10 Songs That’ll Help You Blow Off Steam When You’re Mad at the World

There are a lot of reasons to be mad at the world. I already knew that, but 2025 gave me a few more reasons to be mad at the world. For starters, 9-1-1 killed off beloved captain of LAFD Station 118, Bobby Nash, one of my favorite characters from the show, towards the end of season eight; thanks a lot Tim Minear! ABC News stupidly showed a picture of guitarist Tommy Thayer, thinking it was late guitarist Ace Frehley, as their tribute to him. The tickets for Rush’s Fifty Something tour are ridiculously expensive and way out of my price range; not blaming Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson for this, but come on! The Black Crowes were rejected from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; not that they care, but still a bummer.

I could go on and on, but why do that when we can let the music do the talking? It’s the simplest way to blow off steam without breaking any laws. I’d also like to emphasize that there’s nothing wrong with being mad at the world because realistically, no one is happy all the time and as Maya Matlin from Degrassi once said, “when you don’t tell people what’s inside your head, it only gets worse.” With all that said, let’s get on with the music!

10. “Tie Your Mother Down” (1977) by Queen

In all honesty, Queen’s “Tie Your Mother Down” is pure nonsense. Guitarist Brian May simply came up with the riff and jokingly started singing the line, “tie your mother down,” thinking nothing would come out of it. On the contrary, singer Freddie Mercury liked the title and encouraged May to build the song around that line. In a bizarre way, the song tells the story of a boy who is frustrated by his parents telling him what to do, and just wants to party and have a good time. My favorite lyrics from the song are, “take your little brother swimmin’ with a brick (that’s all right).” It’s cleverly written in a twisted and dark way. The music, thankfully, is also heavy enough to go with the lyrics; May’s guitar solo is very tasteful.

9. “Disturbing the Priest” (1983) by Black Sabbath

Honestly, the music is enough to blow off some steam. It’s my favorite song on the Born Again (1983) album because it sounds so evil. “Disturbing the Priest” was written after a rehearsal space, a small building near a local church, received noise complaints from priests nearby. Fittingly enough, the lyrics can be interpreted as “screw you” to religious leaders, priests, and other ignorant human beings who accuse bands like Black Sabbath of being devil worshippers. Bill Ward is pounding away on the drums and Ian Gillan’s shrieking vocals are perfect! I still want to get a shirt with the Born Again album cover, despite Gillan hurling his guts upon seeing it for the first time years ago.

8. “Vexed” (2021) by Todd La Torre

Though released in February 2021, I didn’t purchase Todd La Torre’s Rejoice in the Suffering album until May 2022. At the time, I was on my Disney College Program, working for Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I was living in an unfamiliar environment, my roommates and I weren’t close, and I was struggling with my job. That was rock bottom for me, especially because I spent years watching old Disney College Program vlogs and was tricked into thinking I was going to have the best time of my life. My favorite song from Rejoice in the Suffering is “Vexed” because of the lyrics: “calling, but they don’t hear you, falling and do you think they care, when you’re on your own and no one’s even there.” I can still picture myself listening to it in my old apartment I shared with my roommates. Musically, Todd La Torre is a fantastic metal vocalist; Queensrÿche knew what they were doing when they hired him to replace Geoff Tate in the band. The guitar riffage is heavy, but there’s enough melody in the song to enjoy, as well.

7. “Hey God” (1996) by Bon Jovi

“Hey God” tells the story of a few individuals who are on the verge of breakdown and seeking spiritual help, such as a struggling man and his family, who are “two paychecks away from living out on the street.” Former guitarist Richie Sambora and vocalist Jon Bon Jovi were inspired by similar events, and wrote the song in Jon’s basement. I’m not into political songs, in fact, I try to stay away from politics as best as I can. While Jon is not shy on speaking his mind when it comes to real world issues, “Hey God” is one of those songs that’s held up and stood the test of time. It rocks, Jon’s vocals are excellent, and Sambora’s guitar riff is nasty as heck. Why don’t Bon Jovi do any more songs like this? Probably because Sambora took all the cool riffs with him when he left the band in March 2013. 

