gentlemen Creedence
Clearwater Revival’s number five bad
moon rising Creedence Clearwater Revival
a year before Black Sabbath would
released their first album CCR released
the doomsday track whose dark imagery
and lyrics evokes heavy metal before
heavy metal truly began despite sounding
light-hearted and upbeat at first listen
bad moon rising is in fact a warning
about an approaching apocalypse which
includes hurricanes lightning storms and
overflowing rivers that are bound to
take your life cautioning the listener
to be prepared for death and that when I
will be taken for an eye bad moon rising
is all the more chilling because of its
seemingly jovial embrace of the
apocalypse
number four London Calling the clash to
the faraway town that wars declare
and battle calm down one of the clashes
most memorable songs the title track off
of their third studio album also serves
as one of the most notable doomsday
songs around with lyrics that describe
an approaching Ice Age mass mechanical
failure dying crops and the flooding of
London London Calling does not wallow in
sorrow over the impending doom but
instead takes it in stride the week
with other apocalyptic topics such as
nuclear annihilation and zombies of
death being referenced this track is a
Greatest Hits list of potentially
world-ending disasters and mayhem
befitting of an end of time song
number three hells bells ac/dc
beginning with a chilling Bell toll
which was all the more ominous given the
recent passing of singer bond Scott
hells bells served as the opening track
to back in black and as Brian Johnson’s
first official day as a CDC’s new singer
spoken from the perspective of Satan
himself the song tells of the devil
bringing rolling thunder lightning and
hurricanes as he rings the titular bells
with no one willing to resist and no
prisoners being taken there is little
hope for those on the side of a good
spelling certain doom for those not
willing to join in the apocalyptic
destruction
with brian johnson screeching wail on
full display it’s no surprise that hells
bells is still an ac/dc concert staple
number two the end the doors this is the
beautiful friend
a song that showcases the darker side of
singer Jim Morrison’s poetic talents the
end lives up to its name with its eerie
sense of approaching disaster and
darkness beginning as a dreamlike ballad
which devolves into a murderous
nightmare right the snake
right
the song explores the mind of a man with
an Oedipus complex who wants to murder
his father and have sex with his mother
with the destruction of the nuclear
family arguably serving as a metaphor
for doomsday itself the end also touches
on the generation gap in the late 60s in
the phrase all the children are insane
which also carries an apocalyptic tone
about the conflict between generations
sparked in part by the Vietnam War
before we unveil our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions
that’s great it starts with an earth
number one it’s the end of the world as
we know it and I feel fine r.e.m in your
song Beach Thomas of Iran originally
released on their fifth studio album
document this rather cheerful dooms they
saw by rem juggles the usual dire
apocalyptic themes while maintaining a
sense of optimism that is echoed in its
simple yet effective music video with
lyrics that touch on natural disasters
political turmoil and social issues it’s
the end of the world as we know it
captures the overwhelming weight of the
world’s problems in its rapid-fire
delivery
however the song also tries to look on
the proverbial bright side of the
situation and rejoices in the fact that
we will all have some time alone
perhaps suggesting that in this time we
will find a way to reflect and begin the
world and you again
so do you agree with our list what’s
your favorite doomsday song
for more entertaining top 10s published
daily be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
soundtrack to the apocalypse
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll
be counting down our picks for the top
ten doomsday songs for this list we’ll
be taking a look at songs that are about
the end of the world or have apocalyptic
feet however we won’t be including songs
that are more focused on death such as
Blue Oyster cult’s don’t fear the reaper
number 10 the man comes around Johnny
Cash there’s a man going round taking
names and he decides who to free and who
to blame the title track off the man in
blacks American for the man comes around
album this doomsday song draws heavily
from the Biblical Book of Revelations
for its lyrical content his in the thorn
tree
it’s hard for thee to kick against the
pricks inspired by a dream cash hat in
which queen elizabeth ii compared him to
a thorn tree in a whirlwind Cash’s own
research discovered a similar phrase in
the book of Job which led him to pen the
man comes around
evoking imagery of the judgment of a man
4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse
and imminent Armageddon the religious
warnings of the song are made even more
unsettling when delivered by Johnny
Cash’s calm soothing voice
it’s Alpha and Omega stings
number nine until the end of the world
you too
conceived by bono as a conversation
between Jesus Christ and Jews as
Iscariot this doomsday song has a more
romantic quality to it which masks the
darker nature of its lyrics
you
spoken primarily from the perspective of
a remorseful Judas it emphasizes a bleak
dwelling on the inevitable end of times
which adds to the song somber tone
– straw divided into three parts which
discuss the Last Supper Judas Kiss on
Jesus’s cheek in the Garden of
Gethsemane and Judas’s eventual suicide
until the end of the world draws on
themes of betrayal guilt and despair
which make for an appropriately
apocalyptic song
number eight earth died screaming Tom
