10 Great Rock Songs Inspired By Death

From day one, U2 always believed that the power of rock and roll meant more than just the music that you played. For them, this was a matter of life or death, and they weren't afraid to tackle some of the darker sides of life between the hopeful stuff, like calling out greedy big wigs in songs like Bullet the Blue Sky. This was always about celebrating life though, and they got one of their first perfect songs paying tribute to one of the most important men in Civil Rights History.

While U2's generation was far removed from that of Martin Luther King, Bono became increasingly fascinated with his legacy, seeing him as a beacon of light in the dark world of American prejudice. They did give him the track MLK towards the end of The Unforgettable Fire, but this song is a glimpse into what they saw in him, going from his stance on civil rights and then culminating in his assassination in the final verse.

Even though the whole song seems to end on his death, this doesn't mean that everything he did was for nought. As Bono says, they may have taken his life, but his pride and his legacy will live on years after he has passed. Because even when you kill the advocate for peace, the message that Dr. King made all those years ago is still pretty much bulletproof.