Updated 9/3/2021
The number following each title is a reference to the Competency Standard(s) addressed in the either the title or the lyrics. This organization is highly subjective, so listen to each song and decide for yourself.
- Standard 1: The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
- Standard 2: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
- Standard 3: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
- Standard 4: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
- Standard 5: The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
NOTE: If broader economic, legal, or social issues were implied by the title or lyrics, I assigned it to Standard 5.
Maintained by
Joel M Burkholder
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Penn State York
The Academy Is… – The Author (3)
Alexander Perls – Database (2)
Alice in Chains – Man in the Box (1, 3, 5)
Amanda Palmer – I Google You (2, 5)
Annie Lennox – Why (1)
Anti-Flag – The Press Corpse (1, 3, 5)
The Aquabats – Idiot Box! (1, 3, 5)
Arcade Fire – (Antichrist Television Blues) (5)
The B-52’s – Channel Z (1, 3, 5)
Bad Religion – 21st Century (Digital Boy) (5)
Bad Religion – News from the Front (4)
Bad Religion – Television (1, 3, 5)
Beck – The Information (1)
Belle & Sebastian – Wrapped Up In Books (1)
Betty Davis – Dedicated to the Press (1, 3, 5)
Billy Bragg – It Says Here (1, 3, 5)
Billy Bragg – Never Buy the Sun (1, 3, 5)
Black Flag – TV Party (1, 5)
Black Light Burns – Scream Hallelujah (1, 3, 5)
Bloc Party – So He Begins to Lie (3, 5)
Blondie – Fade Away and Radiate (1, 5)
Bo Diddley – You Can’t Judge a Book by Looking at its Cover (3)
Bob Dylan – The Ballad of a Thin Man (3, 5)
Bob Dylan – Tell Me That Isn’t True (3)
Bob Dylan – T.V. Talkin’ Song (1, 3, 5)
Bob Rivers – Read It in the Tabloids (1, 3)
Bomani Armah – Read a Book (1)
The Book of Love – The Book of Love (1)
The Boomtown Rats – Don’t Believe What You Read (3)
Bow Wow Wow – (I’m a) TV Savage (1, 5)
Brad Paisley – Online (3, 5)
Brad Paisley – selfie#Theinternetisforever (5)
Bree Sharp – America (1, 3, 5)
Bree Sharp – David Duchovny (1, 3, 5)
Britney Spears – Piece of Me (3, 5)
Bruce Springsteen – 57 Channels (And Nothin’ On) (1, 3, 5)
Buck Owens – On the Cover of the Music City News (1)
Cake – Open Book (1, 3)
Cake – Rock n’ Roll Lifestyle (3, 5)
Calle 13 – Multi_Viral (ft. Julian Assange, Kamilya Jubran, Tom Morello) (1, 3, 5)
Carbon/Silicon – The News (1, 5)
Chamillionaire – The Evening News (1, 3, 5)
Chamillionaire – The Morning News (1, 3, 5)
The Chainsmokers – #SELFIE (3, 4, 5)
Chang Ping – Freedom Cage (5)
Chang Ping – Speech is Freedom (5)
Chicago – Questions 67 and 68 (1)
Chumbawamba – Everything You Know is Wrong (3, 5)
CKY – The Human Drive in Hi-Fi (1, 3, 5)
The Clash – The Leader (1, 3, 5)
The Clash – This is Radio Clash (1, 3, 5)
The Coasters – Along Came Jones (1)
The Coasters – Searchin’ (1, 2)
Cock Sparrer – The Sun Says (1, 3, 5)
Collective Soul – Why (1)
Crass – Nineteen Eighty Bore (1, 3, 5)
Dada – Information Undertow (1, 2, 3, 5)
Daft Punk – Technologic (4, 5)
Daft Punk – Television Rules the Nation (1, 3, 5)
Danzig – Mother (5)
Dave Edmunds – Information (1)
De La Soul – Freedom of Speak (We Got Three Minutes) (5)
Death Cab for Cutie – Different Names for the Same Thing (2)
