Theme Songs

The Labour Party presents

A medley of some uplifting, rabble-rousing, revolutionary songs from top-notch trouble-maker troubadours.

---

The Internationale

The Internationale (L’Internationale in French) is a famous socialist, communist, social-democratic and anarchist anthem and one of the most widely recognized songs in the world. This British/Irish version is sung by Alistair Hulett. Sing Along and Enjoy!  Wanna see Alistair in action? Here’s another video rendition, in a duet with Jimmy Gregory.

The Red Flag

Inspired to write a socialist anthem after attending a lecture at a meeting of the Social Democratic Federation during the London Dock Strike of 1889, Jim Connell set down the words of “The Red Flag” while on a train journey from Charing Cross railway station to his home in Honor Oak, south London. It quickly became an anthem of the international labour movement.  It has been sung, with fire and fervour, for over a century.  This celtic-flavoured version from Billy Bragg is accompanied by pix from his Liverpool Philharmonnic Hall gig on 02 May 08.

“Did I think that the song would live? Yes, the last line shows I did: “This song shall be our parting hymn”. I hesitated a considerable time over this last line. I asked myself whether I was not assuming too much. I reflected, however, that in writing the song I gave expression to not only my own best thoughts and feelings, but the best thoughts and feelings of every genuine socialist I knew… I decided that the last line should stand.”

~ Jim Connell, How I Wrote “The Red Flag”, 1920

Guy Fawkes’ Table

Written and performed by Attila the Stockbroker with David Rovics on harmony vocals, recorded by Tim Dalinian Jones at the Radical Routes Co-Operatives Conference gig at Conway Hall, London, UK, on Sat 23 May 09. Sound quality’s not so good, but click on the YouTube logo to ‘Watch on YouTube’ and you’ll get the lyrics on screen too.

“We need a new radical party
But not the Judean People’s Front
Not another small sect, but a movement
With the power to change and confront
We need an electoral system
Which gives every voter a voice
‘Cos we’re fed up with voting for wankers
And we have the right to a choice!
Aneurin Bevan, your party is dead
And the time for a new one is nigh
Will the last person Left please turn out the lights?
New Labour, just fuck off and die.”

~ Attila the Stockbroker, “Guy Fawkes’ Table”, 2003

Crashing Down & Behind the Barricades

Written and performed by David Rovics, used by permission on the soundtrack to the CIRCUS of TIANANMEN street performance art action video.

Lyrics, audio streaming, & free MP3 downloads:

• Crashing Down

• Behind the Barricades

» If you keep the MP3s, you’re invited to donate via David’s soundclick home page.

“Feel free to download these songs. Use them for whatever purpose. Send them to friends, burn them, copy them, play them on the radio, on the internet, wherever. Music is the Commons. Ignore the corporate music industry shills who tell you otherwise. Downloading music is not theft, you’re not hurting anyone, I promise.”

~ David Rovics, soundclick home page, 186 songs available

Five Years

Written by David Bowie in 1972, Five Years tells of an Earth doomed to destruction in five years and the aftermath of this knowledge. Bowie is rumored to have chosen the length of time, five years, as a result of a dream in which his deceased father told him he must never fly again and would die in five years.

37 years later, given the urgency of solving Capitalism’s ecological crisis and averting Catastrophic Climate Change, the song has gained added poignancy. And never flying again seems like it ought to be common practice for everybody.