Heavy Metal Against The Law
In 1980 Accept released an album called I’m a Rebel with a song with the same name. I’m a Rebel is crystal clear towards the message it wants people to hear: ‘I’m a Rebel’ and ‘They say I’m a danger to the public and all.’ Accept is telling loud and clear what their metal is about. But not just that, I’m a Rebel also says what a headbanger is: ‘I’m just the product of a screwed up world.’
The heavy metal scene, between 1980 and the middle of the decade had a clear characteristic in their lyrics. All metal bands from this period were singing against law, order, customs, and morals standards. Accept is one of many examples.
Normally people don’t think of headbangers as rebels in the same way as punks were rebels. Metal has no political ties, it was just pure revolt in the period around the beginning of the 80s. In 1980 Iron Maiden released their first album which had three particular songs we should pay special attention. Running Free, which became a major hit, talks about a night out of a lost young man having fun as he can. And the way he can is ‘out of money, out of luck’. Just as in I’m a Rebel, the young male is a product of a screwed up world and he is living his screwed up life.
The second song we should look at is Prowler. Prowler, that could also be called vagabond or bum, tells the tale of a young male trying to find his way out in the…
