9 Shocking Times Music Was Used As A Military Weapon

Music can provide some of the most emotionally cathartic experiences in one's life. It can be connected to romance, sadness, sensuality, anger... Whichever music you prefer, it will have a profound impact on the way you think and feel. Its power over people, then, is hugely significant - so much so, in fact, that there are numerous cases of various armies, governments and police forces using music as a weapon in order to gain a psychological edge over their enemies. Music has been used to aid with sieges during wars, persuade people to vote in certain ways, to taunt opponents, to disperse crowds and, in many cases, to torture prisoners of war. The diversity of musical styles and artists employed in such a manner is remarkable. Hugely popular metal bands like Metallica, children's television themes such as Sesame Street, blasts of static noise, chart hits from the likes of Britney Spears and Nancy Sinatra, hip-hop from Eminem... All have been used to pummel people into behaving a certain way. As you can probably imagine, many musicians have been less than thrilled to know that their output is being militarised. Here are nine of the most extreme instances in which music has been used to persuade, destroy or enforce.