I stole this idea from NPR, but thought it would be a fun post for this, the Friday before The End of All Things. What song would you play for the rapture? Style points will be deducted for suggesting the REM song, as well as Blondie’s “Rapture.” A little too on-the-nose, doncha think?
I want to hear your choices. Here’s my playlist. It’s short, because c’mon, we’re not going to get much warning.
1. “Last Night of the World,” Bruce Cockburn
OK, maybe this one is a little on-the-nose too. But champagne this evening sounds pretty good.
2. “End of the World (again),” David Wilcox
This is from his latest album and as such is a newcomer to the whole armageddon genre:
All that evolution since we crawled out of the slime
Indebted to everything that made me
If this is as high as we are ever gonna climb
We can just sit back and be lazy.
3. “City of Blinding Lights,” U2
Hey, it’s about the New Jerusalem, right? The song also figured prominently in Obama’s presidential campaign… and let’s be honest, he’s really the reason we’re sliding into oblivion as a planet. #obamaistheantichrist
4. Hell’s Bells, AC/DC
Enough said.
5. “The End,” Beatles
The love you take is equal to the love you make. Although man, it’s so hard to pull this track out from the rest of Abbey Road, so you might need to listen to the whole album. You could do worse.
6. “Parting Words,” composed by Michael Giacchino for the LOST soundtrack
This has all the majesty and apocalypticism you could possibly want. Beautiful, soaring stuff and appropriate for when the rapture party is over and the serious stuff starts to go down. As long as it goes down in slow motion.
The Blue Room 
You Ain’t Going Nowhere – The Byrds (My alternate from the Byrds is “Mr. Spaceman.”
People Get Ready – The Chambers Brothers
The Rising – Bruce Springsteen
God Only Knows – The Beach Boys (Pets Sounds)
Rumors of Glory – Bruce Cockburn
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
Goodbye is All We Have – Alison Krause and Union Station
Laughing – David Crosby
Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down – Robert Plant and Band of Joy
1.“Hey Driver” – Lucky Boy Confusion –
“Don’t leave me here on the side of the road”
2. “Graffiti the World” – Rehab –
If God really is done with this world, this song may explain the why
3.“Who Want’s to Live Forever?” – Queen –
First of all I find it very likely that Freddie Mercury will either be the voice of God or at least the leader of the heavenly choir. And out of a 1/2 dozen good Queen choices, this one won.
4.“Last Night On Earth” – Cast of American Idiot –
“If I lose everything in the fire, I’m sending all my love to you.” And obvious title reasons (also St. Jimmy is a bit too sacrilegious for this)
5.“If I Was the Devil” – Pat Green –
Just properly apocalyptic sounding.
6.“Overrated” – Less Than Jake –
“What if this is a test and I deserve what I get?” “Can’t stand the normal, can’t stand the ordinary, find me anything that’s extrodinary. Show me something, show me anything!” Even the rapture is Overrated, just saying.
7.“Mr. Gray” – Jennifer Knapp – Fits with my view that if a Rapture was to happen, people would be mostly surprised to see who was going “up” “What will it take to convince, this is just the road to excellence, faith before the skeptic’s eye”
8.“Fools and Kings” – Fighting Gravity –
“Somewhere the tide is searching for a far off land where the people bow and pray to God hoping he understands. Sinking to the bottom now…(darkness all around) Sinking to the bottom now…(nowhere to be found) . . . Heaven never felt so good, Hell not far behind”
9.“If I Ever Leave This World Alive” – Flogging Molly –
For obvious reasons.
10.“Glad to Be Alive” – Cowboy Mouth –
“Nothing ever goes as planned, get your head out of your hands, scream and shout like you were 5 . . . So that’s my story tis sad but true, for those who know me, what else are we to do?”
11.“S.S. Bathtub” – David LaMotte – Because God has both good musical taste and a sense of humor, I just picture everyone going to heaven in bathtubs and it’s funny.
12.“Jesus He Knows Me” – Genesis – ’nuff said.
”How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?” – Dan Hicks
“The King of Pain” by Sting, “Glory Bound” by Martin Sexton, and “It Ends Tonight” by The All-American Rejects are on my mix.
Death Cab for Cutie: I Will Follow You Into The Dark
(Directed at those for whom love is more valuable than either heaven or hell.)
I’m loving this, MaryAnn — Go ahead and download “The Greatest American Hero Themesong” — Believe it or not, I’m walking on air, I never thought I could feel so free, flyin’ away on a wing and prayer, who could it be? Believe it or not… it just me.”
(First commenting here) There’s a good song with similar tones by mexican band Molotov. The song is called “El mundo se va a acabar” (“The world is going to end”).
Dancing Queen! I wanna go out dancing.
Or, New York by U2.
Dave Matthews Band–When the World Ends
Monty Python–Always Look On the Bright Side of Life
Johnny Cash–Ring of Fire
Placebo–Running Up That Hill
Hans Zimmer–Pirates of the Caribbean 3 “At World’s End” theme song
U2–End of the World
Elton John – “I’m Still Standing”
Yeah, yeah, yeah…