It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

People keep telling me that it’s the end of the world, for a lot of reasons, really. Whether it’s the coronavirus, the climate, our current political situation or anything else you can think of, Planet Earth isn’t doing the best. This idea of the apocalypse goes even further than real life though. There are tons of new shows about Armageddon, parallel universes or a burning earth, and even though the world isn’t ending, for real reasons or fake ones, it did make me wonder: What would be the best songs to play during the end times? So, I gathered my team and created the perfect post-apocalyptic playlist for you all.

“Wake Me Up” by Avicii

“Wake me up when it’s all over

When I’m wiser, and I’m older

All this time I was finding myself and I

Didn’t know I was lost”

Avicii always gives me ‘end of the world’ vibes. I picture this song playing behind four teenagers as they walk through the wasteland that remains.

“Zombie” by The Cranberries

“Another head hangs lowly

Child is slowly taken

And violence caused such silence

Who are we mistaken”

“Zombie” seems to tell the story of a war-zone. It’s very easy to think of it as a world broken after a nuclear fallout.

“Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons

“I raise my flag and dye my clothes

It’s a revolution, I suppose

We’re painted red to fit right in”

This might seem like an obvious choice, but it is a good one as well. This one also feels like the after facts of a nuclear war or maybe even after a killer disease. Either way, it gives strong vibes of the poor/oppressed rising up against this apocalypse.

“Apocalypse” by Cigarettes After Sex

“You leapt from crumbling bridges 

Watching cityscapes turn to dust

Filming helicopters crashing

In the ocean from way above”

This is a love song. It’s fit for two lovers barely surviving a terrible endeavor and coming together at the end of all of it to share a simple mind blowing kiss. Think of the end of the Princess Bride but with more apocalypse.

“Uninvited” by Alanis Morisette

“Must be strangely exciting

To watch the stoic squirm

Must be somewhat heartening

To watch shepherd meet shepherd”

Morisette’s song makes me think of a final girl in a horror movie. Only, instead of a serial killer, she has survived a rain of fire. 

“Disenchanted” by My Chemical Romance

“You’re just a sad song with nothin’ to say

About a life-long wait for a hospital stay

Well, if you think I’m wrong

This never meant nothing to ya”

Of course MCR had to be included on this list; they have perfect music for people raging against the government or anything keeping someone down. This song specifically feels like the heroes are walking toward their final battle.

“Boy in the Bubble” by Alec Benjamin

“And my heart was pumping, chest was screaming

Mind was running, nose was bleeding

Put my hands up, put my hands up

I told this kid I’m ready for a fight”

Most of Benjamin’s songs are actually about finding the hope in humanity, but this one is different. The bridge still reveals something hidden in people’s action, but it is one of his darker songs. This song just gives off total apocalypse vibes.

“Migraine” by 21 Pilots 

“They’re trying to eat me, blood running down their chin

And I know that I can fight, or I can let the lion win

I begin to assemble what weapons I can find

‘Cause sometimes to stay alive you gotta kill your mind”

Sometimes the biggest enemy is just the voice in your head. This song is a different kind of end, but it still is a wonderful listen because it’s very cathartic.

“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel

“We didn’t start the fire

But we did ignite it

Know we’re trying to fight it”

This song is arguable the best review kind of song. It’s all about what kind of things we all value, and what they say about us. To me, it would be perfect at the very beginning of a movie about the end times.

“Burnt and Worn Out” by Fredo Disco 

“I got high

And it felt right

But then I got too high

And that was the end of my night”

I absolutely love this song. It’s really quick, and the vibe is happy even if the lyrics are a little sad. I see a close-in shot of a final girl smoking a cigarette, fading slowly to black.

“Harmony Hall” by Vampire Weekend

“And the stone walls of Harmony Hall bear witness

Anybody with a worried mind can never forgive the sight

Of wicked snakes inside a place you thought was dignified

I don’t wanna live like that, but I don’t wanna die”

This one is so obvious to me. Our group of heroes are preparing for whatever vice they are going to fight. Someone’s welding something, someone’s practicing martial arts, all of that cinematic stuff.

“Mad World” by Tears for Fears

“I find it hard to handle

I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It’s a very, very mad world”

Have you ever listened to the original “Mad World”? It’s super upbeat even though the lyrics are so heartbreaking. It’s a bop though. 

“New Perspective” by Panic! At The Disco

“There’s a haze above my TV

That changes everything I see

And maybe if I continue watching

I’ll lose the traits that worry me”

I love this song so much. I can’t say exactly why it makes me think about the apocalypse, but it does. Maybe it’s because it’s on the Jennifer’s Body soundtrack.

“Genghis Khan” by Miike Snow

“And the lights, they glow

Like I just lost the World War

And the scene slips away

To the evenness I fake”

This music video is about the relationship between a James Bond type, and the villain he fights against. It actually ends up being a gay love story, and I can totally see the whole thing being expanded into a funny, romance, end of the world film.

“Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men

“You’re gone, gone, gone away

I watched you disappear

All that’s left is a ghost of you”

This song is a conversation between two lovers. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and you can feel their care for each other. I would love to hear this as the thoughts of two separated lovers looking for each other again after the apocalypse parted the two.

“Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons

“Weep for yourself, my man,

You’ll never be what is in your heart

Weep, little lion man,

You’re not as brave as you were at the start”

I feel like this song is about personal power. Someone finding an inner power, something they didn’t know about until now. I think it could be an awesome backing song for a power reveal scene.

“End of the World” by The Carpenters

“Why does the sun go on shining?

Why does the sea rush to shore?

Don’t they know it’s the end of the world

‘Cause you don’t love me anymore?”

This is the worst kind of apocalypse. Only one person has survived, and it isn’t someone who is enjoying the freedom. They are alone, terrified and sad, and at the same time, it’s gorgeous.

That is my playlist for you all to jam to while you’re stuck in quarantine. Remember to stay safe and even though these songs might make you feel otherwise, it isn’t the end of the world! Wash your hands, self-isolate and stay kind!