The Perfect Songs for Atheists?

I would add ‘Judith’ by A Perfect Circle

Surely EVERY Atheist mix-tape MUST have Dear God by XTC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk41Gbjljfo

Imagine is just, well, imagine. And losing my religion is a phrase that means the same as coming to the end of your rope. 

Your God is Dead to Me Now – http://www.myoldkentuckyblog.com/?p=15184

Only memories are our friends. – Heintje  (my religious fam has liked this one since very young, but recently one of them shared it on facebook, and I noticed it’s themes resembled Blackout -by Muse.)

St. Peter’s Cathedral -Death Cab for Cutie

Artillery – “Don’t Believe”
Artillery – “Damned Religion”
Black Sabbath – “TV Crimes”
Deicide – “How Can You Call Yourself A God?”
Dismember – “Where No Ghost Is Holy”
Heathen – “Pray For Death”
Heathen – “Hypnotized”
Heathen – “Opiate Of The Masses”
Heathen – “Heathen’s Song”
Kreator – “Blind Faith”
Motorhead – “(Don’t Need) Religion”
Motorhead – “Bad Religion”
Motorhead – “I Don’t Believe A Word”
Motorhead – “God Was Never On Your Side”
Slayer – “Jesus Saves”

“Ghost of a Chance” by Rush

Burnin’ Hell – John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat http://john-lee-hooker-burning-hell-with-canned-mp3-download.kohit.net/_/861465  I can’t find it without the studio banter in front. 🙁 the actual song starts a minute and a half in.

“Free Will” by Rush, along with XTC’s “Dear God” and John Lennon’s “Imagine” were major parts of my own journey out of religion. I’d also include something by Tim Minchin–the Gnu Atheist part of me would say “Good Book” or “Sam’s Mom,” but “Storm” or “Not Perfect” would be good too. I’ve always heard They Might Be Giants’ “Which Describes How You’re Feeling” as a glib indictment of religion, and their “Science is Real” or “Put it to the Test” would be good as well. 

Not mainstream, but Neko Case has a song from one of her early albums (a country album no less!) that has great atheist lyrics, called “The Virginian” (“She fell away, she fell away, she fell away from the side of the Lord,/and she was free to do what she wanted/with clouds of her own/na na na na”).

And then there is a very bluesy song by William Elliott Whitmore that is well worth downloading, “One Man’s Shame” – “The parish will perish/by death’s cruel hand/and finish the job that fate began/All that static in the attic,/that’s just an old drunk ghost/His chains are rattlin’ but his end is close/Ain’t no hell below and ain’t no heaven above/I came for the drinks but I stayed for the love.”

“Dear God” is definitely the most notable absence.  I’d also like to humbly submit “The Pride of Creation,” by Edguy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MCVUjlHAtU

I would’ve added “Disco Institute” by Andrew Fox. I loved it when you posted that!

Signed,
Totally Not Someone Who Is Andrew Fox

I would have made that #1!

When I’m in “angry atheist” mode, I find RPM’s “Goddamnit” to be cathartic.

Entire song is NSFW, but the worst word in the linked clip is “goddamnit.”

http://www.amazon.com/Goddamnit/dp/B0014ELVX6/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1317603987&sr=1-1-catcorr

Anything by Atheist, because, well, they’re called Atheist. Can’t get much more atheist-y than that.

Nine Inch Nails – Heresy
Marilyn Manson – The Reflecting God

the format ” the first sinle (you know me)” and “oceans”
really anything by the band fun.
brand new “limousine” has some really cool religious stuff in it.

‘Have You Fallen Out of Love?’ or ‘Man of the Moment’ by Paul Dempsey.
‘All the Things that Aren’t Good About Scientology’ by Something for Kate.

Go back and take a listen to “Drive” by Incubus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgT9zGkiLig

Bad Religion’s “You” is essentially exampling absurd the idea of afterlife, so I think that counts.

Another vote for “Dear God” by XTC and “I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie.  I’d also add “Human” by Rod Stewart and “Belief” by John Mayer.

Man, any atheist mix without any Rush is no atheist mix.  “Roll the Bones,” “Faithless,” and more.  And of course, “Dear God,” by XTC.

Robbie Fulks – God Isn’t Real http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93467kx3FTM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The best atheist song I’ve ever heard…
Frank Turner – Glory Hallelujah
http://youtu.be/MbUCzUk84fE

You forgot “Cult” and “Hate Worldwide” by Slayer, and “Real World” by Gamma Ray

“Roll the Bones” by Rush… “Why are we here?  Because we’re here.  Roll the Bones.”

