For me, Piano Man by Billy Joel is a perfect example of a song about the working class without it being communist or anything.
It’s just a song about the regular people at the bar, from all walks of life. A bar is one of the quintessential working class symbols around here in my opinion, and the songs perfectly captures the joys and the loneliness one may find in a bar. The drunks, the people remembering the old days, the party folks, etc. all coming together to have a laugh, a drink and a song. It’s such a cliche song but it always makes me emotional lol.
You guys got any suggestions?
Hudsonville MI 1956 by la dispute. I love this band w/ my whole heart. I’d consider most of their music something like cerebral proletarian music but not communist, especially the Rooms of the House album.
Hudsonville MI 1956 is a story about a woman and her child being separated from her husband while he works at a furniture mill 300 miles away to support them, all the while a devastating storm is gathering. The couple can’t get ahold of each other and it feels utterly apocalyptic outside. It’s such a human song.