List #14--Sherlie Moriarty's Ultimate Dark, Powerful, Somewhat Vainglorious Music Playlist (+ Ratings)

I've decided that this blog needs some music.  Not literally, as music can be distracting when you're reading, but some recommendations.  And with that I give you my ultimate dark, powerful, somewhat vainglorious music playlist.

Firstly, by "dark," I generally mean topics such as:

• asking intense questions of one's conscience
• loneliness
• revenge
• assassination
• simply setting a dark sort of mood, including instrumental pieces  

By "powerful," I mean stuff like

• intelligence
• taking over the world loving oneself to a great extent, sometimes at the expense of others
• power, obviously, including action adventury upbeat kinds of songs

As for "vainglorious," well, here's the definition from dictionary.com:

excessive elation or pride over one's own achievements, abilities, etc.; boastful vanity.

I am also introducing a Content Rating system that I will use for all media I recommend on this site.  I'm not going to talk about which are "best" or "coolest" or "greatest" because that is totally subjective, but I am rating these based on content some people may find unpleasant.  I'm also not going to say that you shouldn't listen to these things; I am only putting this here for people who wish to avoid certain topics or levels of intensity.

Since this is an all-ages site, I understand that some of you readers may have parents, guardians, and/or younger siblings who may have opinions about and/or listen to your music, and I do not want any of you to get in trouble because of this blog.

Here is the system, which I will also use on a couple of earlier posts and link to on the main page.  (Please note that references to movie and video game ratings for comparison are based on American ratings and may not reflect all systems.  I apologize for any confusion, this is just to give a better idea of content compared to other media.):

1--Equivalent to the "general audiences (G)" rating of movies, or the "everyone (E)" video game rating, these songs are appropriate for anybody to listen to.  They contain no bad language or adult themes and are the sort of thing one would hear on the radio.  They are also not very dark, just intellectual and self-esteem-filled.

2--Equivalent to the "parental guidance (PG)" rating of movies, or the "everyone 10+ (E-10+)" video game rating, these songs may have mild violent or sexual themes, but no bad language.  They are still the sort that would be heard on the radio, but have lyrics that some young children perhaps should not be exposed to.

3--Equivalent to the PG/PG-13+ rating of movies or the E-10+/Teen(T) video game rating, these songs have mild language and/or content in songs rated 2.  This means either milder words, or fewer instances, such as a "stronger" word only being included once or twice, outside of the chorus, title, or any repeated lines.  Some of these may have clean/explicit versions.

4--Equivalent to the PG-13+ rating of movies or the T rating of video games these songs have medium language, including stronger words and any words used in the chorus, title, or repeated lines.  They also may have more explicit "dark" themes.  These generally have clean and explicit versions to choose from. 

5--Similar to 4, these songs have more intense language, such as stronger words used more often, and themes that are much more sexual and/or violent.

6--The 6 rating is reserved for songs with explicit, very dark themes that may be triggering to some people and not recommended for anybody under the age of 13.

Now for the songs, organized by rating.  I am including short descriptions, because I personally like to know a bit about what I will be hearing when I see themed playlists and for further content purposes. The title will come first, then the artist name.

Rating 1--For the rating category that is the equivalent of the kiddie pool, it's actually some pretty good stuff.

• Oh No!--Marina and the Diamonds
• A celebration of self-esteem that also satirizes obsession with television.
• Not actually very dark.
• Music video is interesting.
• Skyfall--Adele
• Not truly "dark," but has a dark sort of mood and was in a James Bond movie that I haven't seen.
• Beethoven--Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• Exhilirating instrumental violin piece.
• To me it sounds kind of like the process of getting angry and empowered, but maybe that's just me.
• Waltz No. 2--Dmitri Shostakovich
• Instrumental waltz with a majestic feeling to it, with some definite dark undertones.
• This is the song that will play when I take over the world.
• I'm Alive--Shinedown
• A power/revenge song.
• Originally made for the Avengers superhero movie, but not included within it.
• I Speak Six Languages--The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Broadway Show)
• A girl is talking about all the great things she can do.
• This is a very humorous song, not dark at all, just intellectual!
• Everybody Loves Me--One Republic
• Again, not dark, just very self-esteem filled.

Rating 2--These are still pretty mild, but I don't recommend them for young kids.