God Shuffled His Feet, Crash Test Dummies

Spotify link to the songs in this story.

http://open.spotify.com/user/bricewgilbert/playlist/7udYGXQozaatB4th84rsEp

Jesus Saves by Del Amitri

http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/jesus-saves-lyrics-del-amitri.html

does “If You Open Your Mind Too Much Your Brain Will Fall Out (Take My Wife)” count too?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBUc_kATGgg

Two, that immediately jump to mind are Depeche Mode’s “Blasphemous Rumours” and
Gary Numan’s  “A Question of Faith.” But if you don’t mind the blatant plug, there’s also a track from my band Pop Smear called “In Heaven.” You can check it out (along with a bunch of semi-amusing atheist quotes) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kejkrSvesg

“Harvest of Souls” by IQ would be my addition – but it would take up 24 minutes of the disc!

Lots of good Rush songs already mentioned, but no mention yet of “Brought Up to Believe” or “The Big Wheel” which are also really overt atheist songs.

For good reason- Geddy Lee is an atheist http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Geddy_Lee

Heresy by Nine Inch Nails
“Your god is dead.
And no one cares
If there is a hell,
I will see you there’
haha love Trent! 🙂

That’s the one that immediately came to mind for me too!

My boyfriend and I have an “Atheism” playlist. 

Imagine- John Lennon
Dust In The Wind- Kansas
I Will Follow You Into The Dark- Death Cab for Cutie
St. Peter’s Cathedral- Death Cab for Cutie
The Bad Touch- Bloodhound Gang
Future- Colony 5
Evolution- Korn
God’s Army- Smile Empty Soul
The Freaks Are Coming- Smile Empty Soul
Jesus Is the Manager at Walmart- Smile Empty Soul
My Imaginary Friend- Reel Big Fish

“Halo” by Porcupine Tree.
“Biomech” and “Accelerated Evolution” by Allegaeon
“Disciple” by Slayer

In case nobody’s mentioned it before, there’s “God Thinks” by Voltaire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdU6tFwK5lY

I always feel weird looking at other people making lists of songs, because it makes me realize that most of the music I listen to doesn’t have lyrics… and the songs with lyrics are usually in foreign languages.

Atheist Anthem by Leftover Crack

Dear God by XTC
Science And Honor by The Phenomenauts
Materialist by Bad Religion
God by Tori Amos
Father Lucifer by Tori Amos
I Ain’t Afraid by Holly Near
God Isn’t Real by Robbie Fulks
Vatican Rag by Tom Lehrer

I’m sure i’ll think of a few others later

Some songs (just seven :p) and the main themes/lyrics:

“Follow in the Cry” by After ForeverFear is the doom, doom of us all
Instead of exterminating the weed
We allow it to overgrow our functionI embrace you, accept my soul
I shall make my life subordinate to you
Live like your rules and laws prescribe
and follow you wherever I goHang this heretic who’s indulged in unchaste thoughts
Silence him such as the laws of the vellums prescribe
Pusillanimous massacres the order of the day
On behalf of power-hungry fundamentalists Behind your facade hides an indomitablelust for power and tyrannyTaking advantage of your pendencies
“Yield to Temptation” by After ForeverThe anathema’s driving millions
together in the pustules of our earth
Greed and self-denial the cause ofunimpeded desecration of the truth
Captive in the shackles of this indoctrinationdepraved souls wished to be pureDelight in deformity the last convulsionsare building up a bridge to a new eraThe assumption of a faded suppositionNever shall I be a marionette !

“Cry for the Moon” by Epica is largely about the rape and torture of children at the hands of Catholic priests.Virginity has been stolen at very young ages
And the extinguisher loses its immunity
Morbid abuse of power in the garden of edenWhere the apple gets a youthful face
The song also conveys the message that religion is in opposition to common sense and that the stories within holy books are fairytales.Follow your common sense
You cannot hide yourself
behind a fairytale forever and ever
Only by revealing the whole truth can we disclose
The soul of this bulwark forever and everForever and ever
While religious leaders teach people to be moral individuals, they often are hypocrites.Indoctrinated minds so very oftenContain sick thoughtsAnd commit most of the evil they preach againstDon’t try to convince me with messages from GodYou accuse us of sins committed by yourselvesIt’s easy to condemn without looking in the mirrorBehind the scenes opens reality

“Death of a Dream” by Epica is a song about a religious person who discovered that she has been manipulated and lied to by religion.I followed your rulesA willing foolBranded by shameMy soul suffers from your hostile waysI bear so many scars, hit me hardTime to change we have to rearrangeFor this has gone too far, way too far
The song sends a strong message that religion breeds ignorance and is dishonest.You created this world
Where honesty is not allowed
You created this world
Where ignorance is being taught

