900. Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner (1856)

"Ride of the Valkyries" opens Act III of Wagner's opera Die Walkure. The ride takes 8 minutes in the opera and has since taken a life of its own in pop culture. The most famous example is the helicopter attack in Apocalypse Now.

Wagner himself is a controversial figure. He soaked up 19th century German anti-Semitism and glorified German nationalist themes. Some have tried to find anti-Semitism in his operas, but this is nothing more than people looking for something that is not there. Despite his nationalism and anti-Semitism, socialists tried to expropriate Wagner for their own uses. He was also Adolf Hitler's favorite composer and played a leading role in Nazi propaganda fifty years after his death. One of my college professors refused to listen to Wagner because of his anti-Semitism and posthumous ties to Nazi Germany.



The opening of Act III:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aKAH_t0aXA

Apocalypse Now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx7XNb3Q9Ek

964. Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar (1982)

The video for "Shadows of the Night" got banned in Germany for its World War II action. In the video, Benatar plays a Rosie the Riveter and imagines going on an undercover mission for the Allies. Why was it banned? It has swatikas...apparently the Star Trek episode "Patterns of Force" is banned for the same reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66aqcOsnP2E