•  Dance With the Devil--Breaking Benjamin
• This is dark in a very emotional but beautiful way, like much of Breaking Benjamin's music.
• Part of the reason this is on the 2 list is that I understand some people do not want to listen to a song with a title like "Dance with the Devil."  It is not actually demonic, as far as I know, but I understand people interpret these things in very different ways.
•  Whispers in the Dark--Skillet
• This song seems to be about relationships, one of which is possibly unhealthy, so it made the 2 list.
•  Heartbreaker--Pat Benatar
• This could almost go on the 1 list; it isn't all that dark, there's just a couple of lines here and there that put it here.
• Take Me Out--Franz Ferdinand
• A love song with assassination subtexts by a group named after an assassinated Austro-Hungarian archduke whose death sparked a world war.
• The video is pretty cool!  It's really well-animated and designed.
• I Don't Care--Fall Out Boy
• This is the definition of "action adventurey upbeat."  It's very much a self-esteem song, the kind that makes you want to run out and get revenge on some multinational corporation.
• There is not any bad language, though some of the lyrics, depending on interpretation, have a bit of an adult theme.
• Emperor's New Clothes--Panic! At the Disco
• This song is, in fact, based on the fairy tale of the same name.
• I just discovered this one, and it is basically the feeling of sitting on a throne while wearing the Crown Jewels (yes, the famous ones from England) and eating red velvet cake right after being released from jail.
• You're probably wondering if I, Queen Moriarty, have actually experienced what I described in the previous sentence...we don't talk about that.
• I Will Not Bow--Breaking Benjamin
• This one's pretty intense.  It's about shutting the world away and refusing to give in, with a really powerful chorus.
• So Cold--Breaking Benjamin
• Another deep emotional work by Ben Burnley, brilliant guitarist and cat lover.
• Secret--The Pierces
• This one just sounds really creepy.
• Paint It Black--The Rolling Stones
• Some American classic rock with a gothic twist.

Rating 3--Here's some mild language, ages 12+

• Villain--Theory of a Deadman
• This song should have been in the Despicable Me franchise somewhere, but those movies were made for 9-year-olds, and the one inappropriate word in here is pretty clear.
• This is more of a dark humor song than a very dark one.
•  Animal I Have Become--Three Days Grace
• A dark, loud conscience song.  Definitely a Three Days Grace classic.
•  Seven Nation Army/Sweet Dreams Mash-Up--The White Stripes/Eurythmics
• Both songs are good on their own, but the multitude of mash-ups of these two that I've found on YouTube and the like are pretty good.
• This is the feeling of planning a government break-in with your best friend, another thing we don't talk about.
•  Boulevard of Broken Dreams--Green Day
• At this point in time, in America, everyone at the approximate age of 10-12 has heard this song a ton of times on the radio, but if you pay attention to the lyrics, it's a relatable loneliness ballad.
• According to some source I can't remember, it is technically a ballad, which isn't quite how I'd describe it otherwise, but who cares.
• There is one bad word in here, although as long as you just skip over it or get a clean version, you should be alright.  
• I knew the tune of this song even before I knew the title, and if you've even been to America in the past ten years or so you probably know the tune, too.  I can't speak for its popularity elsewhere, but chances are if you've been on Earth in the past 10 years you know this tune.

Rating 4--A level up from 3...

• House of Wolves--My Chemical Romance
• This is a morally complicated conscience song.  It's really upbeat, danceable, and even singable...
• ...if you like singing about running around an ambulance and blood dripping down walls.  It's not dark enough for rating 5, half the people who listen to this song are 12, but it's...up there.
• You're Gonna Go Far Kid--The Offspring
• Another 12-year-old favorite.  However, the untrustworthy theme and the bad word that's in every chorus gives the whole thing a bit of an obnoxious flavor to a lot of people.
• This song has described my life for the past few years.
• Most of the people who like this song are nerds, anime fans, and anybody who's not popular and is therefore desiring of revenge.
• Let's Kill Tonight--Panic! At the Disco
• Another new discovery suggestive of murder.
• That feeling when you and all your consulting criminal friends decide to drive around in a convertible wearing dark sunglasses and shooting rubber squid at people on a summer night.
• Don't ask.
• When You're Evil--Voltaire
• There's actually no bad language, but there are constant references to demons and violence.
• It's actually fairly humorous, but it's not something one wants their little siblings hearing.
• This Ain't A Scene It's An Arms Race--Fall Out Boy
• For those days when you feel like the king of the world.
• Or queen, in my case.
• But I will still sing at the top of my lungs, "I'm a leadin' man, and the lies I weave are oh so intricate..."
• Definitely a self-esteem/power song.

Rating 5--Some Darker Territory

•  Don't Mess With Me--Temposhark
• Another recent discovery.
• This one I appreciate the sound of, but the lyrics are kind of disturbing.
• Sexual references that make me feel uncomfortable as somebody whose idea of a fun date is eating cake? Check!  Violence references that are just kinda scary?  Check!
• Something people under 13 shouldn't be listening to?  Check!
• It's worth a listen or few for the unique sound and feeling, but you're not missing much if you avoid it.

Rating 6--Really, I don't blame you for just avoiding this category.  Plenty of people listen to this stuff, but it is not appropriate for children and kind of disturbing.

• Innocence--Disturbed
• Okay, this is a serious one.
• This song is a commentary on world events, and it's very cleverly written, but also very intense.
• It's not sad intense, it's angry intense, without any bad language, but with references to real-world problems.
• This doesn't make it too serious for this list; however, it's not for everyone.

That's it for now.
I'll probably come up with more later, and you can suggest more in the comments; this is just what comes to mind now.

I am also applying the ratings to some earlier posts, so you may want to look back a bit if that's something that interests you.

Signing off,
SM