20 classic songs that accurately predicted the future

In 1996, acid jazz and funk band Jamiroquai released one of their biggest hit songs with “Virtual Insanity.” On the track, they describe a future world that doesn’t use technology for ease or efficiency, but rather for personal gain. As they sing on the hook, “Futures made of virtual insanity / Now, always seem to be governed by this love we have / For useless twisting of our new technology / Oh, now there is no sound, for we all live underground.” Listening to the track, it seems like the band predicted how future generations are not only reliant on technology, but also barely know how to function without it. 

In 1970, Joni Mitchell was very concerned with how people damage the environment on the first line of her song “Big Yellow Taxi.” In the track she says, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot / With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot.” It’s very evident how Mitchell sees how developers are constantly destroying nature and things that make the planet beautiful, and instead create countless buildings that aren't always needed. That’s something that has been a constant concern over time, the planet being destroyed for commercial and financial gain. 

It was back in 1986 when funk band Zapp knew the future would consist of online dating with their hit song “Computer Love.” As they sing on the first verse, “You know I've been searching for someone / Who can share that special love with me / And your eyes have that glow / Could it be your face I see on my computer screen.” Perhaps the band knew online apps like Match, Hinge, or Tinder would be a thing just decades later. 

In 1979, pop group The Buggles highlighted how technology would change the music industry on their single “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Not only does the song title reflect on how music videos changed for artist’s success, but also how modernization could cause future generations to not appreciate the past. As they sing on the hook, “In my mind and in my car / We can't rewind, we've gone too far / Pictures came and broke your heart / Put the blame on VCR.”

On Prince’s 1982 hit single “1999,” he reflects on how he knows Judgement Day is coming soon for everyone, so he might as well party the night away like there’s no tomorrow. He sings in the hook, “They say 2000, zero-zero, party over, oops, out of time / We're runnin' outta time / So tonight, I'm gonna party like it's 1999.” This was an intriguing line, especially since when the year 1999 actually arrived, people were certain the world was going to end due to a Y2K computer bug. However, the world didn’t crash in the year 2000 and people kept pushing on. 

In 2004, rock band Green Day released their seventh album American Idiot, which was led by the eponymous single. The track highlights how the media plays a big part in creating paranoia and ignorance among people. As they sing on the track, “Don't wanna be an American idiot / One nation controlled by the media / Information age of hysteria / It's calling out to idiot America.” The media controlling narratives has been a big criticism, especially in recent years during political elections. 

In 1998, rapper Busta Rhymes released his third album Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front, which featured the track "Against All Odds." One of the eerie lines on the track finds Busta saying, “The type of n***a to crash my plane in your building in the name of Allah.” It always seemed like the line could been some type of foreshadowing of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that occurred at the World Trade Center three years later.

In 1997, rock band Radiohead released their third album OK Computer which featured the track “Fitter Happier.” The song doesn't necessarily predict the future, but it does describe seeing how humans will more likely move in robotic ways. 

It was back in 1983 when rock band Styx released their eleventh album Kilroy Was Here, which featured the single “Mr. Roboto.” On the track, the band highlights how a robot can start controlling things, which could easily be interpreted into how technologies like AI, robotics, and automation are used today. 

In 1997, rock band Modest Mouse released sophomore album The Lonesome Crowded West, which featured their song “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine.” One of the standout lyrics in the song highlight the extinction of shopping malls. As they sing on the hook, “The malls are the soon-to-be ghost towns / Well, so long, farewell, goodbye.” It goes to show how the 2000s was the start of people online shopping, causing customers to not frequent malls as much, which eventually resulted in retailers closing stores or completely going out of business. 

In 2008, rapper The Game predicted one of President Barack Obama’s accomplishments before it happened on "Hard Times." In the first verse he says, “I’m feeling like a black democrat / Barack Obama, the only n***a that can catch Osama.” Three years after the song was released, Obama indeed authorized a raid that resulted in the killing of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

In 1969, pop rock duo Zager & Evans released their single “In The Year 2525.” Although the world is still very far from that year, Zager & Evans are predicting that if the world is still functioning then, machines will be making people mobile, marriages will be uncommon, and God might bring Judgement Day if he’s not pleased with how the world has turned out. 

Marvin Gaye’s 1971 track “What’s Going On” has often been regarded as an anti-violence and anti-war anthem. For a song that was released well over five decades ago, it’s become one of those evergreen tracks in which people question that we can’t solve anything with hate, but we have to solve things with community and love. As he sings on the second verse, “Father, father We don't need to escalate / You see, war is not the answer / For only love can conquer hate.”

It was back in 1979 that rock band The Clash predicted the effects of climate change on their track “London Calling.” As they sing on the hook, “The ice age is comin', the sun's zoomin' in / Meltdown expected, the wheat is growin' thin / Engines stop runnin', but I have no fear / 'Cause London is drownin' and I live by the river.”

Jimi Hendrix detailed his concern for the environment on his 1967 track “Up From the Skies.” The song gives the perspective of an alien who comes back to Earth to see how much has changed since his last visit. As Hendrix says on the third verse, “I have lived here before / The days of ice / And of course this is why I'm so concerned / And I come back to find / The stars misplaced / And the smell of a world that has burned.”

In 2000, Eminem released one of his signature singles “Stan,” which tells the story of a crazed fan who’s obsessed over a celebrity. It tells the ugly side of fandom and how celebrities deal with stalkers. Over the years, plenty of stories have been in the news of celebrities manage the craziness of stalkers and trying their best to stay as safe as possible.

In 2000, indie rock band Grandaddy released their sophomore album The Sophtware Slump, which featured their track “Miner at the Dial-a-View.” On the track, it foreshadows technology that is similar to Google Earth (something that wasn’t publicly introduced until 2005). 

In 1965, Barry McGuire released the most popular cover of the track “Eve of Destruction.” While the lyrics mostly pull from societal events that occured during that time such as was in the Middle East and the Civil Rights movement, it’s a track that can easily reflect the ongoing turmoil that the world faces. As he sings in the third verse, “Handful of senators don't pass legislation / And marches alone can't bring integration / When human respect is disintegrating / This whole crazy world is just too frustrating."

“Suicidal Thoughts” is the final track on The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 debut album Ready to Die. Although one could argue that the song follows the concept of the album title, other people might argue that perhaps the rapper was foreshadowing his own untimely death, although his death was the result of homicide and not suicide.

In 1987, rock band R.E.M. released their fifth album Document, which featured the single “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.” While the title of the song could easily depict any time in world history, it lyrically reflects on chaotic events and ideals that cause people to believe we’re constantly living in the end of times. The band mentions everything from earthquakes and hurricanes, to overpopulation and corrupt governments.