The apocalypse playlist: Music for the end of the world
When a zombie invasion inevitably happens, whether you’re running for your life or taking the undead head on, you’re going to need some tunes to listen to while it all comes crashing down.
Here’s a short playlist of songs that will help you get through the impending apocalypse.
“The End” — The Beatles: When the world is coming to an end, it only makes sense to listen to the final recorded song of the greatest band in the history of humankind.
The aptly titled track is light on vocals and heavy on dueling solos from John, Paul and George — even Ringo gets a drum interlude all to himself.
‘The song appropriately closes with one of John Lennon’s most famous lyrics: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
“Outnumbered” — The Devil Wears Prada: In 2010, Ohio-based metal-core band The Devil Wears Prada released a five-track EP titled “Zombie EP.”
The short EP goes through multiple stages of a zombie invasion, from the initial outbreak to the fight against the undead to the bleak realization of a Kansas man who has lived in solitude for two years after his wife’s death.
The track “Outnumbered” is the “fight back” stage, and features a heavy, aggressive guitar riff and low, growling screams.
“Last Living Souls”
—Gorillaz: Gorillaz has always had a sort of creepy premise — the band is made up entirely of fictional members, and one look at any of their music videos will leave you scratching your head.
“Last Living Souls” is the opening track to 2005’s “Demon Days,” which is a themed album that takes the listener through a post-apocalyptic world.
To kick off the album, Damon Albarn, the mastermind behind Gorillaz, asks the question, “Are we the last living souls?”
The rest of the album answers that question, and ends on a surprisingly positive note.
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” — Green Day:
This is one of the most misused and misunderstood songs ever written.
What Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong wrote as a bitter breakup song turned into the soundtrack for high school graduations across the country.
So it wouldn’t hurt to misuse it one more time, and it will still feel appropriate during the apocalypse.
The strings used to complement Armstrong’s acoustic guitar have a melancholy vibe.
After the world crashes and burns, you’ll want to listen to this song and remember all the good times that you can no longer experience.