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Have a Cigar, Pink Floyd.
Life’s Been Good to Me So Far, Joe Walsh.
Lito Shuffle, Boz Scags.
Jukebox Hero, Foreigner.
Piano Man, Billy Joel.
(Yes, I am old.)
Have a Cigar was the first song I thought of.
“Oh, by the way, which one’s Pink?”Primus’ rendition is also awesome. https://youtu.be/aEf0SpAEnIc?si=PVfnyKpxFRuslQXo
Not bad, but let me present you with the definitive cover: The Main Squeeze - that solo trounces everything, I’d go as far as, even the original.
A fun industry fact: Have A Cigar was sung by Roy Harper, as he happened to be in the studio and the members of Floyd thought he could be a good fit. Roy Harper is perhaps more known in the mainstream through the Zeppelin song Hats Off to (Roy) Harper than through his own recordings, though he’s still alive and active.
Harper didn’t feel like he was appropriately compensated for his work on Have a Cigar, which is ironic considering the overall thematic.
Reel Big Fish - Sell Out
Tool - Hooker With A Penis
From most favorite, descending:
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Bomb the Music Industry! - Side Projects are Never Successful (punk)
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Backini - Radio (hip-hop)
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They Might Be Giants - Hey Mr. DJ I Thought You Said We Had a Deal (alt-pop)
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Reel Big Fish - Sell Out (ska)
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MC Lars - Download This Song (cross-genre)
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Billy Joel - The Entertainer (pop)
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Barr - The Song is the Single (rock)
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They Might Be Giants - Working Undercover for the Man (alt-pop)
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Ben Folds - Rockin’ the Suburbs (pop)
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David Rovics - The Pirate Radio Song (acoustic punk)
Edited to provide links and genres.
MC Lars - Download This Song (cross-genre)
You’ve reminded me of my answer to this question:
Weird Al - Don’t Download This Song
I thought about it, but it doesn’t rise to “favorite” for me
I see you updated your initial comment to replace Piano Man with The Entertainer (or at least, I don’t remember seeing the latter there before). I’m not sure I like it better than the Weird Al song, but it could give it a run for its money. (I wouldn’t answer Piano Man, which is a song I live, only because IMO it’s not “about the music industry” enough.)
Rounding out my list would be Sell Out by Reel Big Fish, The Load-Out/Stay by Jackson Browne (if it doesn’t have the same problem as Piano Man), and Life’s Been Good to Me So Far by Joe Walsh. That last one is not because I particularly like it, but because it’s the only one that came to mind without having to read other people’s answers.
I did add it, before I started editing in links. I never had Piano Man on there, which is definitely about the performance life but not about the industry.
Of the ones I listed, “Radio” and “The Entertainer” are definitely the most critical of the industry.
They Might Be Giants - Rhythm Section Want Ad
They Might Be Giants - We’re the Replacements
They Might Be Giants - the entirety of Venue Songs
I almost included “The End of the Tour” but decided against.
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EMI, Sex Pistols
Unlimited supply!
Against Me - Unprotected Sex with Multiple Partners
Dinosaurs will die - NOFX
Complete Control by The Clash
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Is it about the history of rock’n’roll, or something else?
I have no idea WTF I just read. All I know is that I want to throw an onion at you now.
If we tease that apart a bit, kabbalistically, we observe first and foremost that an onion has layers; that it is a food; and that the word onion sounds like “a nun”. From this we can derive that the piece of commentary referenced invokes a sense of layered meaning, is nourishing, and inspires religious devotion.
Digging, pun intended, a little deeper, we find that the etymological root (again intended) of the word is the Latin unio, unionis. Obviously “union” is right there –and this is not a coincidence because nothing is ever a coincidence, in Kabbalah– so we must understand that these layers of meaning are unified. Furthermore, the Latin word also is used to demote a large pearl, harkening to the “pearl of great price” allegorically mentioned by Christ as a stand in for spiritual wisdom; seeming to imply that not only is the above all unified but spiritually sound from the perspective of Christian soteriology.
Maggie’s Farm by Bob Dylan
Radio Friendly Unit Shifter by Nirvana
All the Best by R.E.M.
Intro by The Prodigy (not a song, technically, but a clear statement of intent from Liam Howlett)
lost in hollywood by system of acdown
Death on Two Legs - Queen
Death on two legs, by Queen, is a track of reckoning with their former manager.
Plus it’s a pretty little known but great early queen rock song. Freddie’s viciousness really spews out from it.
I think the most obvious album to point out which is about many things (including the abuse of the music industry) is To Pimp a Butterfly. I’m surprised I haven’t seen it here yet. Even the title is very on-the-nose – the “pimp” in reference is both the music industry and (more frequently) the US government/social structures, and the “butterfly” is a fledgling Kendrick/black rappers/black Americans in general (context depending on the exact song). It’s meant to be listened in exact order. Many people say it’s overrated but I really disagree. It’s an amazing narrative and powerful symbolism with good music.