You created this world
Where I am all, you’ll never be
You’ve been drilling these
Such falsely-based philosophies in meYou created yourself
Based on nothing else but lies
You created yourself
Where all your aspiration diedOnce the person in the song finds that her beliefs lacked merit and there is no good reason to believe in any gods, she breaks from from religion and continues living.The curtain has fallen
There’s no one behind
Corrected one mistake
But I am still around

Our fight is over
My scars will leave a stain
You thought that it was all easy
But I will still remainYour time is over
I’m taking what’s mine
You thought that you could keep me
Under your thumb and mind

“Living a Lie” sends a strong message against prayer and religion.Hope is a desert running dry
Deep inside
You refuse to face the facts
But pray for life
Find salvations in distress
We will wait
For the day you’ll break out and
Re-awake
And we wait for the day
To discover there’s no way
I can’t wait at this rate
It’s too little and too late
To live this lie
“The Truth Beneath the Rose” by Within Temptation is a song about the crusades in which a believer, the singer of the song, admits being fooled by leaders who endorsed holy wars.Give me strength to face the truth
The doubt within my soul
No longer I can justify
The bloodshed in his nameI believed it would justify the meansIt had a hold over meBlinded to seeThe cruelty of the beastHere is the darkest side of me(Forgive me my sins)The veil of my dreamsDeceived all I have seenForgive me for what I have been(Forgive me my sins)Pray for me ’cause I have lost my faith in holy warsIs paradise denied to me ’cause I can’t take no more?

“And When He Falleth” is a song mainly about the problem of evil that features audible spoken words from “The Masque of the Red Death.”

“‘Tis the Divine Comedy -“‘Tis the Divine Tragedy -The fool and the mocking court;The fool and the mocking court;Fool, kneel now, and ring thy bells!Fool, kneel now, and ring thy bells!We hold the Earth fro Heaven away.”Make us guffaw at thy futile follies,Yet for our blunders – Oh, in shame;Earth beareth no balm for mistakes -We hold the Earth fro Hell away.”

[Male Voice]That cross you wear around your neck;is it only a decoration, or are you atrue Christian believer?[Female Voice]Yes, I believe – truly.Then I want you to remove it at once!- and never to wear it within this castleagain! Do you know how a falcon is trained mydear? Her eyes are sewn shut. Blinded temporarilyshe suffers the whims of her God patiently, untilher will is submerged and she learns to serve -as your God taught and blinded you withcrosses.You had me take off my cross because itoffended….It offended no-one. No – it simply appearsto me to be discourteous to… to wearthe symbol of a deity long dead.My ancestors tried to find it. And to openthe door that seperates us from our Creator.But you need no doors to find God.If you believe….Believe?! If you believe you are…gullible.Can you look around this world and believein the goodness of a god who rules it?Famine, Pestilence, War, Disease and Death!They rule this world.There is also love and life and hope.Very little hope I assure you. No. If a godof love and life ever did exist…he is longsince dead. Someone…something rules in hisplace.[sung:]”Believe? In a deity long dead? -I would rather be a pagan suckléd in creeds outworn;Whith faärytales fill’d up in head;Thoughts of the Book stillborn.””Shadow of annoyance -Ne’er come hither!…And when He falleth, He falleth like Lucifer,Ne’er to ascend again…”

Also, “Before the Earth was Round” by OKGo

Heathen is easily one of my favorite bands, it’s a shame how few people listen to them.

“Addicted” by Bliss N Eso.
– A great hip-hop song about questioning religion, politics, tradition etc…

“I am the voice inside your head, and I control you” – Mr Self Destruct

These songs by Sage Francis (indie rapper) from his latest album Li(f)e would fit right in:
Three Sheets To The WindI Was ZeroLove The Lie
The Best of Times

Send me your Money – Suicidal Tendencies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s0195Inv3E&ob=av2n

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – A Hymn to the Morning Star

“..Two thousand years of guilt and fear .. The greatest lie ever told..”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eFd91CXfc0

And I’d subtract Imagine by John Lennon and in its place I’d put God by John Lennon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jknynk5vny8

I feel like there should be a bunch of Modest Mouse songs that need to go on this list but “One Chance” is the only one that comes to mind right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6gYb1X-Xa8

Definitely Rush, and I don’t think it’s just Neil Peart’s influence. He writes most of the lyrics, but on the last tour the band played Free Will, Faithless, and BU2B (Brought Up To Believe) back to back, and Geddy pointed out to the audience that they all had the same theme. In the recent documentary, Alex can be seen reading God Is Not Great.