6. “Die You Bastard!” (1983) by Motörhead

I do not promote violence on this blog and had I posted this, two weeks ago, I wouldn’t have included Motörhead’s “Die You Bastard!” However, I realized that I shouldn’t be ashamed of my emotions or what I’m going through. Plus, when you’re in a dark place or having the worst day ever, it’s common to wish for certain people to disappear. Realistically, that won’t solve anything, but if that’s how you feel, what’s stopping you from feeling that way? When we experience anger, our role as human beings is tested by giving us a choice to either act on it or control it in a healthy (and non-illegal) way. I’m no Motörhead superfan, by any means, but when I first heard that bass line, I knew these guys had something special (even if Kilmister’s cigarette-fueled vocals aren’t my thing).

5. “Scream” (1995) by Michael and Janet Jackson

Not rock, but hear me out! I’d be lying if I said this song wasn’t on my radar during the second half of 2025. I kept hearing the lyrics, “stop pressuring me,” in my head repeatedly and it was driving me nuts. It’s no secret that Michael Jackson lived a hard life in the spotlight and a majority of the drama came from the tabloid press. “Scream” was written about Jackson’s frustration with the press, most recently, at the time, being their coverage of the child sexual abuse allegations made against him in 1993. To be honest, I still don’t know how I feel about him as a person, but I respect him as an artist. “Scream” incorporates different genres like pop, funk, and R&B to make one heck of a catchy tune. 

4. “Get Over It” (1994) by The Eagles

I was lucky enough to see the Eagles live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with my dad in March 2013 and I know for sure they didn’t play “Get Over It,” which is a shame. Written by drummer Don Henley and guitarist Glenn Frey during the Hell Freezes Over tour in 1994, the song is about Henley’s frustration with people, most notably talk show hosts, blaming their failures and problems on those he feels do not deserve it. “Get Over It” is quite a contrast from the hits I’m used to hearing from the Eagles, such as “Take It Easy” and “Hotel California.” This song rocks hard (for them, at least) and Henley sings with so much frustration that it makes others stop and think about the current state of humanity. Considering this song was released in the mid ‘90s, the lyrics certainly were ahead of its time. Did I mention there are slide guitar parts too?

3. “Stick It Out” (1993) by Rush

First of all, Counterparts (1993) is such an underrated album in Rush’s catalog. Second of all, I love “Stick It Out” because not only do the lyrics hit mentally hard, but the instrumentation also slaps hard. Geddy Lee’s menacing bass line compliments Alex Lifeson’s electrifying guitar riff perfectly. The lyrics have a dual meaning to them. On one hand, the lyrics can be interpreted as, “persevere and it’ll be worth it in the end.” On the other hand, the lyrics can be interpreted as, “find a way to survive, even if you have to give up your sanity.” 

2. “The God That Failed” (1991) by Metallica

Vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield wrote “The God That Failed” about his mother’s death, who died after refusing medical treatment for her cancer because of her Christian Science beliefs. I’m not against religion at all; I’m against people who believe in God to heal them, despite not putting in the effort to change their wrong ways. I see this all the time in movies, TV shows, and my personal life. Those are the people that give religion a bad rep. It’s funny, but also sad how hypocritical they really are. I question God all the time about why bad things happen and why situations turn out a certain way. Even when I returned from my Disney College Program, I kept replaying the mistakes I made and wondering why they happened in the first place.

1. “I Hate” (1989) by Overkill

If there is a song that best sums up my emotions for 2025, it would be Overkill’s “I Hate.” I grew frustrated by the situations I foolishly walked into and with myself for letting others’ opinions of me dictate who I am. Bobby Ellsworth’s distinct vocals make the song even better. Actually, with a different vocalist, such as Paul Rodgers, “I Hate” wouldn’t have worked at all. It needed the intensity and ferocity of Ellsworth to match the song’s ferocious and fast-paced instrumentation. For those who don’t even like thrash metal, just read the lyrics because they’re very therapeutic. 

There you have it, people! Those are 10 songs that’ll help you blow off some steam (or as Geddy Lee says, “spit out your anger”) when you’re mad at the world. My list is not the right list because we all have different tastes. Therefore, if you have favorite songs you like to play when you’re mad, feel free to blast them as loud as you like! The beauty of music is that there’s a song for everything and the songs I treasure the most are the ones that help me through the difficult times. Also, these songs are living proof that musicians are human beings like the rest of us and have their own hardships to deal with. 

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Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana