10 Classic Rock Songs About Boredom

Rock Songs About Boredom

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“Our ’10 Classic Rock Songs About Boredom’ article presents a series of songs that capture, in multiple ways, the sadness and despair of the concept of boredom. Boredom comes to us in many forms. Some people choose to live boring lives and somehow find joy in that. Others who live exciting lives actually become bored very easily. These are usually adrenaline junkies who just can’t take living a simple life. So, there are all different levels of boredom and various factors that contribute to it. We tried to pick a wide selection of songs that look at all the different angles of boredom while also picking some really special pieces that capture the concept of boredom in many different ways. Some of these are popular pieces, and others are not. Some of them may surprise you as being about boredom. What would be your picks?”

# 10 – No Rain – Blind Melon

“We open up our classic rock songs list about boredom with a wonderful song recorded by the band Blind Melon. This is one of those videos that went heavily into rotation on MTV and turned this band into a household name. Everyone felt that little girl’s pain; everyone could relate to it in some way or another. This song contains so many sad lyrics, so many words that point to the helplessness of loneliness and boredom. Those two terms go hand in hand. Some choose to live a life of boredom, some get captured by it. The late Shannon Hoon delivered a mesmerizing vocal performance on this one. The song was released on the band’s debut album in 1992, titled Blind Melon.”

# 9 – Phenomenal Cat – The Kinks

“Our celebration of The Kinks’ music continues with another song from the band that finds its way into our songs genres list. Phenomenal Cat by The Kinks is not just a song about boredom; it’s a song about a character choosing to be bored and being completely content with it. Of course, the song is open to interpretation, but I think it’s pretty obvious what the band was singing about. The song was released on the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.”

# 8 – Hang Fire – The Rolling Stones

“If you’re not familiar with what the term ‘Hang Fire’ means, it simply refers to delaying something or waiting a while to make a decision. Of course, that indecisiveness can sometimes be a result of simple boredom, or the indecisiveness itself actually leads to boredom. In the Rolling Stones’ song Hang Fire, it’s pretty much all they’re talking about. This is a song that presents the themes of laziness and boredom that can easily be heard in lyrics such as, ‘In the sweet old country where I come from, nobody ever works, nothing ever gets done. We hang fire, we hang fire.’ The song Hang Fire was released on the Rolling Stones’ 1980 album Tattoo You.”

# 7 – Going Down To Liverpool – The Bangles

“This is not just a song about boredom; it’s a song about embracing boredom. It’s the ultimate ‘I want to do nothing’ song. It’s right here, in black and white, in the lyrics: ‘I’m going down to Liverpool to do nothing, I’m going down to Liverpool to do nothing all the days of my life.’ It’s interesting, though, that this song sounds nothing like a song about boredom. It’s a fun, well-written, very melodic song that is fueled by a sensational performance by The Bangles.” the song was originally recorded by Katrina And The Waves a year earlier in 1983. Kimberley Rew of the band wrote the song. However we thought the video that the Bangles did was really worth showcasing here in this article. Have you ever seen this video? If not, you might want to take a look.

# 6 – I’m Bored – Iggy Pop

“We tried to stay away from the obvious ones, but this one is just too good to pass up. Iggy Pop doesn’t pull any punches with this one. No clever lines, no poetic prose; he just tells it like it is. The song I’m Bored was released on Iggy Pop’s third studio album entitled New Values. The album was released by Arista Records in July of 1979.”

# 5 – Johnny And Mary – Robert Palmer

“Now, talk about a perfect vocal performance showcasing the ideal of boredom. Robert Palmer usually sizzles in most of his performances, but in this one, he plays the perfect actor in symbolizing a song about a relationship lacking any sort of excitement or value. The male is searching for some sort of value in this world while the female just stays at home, completely bored, counting the walls, knowing full well that they aren’t going anywhere. It’s a pretty sad one, but such a cool song.

The song was originally released on Robert Palmer’s Clues album in 1980. It was interesting that this song was actually used to advertise Renault cars. I don’t know why they would utilize the song like this to advertise a product; I guess they just weren’t really listening to the lyrics.”

# 4 – Too Much Time On My Hands – Styx

“One of Styx’s all-time great songs fits so perfectly on this list. The sensational track Too Much Time on My Hands by Styx showcases the concept of boredom with lyrics like, ‘Well, I’m so tired of losing, I’ve got nothing to do, and all day to do it.’ And, of course, there is the chorus: ‘Is it any wonder I’ve got too much time on my hands? It’s ticking away with my sanity. I’ve got too much time on my hands, it’s hard to believe such a calamity.’

This classic Styx song was written by Tommy Shaw. It was released on the Paradise Theater album in March of 1981. The song was released as the album’s second single. At the time, the band consisted of Tommy Shaw, Dennis DeYoung, James Young, Chuck Panozzo, and John Panozzo. Too Much Time on My Hands became a top ten hit for the band. It was the most commercially successful song that Tommy Shaw had ever written for the band.” It’s also probably one of the cheesiest videos the band ever made, oh my Lord!

# 3 – Boredom – Deftones

“Sometimes we don’t need clever lyrics or a song filled with meaning. Sometimes all we need is a lyric like this: ‘I get bored, I get bored, I get bored, I’m bored.’ So, I think we get the point rather easily. There are times that’s all we need, that’s all we want—just say it like it is, tell it to our face, spit it out, and boom, you’re done. This song defines the madness for him; it showcases it in a very angry fashion, which often is one of the end results of boredom. That’s why this is so important to listen to; at the end, you can hear his pain and suffering from one of the worst experiences everyone can have in this life—boredom. The song was released by The Deftones on their 1995 album Adrenaline.”

# 2 – Another Day – Paul McCartney

“If there ever was a song about living a life that never changes, it was Paul McCartney’s masterpiece, Another Day. This song not only captures the concept of boredom, but it’s also a song about sadness, which is often a result of boredom. Paul McCartney lays it out in a perfectly titled tune that so many people can relate to. This is an important song in Paul McCartney’s career as it stands as his first-ever single release following the breakup of The Beatles. Released on February 19, 1971, this was a big hit for McCartney.”

# 1 – From Now On – Supertramp

“Oh, that piano sounds so good opening up this song. Rick Davies had such great piano chops. Of course, his vocal performance was also spectacular. Kudos to engineer Peter Henderson who got such a great sound out of that piano. This is a killer tune to open up this list about songs on boredom. Rick Davies dreams of a better life while working in a mundane job that leaves him bored to death. His life has become all about dreaming and living in a fantasy. The music that wraps around those lyrics is just so perfectly matched with the subject. The song was released in 1977 on the band’s fifth album, Even in the Quietest Moments. This would become Supertramp’s first gold album—what a great one it was!”

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