When Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 on Thursday (Sept. 8), she left behind a considerable legacy when it comes to politics, tradition and media. However should you rule a rustic for 70 years, you’re by no means going to make everybody blissful, and whereas she was definitely beloved by thousands and thousands, she impressed her justifiable share of critics and detractors, too.
That a lot is obvious simply by trying on the music impressed by the long-running ruler of the royal household. For each optimistic or impartial tune concerning the Queen (such because the Beatles’ quickie “Her Majesty,” the place Paul McCartney sings, “Her Majesty’s a reasonably good lady however she doesn’t have rather a lot to say”), there’s a sneering “God Save the Queen” from Intercourse Pistols or a hostile “The Queen Is Useless” by the Smiths (each all-time rock classics).
Primal Scream’s “Insect Royalty” is, unsurprisingly, not terribly flattering; The Stone Roses’ “Elizabeth My Pricey” might sound extra kindly upon first look, however with lyrics like “Tear me aside and boil my bones / I’ll not relaxation ’til she’s misplaced her throne,” it actually isn’t rather more optimistic.
Some songs simply reference her in passing, reminiscent of Madonna’s Insurgent Coronary heart observe “Illuminati,” the place she declares the so-called secret society isn’t “Queen Elizabeth or Kanye.” Others, like Pet Store Boys’ “Dreaming of the Queen,” are extra impressionistic: “Dreaming of the Queen / Visiting for tea / You and her and I / And Girl Di.”
Take a hearken to seven of those songs under and see what every artist has stated about Queen Elizabeth II through the years.
