Songs about the upper classes

[Amor de Cosmos]

Play with Fire — The Rolling Stones

Sunny Afternoon — The Kinks

Show Biz Kids — Steely Dan

Like a Rolling Stone — Bob Dylan

[G-Man]

Songs about the upper classes

Where Do You Go To My Lovely.

[Gangster Octopus]

Songs about the upper classes

I was going to start this thread with that, but I'm not sure it's true.

[Etienne]

Songs about the upper classes

Noel Coward - The Stately Homes Of England
Auteurs - The Upper Classes

[Reed John]

Songs about the upper classes

Common People - Pulp, of course.
Baby, Your A Rich Man - Beatles
Rich Girl - Hall and Oates
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
Masters of War - Bob Dylan

[WOM]

Songs about the upper classes

Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
Downtown Came Uptown - David Wilcox

[Amor de Cosmos]

Songs about the upper classes

Interesting that Common People has appeared on all three of the "class" threads.

Masters of War?

[WOM]

Songs about the upper classes

I've always gotten the sense that Pet Shop Boys were upper class guys singing about upper class lives. The lyrics to Left To My Own Devices - the idle rich pondering how to occupy themselves - sort of sum up their angle for me.

[E10 Rifle]

Songs about the upper classes

Nah, a lower-middle class geordie bloke and a lower-middle class north London bloke, them (I think).

Neil Tennant was an ex-journalist (and a one-time NUJ rep, union fact fans), of course, which for many would put him squarely in the middle-class bracket

[Furtho]

Songs about the upper classes

Chris Lowe is from Blackpool innit.

[WOM]

Songs about the upper classes

Right, but Tennant certainly gives off a bit of an upper class aspiration, no?

[Reed John]

Songs about the upper classes

Masters of War refers to people profiting from others' deaths as they sit in their mansions. The whole thing is about the class disconnect between who fights wars and who orders then to be fought.

CCR's Senator's Son addresses the same issue.

[WOM]

Songs about the upper classes

Ooo....that's unfortunate.

[Reed John]

Songs about the upper classes

Shit. Fortunate son. Senator's son is the name of a book.

[Wyatt Earp]

Songs about the upper classes

Reed John wrote:

Common People - Pulp, of course.

Not sure about that one: I think of her Dad as a bit of a nouve, rather than a member of the Greek aristocracy.

Probably fucked now anyway.

[Wyatt Earp]

Songs about the upper classes

Worn Old Motorbike wrote:

Right, but Tennant certainly gives off a bit of an upper class aspiration, no?

Not at all, for my money.

[Wyatt Earp]

Songs about the upper classes

Anyway: Eton Rifles.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Songs about the upper classes

Masters of War refers to people profiting from others' deaths as they sit in their mansions. The whole thing is about the class disconnect between who fights wars and who orders then to be fought.

Hmm. Must admit I'd never heard it that way particularly. To me it's more about the cowardice and facelessness of arms makers/suppliers. This, which treads the same turf, puts it much more in the type of class context you're talking about:

The Cannon King -- Robert Service (music Country Joe MacDonald)

I totally buy Fortunate Son though.

[Reed John]

Songs about the upper classes

In Common People, she says her dad is loaded. In our country, loaded = upper class. We don't have an aristocracy per se, so the landed gentry will have to do.

Perhaps I'm reading stuff into Masters of War. It's not just the arms dealers but the George Bushes and Dick Cheneys of the world who think only in terms of advancing the interests of large American industries - oil & gas, Haliburton, etc, and don't care about the costs to the little people. And they got the power by making promises to their rich friends. That's beyond upper class. That's ruling class.

[historyman]

Songs about the upper classes

'Crusader' by Chris de Burgh. The King of England, a bishop, priest and even Saladin have walk on parts. Comfortably upper class surely.

[Jah Womble]

Songs about the upper classes

Eton Rifles - The Jam
Pills and Soap - Elvis 'The Impostor'
Duchess - The Stranglers (or maybe not...)
Kings and Queens - Killing Joke
Arthur's Theme - Christopher Cross

(Being 'rich' doesn't necessarily equate with being 'upper class', of course...)

[Wyatt Earp]

Songs about the upper classes

Reed John wrote:

In Common People, she says her dad is loaded. In our country, loaded = upper class.

Yeah, but the song's about two countries in Europe.

[adams house cat]

Songs about the upper classes

'Lady D'Arbanville' - Cat Stevens
'Duke Of Earl' - Gene Chandler

[Eggchaser]

Songs about the upper classes

Sport (The Odd Boy) by The Bonzos.

[Reed John]

Songs about the upper classes

(Being 'rich' doesn't necessarily equate with being 'upper class', of course...)

Yes it does. The rich control the means of production and the politicians. That's what matters. Hereditary titles don't. Open your eyes, man.

People making $250k claim they aren't rich, and yet they are in the top 2% of income. If being in the top 2% isn't "upper class" than it has no meaning.

It doesn't matter if it's America or Europe. Their reach is global.