Waits
a cryptic and nightmarish song about the
end of the world
Tom Waits his earth died screaming
relies on dark imagery and the macabre
to describe the apocalypse as the stars
go out and the moon falls out of the sky
Waits’s lyrics paint a frightening
picture of gigantic and multi-headed
animals as well as violent storms and
swarms of locusts which allude to the
deadly plagues as described in the Bible
Waits’s guttural delivery an eccentric
musical style perfectly complement the
surrealist tone of this track making for
a memorable doomsday saw
number seven raining blood Slayer a
thrash metal gem rife with foreboding
imagery the closing track on Slayers
third album rain and blood remains a
staple of the Bands live shows and one
of their most well known songs beginning
with an ominous riff that warns of the
chaos to come raining blood erupts into
a metal mile strum which foretells of a
demonic force lacerating the sky and
returning to power as the most sacred
laws are abolished
yeah all of us
wielding the merciless dual guitar
attack of Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman
Dave Lombardo thunderous drumming and
Tom Araya
haunting vocals raining blood welcomes
the apocalypse with open bloody arms
number six 1999
prints a song that takes a more positive
approach to dealing with the apocalypse
1999 is less about despair and more
about making the most of the time you
have left when the year 2000 brings
about purple skies destruction and war
the title track off Prince’s fifth
studio album encourages celebration and
good times instead of fighting or
fleeing in terror reasoning that life is
just a party and parties aren’t meant to
last this more optimistic doomsday song
takes a more glass half full approach to
the end of the world which is a
refreshing take on an otherwise gloomy
subject
ladies and gentlemen Creedence
Clearwater Revival’s number five bad
moon rising Creedence Clearwater Revival
a year before Black Sabbath would
released their first album CCR released
the doomsday track whose dark imagery
and lyrics evokes heavy metal before
heavy metal truly began despite sounding
light-hearted and upbeat at first listen
bad moon rising is in fact a warning
about an approaching apocalypse which
includes hurricanes lightning storms and
overflowing rivers that are bound to
take your life cautioning the listener
to be prepared for death and that when I
will be taken for an eye bad moon rising
is all the more chilling because of its
seemingly jovial embrace of the
apocalypse
number four London Calling the clash to
the faraway town that wars declare
and battle calm down one of the clashes
most memorable songs the title track off
of their third studio album also serves
as one of the most notable doomsday
songs around with lyrics that describe
an approaching Ice Age mass mechanical
failure dying crops and the flooding of
London London Calling does not wallow in
sorrow over the impending doom but
instead takes it in stride the week
with other apocalyptic topics such as
nuclear annihilation and zombies of
death being referenced this track is a
Greatest Hits list of potentially
world-ending disasters and mayhem
befitting of an end of time song
number three hells bells ac/dc
beginning with a chilling Bell toll
which was all the more ominous given the
recent passing of singer bond Scott
hells bells served as the opening track
to back in black and as Brian Johnson’s
first official day as a CDC’s new singer
spoken from the perspective of Satan
himself the song tells of the devil
bringing rolling thunder lightning and
hurricanes as he rings the titular bells
with no one willing to resist and no
prisoners being taken there is little
hope for those on the side of a good
spelling certain doom for those not
willing to join in the apocalyptic
destruction
with brian johnson screeching wail on
full display it’s no surprise that hells
bells is still an ac/dc concert staple
number two the end the doors this is the
beautiful friend
a song that showcases the darker side of
singer Jim Morrison’s poetic talents the
end lives up to its name with its eerie
sense of approaching disaster and
darkness beginning as a dreamlike ballad
which devolves into a murderous
nightmare right the snake
right
the song explores the mind of a man with
an Oedipus complex who wants to murder
his father and have sex with his mother
with the destruction of the nuclear
family arguably serving as a metaphor
for doomsday itself the end also touches
on the generation gap in the late 60s in
the phrase all the children are insane
which also carries an apocalyptic tone
about the conflict between generations
sparked in part by the Vietnam War
before we unveil our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions
that’s great it starts with an earth
number one it’s the end of the world as
we know it and I feel fine r.e.m in your
song Beach Thomas of Iran originally
released on their fifth studio album
document this rather cheerful dooms they
saw by rem juggles the usual dire
apocalyptic themes while maintaining a
sense of optimism that is echoed in its
simple yet effective music video with
lyrics that touch on natural disasters
political turmoil and social issues it’s
the end of the world as we know it
captures the overwhelming weight of the
world’s problems in its rapid-fire
delivery
however the song also tries to look on
the proverbial bright side of the
situation and rejoices in the fact that
we will all have some time alone
perhaps suggesting that in this time we
will find a way to reflect and begin the
world and you again
so do you agree with our list what’s
your favorite doomsday song
for more entertaining top 10s published
daily be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
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