Unfortunately, R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” is not about religion.  In the south, we have a saying, “losing my religion,” which equates to “at my wits end.”

I actually wrote a paper on this in college.  It was one of 2 A’s I got in my English classes.

Firstly, PWND by the Mae Shi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKe838lETDM
Also, Religious Vomit by the Dead Kennedys.

But seriously, the Mae Shi are crazy/awesome

Some slightly less than atheist songs that nonetheless challenge the idea of religion:

Vatican Rag – Tom Lehrer (a must for all ex-Catholics)
If God Was A Woman – Richie Sambora
The Rebel Jesus – Jackson Browne & The Chieftans

There are plenty more from Voltaire, like “Dead” and “Hell in a handbasket”.

Ok so this is supposedly “for kids” but I love They Might Be Giants’ “Science is Real”
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty33v7UYYbw

Oh wow… that is an excellent song… thank you!!!

Almost forgot:  “Rock Me Sexy Jesus” from the movie Hamlet 2.  Such a fun song!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylYzbB-tLcs

If an atheist can get away with it … AMEN! I was surprised it was not mentioned. My top two are Dear God by XTC and, by a head and shoulder, God Said by Anthony David.

Tech N9ne’s sone “Show Me a God” hasn’t been mentioned yet – but it shows someone who is clearly on the path to Atheism, if he’s not actually there yet.  There’s also a goofy 2012 reference, but it seems there is a minimum woo content rule for serious lyrical rappers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUx0Cgifx-Y

I love that song, especially as sung by Sarah McLachlan, but I really see it as being written by a believer who’s angry at God or someone who is, at the very least, an agnostic–not by an atheist who’s beyond all that.

“God is not Great” George Hrab – you can find the album Trebuchet at cdbaby http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orqBWCOZOGo

I sing My Imaginary Friend with my christian dad all the time. I love the irony.

I just found Emily Davis today – because she has a bunch of Bad Religion acoustic covers on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/2hamsters1couple

She also has 2 original albums on Bandcamp, including one song titled “Sagan’s Song”! http://emilydavis.bandcamp.com/album/dark-matter

In addition to Randy Newman’s “God’s Song,” which RTH already mentioned, there’s Randy Newman’s “Get On The Glory Train” from his version of “Faust.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1OPPi9e6LU

(Please listen to the whole thing, as the other foot does drop.  It’s worth it.)

I also like Andy Corwin’s “Agnostic Gospel Song”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bp2Eqrvuis

 I always thought “losing my religion” was southern slang for “going insane”, which is the opposite of what it should mean…

http://youtu.be/8EepSTtBiXQ

JESUS SAVES!

Streetlight Manifesto – Down, Down, Down to Mephisto’s Cafe.  Actually their whole album “Somewhere in the Between” is very thoughtful and anti-religion. 

Os Mutantes “Balada do Louco” would be perfect for this.

Also, Bob Marley “Get Up Stand Up” comes to mind; not sure how’d he feel about me using the song in this way, since he was pretty religious, you know, with the Rastafari thing. I’d imagined he’d be a bit more pissed about Vanilla Ice covering “Buffalo Soldier” and Johnny Cash covering “Redemption Song” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLYOOezs3DA

You missed out on “No Religion” by Mustasch, and “Glory Hallelujah” by Frank Turner. Great pieces of music right there! 😉

So many comments and not one mention of East Jesus Nowhere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPu18Wt8e7Y

“Losing My Religion” isn’t about atheism.  The title is a common colloquialism in the South for swearing.

Genesis: “Jesus He Knows Me”, for those ex-Christian atheists with a taste for bitter irony.

Working on it now. The link is: spotify:user:mydknight:playlist:3Jl0uG5D2REEsivU731nOO

Also, Freewill 🙂

A metal song with a positive message by one of my favorite bands Suicide Silence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=312Sb-2PovA

I’d, personally, have to add “Believe in Nothing” by Nevermore. Fantastic song.

That was supposed to be a link. I guess I’m not doing it right.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=deer+tick+christ+jesus&aq=0&oq=deer+tick+chri

just page through the death/black/whatever metal catalog. Among those is Nile and the song “Kafir”. they throw a middle eastern slant on the music and words.  starts out  With the “there is no god but god” , then shorten it by the last two words.

I’m pretty sure that Tom Waits’ “Dirt in the Ground” is atheistic. At the very least, it makes the argument that after we die, nothing happens.

I would add the song “Undertow” by R.E.M. to this list.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-KzOqdiDUE