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'99 Luftballons' by Nena -

The original version of '99 Red Balloons' has a surprisingly dark backstory. According to Nena, the song "imagines someone’s helium-filled party favors drifting over the Berlin Wall, getting mistaken for enemy aircraft, and kickstarting World War III."

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'Fight Fire with Fire' by Metallica -

This song from Metallica's 1984 album 'Ride the Lightning' is about how "nuclear warfare shall lay us to rest" because "Armageddon's here like said in the past."

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'Five Years' by David Bowie -

The opening track of Bowie's classic album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars' is also about doomsday. The lyrics go: "News had just come over / We had five years left to cry in / News guy wept and told us / Earth was really dying."  

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'Abattoir Blues' by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds -

"The sky is on fire, the dead are heaped across the land," sings Nick Cave.

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'The End' by The Doors -

This classic Doors song really takes us on a journey... to the end. "This is the end, beautiful friend / This is the end, my only friend."

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'Everyday Is Like Sunday' by Morrissey -

This song from Morrissey's debut album is inspired by Nevil Shute's apocalyptic novel 'On the Beach.' As with some other songs on this list, it touches on nuclear devastation. "This is the coastal town /That they forgot to close down "Armageddon, come Armageddon" and "In the seaside town / That they forgot to bomb / Come, come, come, nuclear bomb," sings Morrissey.

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'It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)' by R.E.M -

If there is one uplifting song that will get you through doomsday with a smile on your face, this is it!

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'Bad Moon Rising' by Creedence Clearwater Revival -

While the weather might be used as a metaphor, it's a pretty heavy song about the end of times. "I hear hurricanes a-blowin' / I know the end is comin' soon / I fear rivers over flowin' /I hear the voice of rage and ruin" and "Hope you got your things together / Hope you are quite prepared to die / Looks like we're in for nasty weather / One eye is taken for an eye."

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'The Man Comes Around' by Johnny Cash -

'The Man Comes Around' is about the second coming of Jesus, which pretty much means the end of the world as we know it, according to the Book of Revelation.

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'The Final Countdown' by Europe -

This 1986 hit (and karaoke favorite, has Joey Tempest painting both an apocalyptic and optimistic picture of abandoning Earth before the world collapses.

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'1999' by Prince -

Only Prince can make us dance as the world collapses. "We could all die here today (1999) / I don't want to die / I'd rather dance my life away," he sings.

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'4 Minutes' Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland -

There is a strong sense of urgency in this song as "we only got four minutes to save the world!"

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'Talkin’ World War III Blues' by Bob Dylan -

This doomy song makes sense, taking into account it was released in 1963, right after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Dylan sings about a dream he had about "walkin' into World War Three."

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'Judgement Day' by Method Man -

Method Man raps about the collapse of civilization and Armageddon.

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'Apocalypse Please' by Muse -

"Come on, it's time for something biblical [...] And this is the end / This is the end / Of the world," sings Matt Bellamy.

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'The End of the World' by The Cure -

The end of a relationship can indeed feel like the end of the world. So, metaphorically speaking, this is a song about collapse and destruction.

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'Earth Died Screaming' by Tom Waits -

"Well the earth died screaming / While I lay dreaming of you." Sounds pretty poetic... and devastating, right?

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'Skyfall' by Adele -

This might be a James Bond theme song, but it does have strong apocalyptic connotations, with lyrics such as "This is the end / Hold your breath and count to 10" and "Skyfall is where we start / A thousand miles and poles apart / Where worlds collide and days are dark."

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'Waiting for the End of the World' by Elvis Costello -

This song can be found in Costello's 1977 debut album 'My Aim Is True.' "Waiting for the end of the world / Dear Lord, I sincerely hope you're coming / 'Cause you really started something," sings Costello.

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'Doomsday Clock' by The Smashing Pumpkins -

"Gas mask's on / Wait in the sunshine overhead / If this is living, sakes alive / Well, then, we can't win, no one survives / Is everyone afraid? / You should be ashamed / Apocalyptic screams mean nothing to the dead," sings Billy Corgan.

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'Idioteque' by Radiohead -

Thom Yorke sings about bunkers, fire, and a coming ice age. Sounds pretty apocalyptical to us!

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'London Calling' by The Clash -

Joe Strummer captured a real end-of-times feel with this song. "The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in / Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin / A nuclear era, but I have no fear / 'Cause London is drowning / I, I live by the river," he sings.

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'1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)' by Jimi Hendrix -

Jimi Hendrix sings about making love in the sand as the world collapses. "Hurrah I awake from yesterday / Alive but the war is here to stay / So my love Catherina and me / Decide to take our last walk," he sings.

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'Dancing with Tears in My Eyes' by Ultravox -

This song is all about the nuclear war fear of the 1980s, and paints a pretty sad picture of doomsday: "It's five and I'm driving home again / It's hard to believe that it's my last time / The man on the wireless cries again /It's over, it's over."

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'Party at Ground Zero' by Fishbone -

"And drop drills will be extinct / Speed Racer cloud has come / They know not what they've done / Sin has just won / And the Earth is a crumb," sings Angelo Moore.

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'Wooden Ships' by Crosby, Stills & Nash -

Crosby, Stills & Nash sing from the perspective of survivors. "Horror grips us as we watch you die / All we can do is echo your anguished cries / Stare as all human feelings die."

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'If Tomorrow Never Comes' by Kent Blazy (ft. Garth Brooks) -

Wouldn't you want for your loved ones to know how much you care if the world came to an end?

Sources: (Paste) (Diffuser) (Zing Instruments) (Foundations of Music)

See also: Anti-war songs and other records about war

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