Death Cab for Cutie – Information Travels Faster (1, 5)
Death Grip – I’ve Seen Footage (1, 3, 5)
Dion – I Read It (In the Rolling Stone) (1, 3)
The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy – Television, the Drug of the Nation (1, 3, 5)
Don Covay – What’s in the Headlines (1, 3, 5)
Don Henley – Dirty Laundry (1, 3, 5)
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show – On the Cover of the Rolling Stone (1)
Duotang – A Biased View (3)
Duran Duran – Too Much Information (1, 2, 5)
Dusty Springfield – Nothing Has Been Proved (3)
Electric Light Orchestra – Here’s the News (1, 3, 5)
Electric Needle Room – Hooray for Propaganda (3, 5)
Electric Needle Room – The Media (1, 3, 5)
Electric Needle Room – Wikipedia.org (1, 3, 5)
Elvis Costello – Everyday I Write the Book (1)
Elvis Costello (aka The Imposter) – Pills and Soap (1, 3, 5)
Elvis Presley – Suspicious Minds (3)
Eric Carmen – Inside Story (3)
Eurythmics – Would I Lie To You? (3)
Everything Everything – Photoshop Handsome (3, 5)
Flatt and Scruggs – Jimmie Brown the Newsboy (1)
Flobots – Handlebars (1, 4)
The Foremen – Lazin’ In the Shade of the Information Super Highway (2, 5)
The Four Lads/They Might Be Giants – Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (2)
Frank Zappa – I’m the Slime (1, 3, 5)
Gang of Four – 5-45 (1, 3, 5)
Genesis – Jesus He Knows Me (1, 3, 5)
Genesis – Turn It On Again (1, 5)
George Harrison – Brainwashed (3, 5)
Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1, 5)
Good Rats – Advertisement in the Voice (1)
Graham Parker – Search Engine (2)
Graham Parker – Vanity Press (1, 3, 5)
Green Day – American Idiot (1, 3, 5)
Gregg Allman – I’ve Got News for You (3)
Guns N’ Roses – Get in the Ring (1, 3, 5)
Half Man Half Biscuit – Bad Review (1, 3, 5)
Hall & Oates – Private Eyes (5)
Hedgehoppers Anonymous – It’s a Good News Week (1, 3, 5)
Hexstatic – Deadly Media (1, 5)
Honey Cone – Want Ads (1, 3)
Howard Jones – Always Asking Questions (1)
Husker Du – Books about UFOs (1, 3)
Husker Du – Turn on the News (1, 3, 5)
Ian Brown – Kiss Ya Lips (No I.D.) (5)
Iggy Pop – Watching the News (1, 3, 5)
Immortal Technique – The 4th Branch (1, 3, 5)
Incubus – Idiot Box (1, 3, 5)
Incubus – Talk Shows on Mute (1, 3, 5)
Ingrid Michaelson – Twitter Song (1, 5)
Institute – Information Age (1, 2, 3, 5)
Jack Johnson – Cookie Jar (3, 5)
Jack Johnson – The News (1, 3, 5)
Jack Johnson – Questions (1)
The Jam – News of the World (1, 3, 5)
James Wesley – Real (1, 3, 5)
The Jayhawks – The Baltimore Sun (1)
Jefferson Airplane – Plastic Fantastic Lover (1, 3, 5)
Jesus Jones – Info Freako (1, 5)
Jimmy Durante – I’ll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book (1)
Joe Jackson – Sunday Papers (1)
Joe Walsh – Analog Man (5)
John Cooper Clarke – (You Never See a Nipple in the) Daily Express (live) (1, 3, 5)
John Fogerty – Headlines (1, 3, 5)
John Fogerty – I Saw It On TV (1, 3, 5)
John Lennon – Gimme Some Truth (1, 3)
John Mellencamp – The Authority Song (3)
John Philip Sousa – The Washington Post (1)
Julian Smith – I’m Reading a Book (1)
Kaiser Chiefs – The Angry Mob (1, 3, 5)
Karel Fialka – Hey, Matthew (1, 3, 5)
Kate Bush – Sat In Your Lap (1)
Kathleen Edwards – Six O’Clock News (1, 3)
The Kinks – Did You See His Name? (1, 3, 5)
The Kinks – Mr. Reporter (1, 3, 5)
Kraftwerk – ComputerLove (5)
Kris Kristofferson – In the News (1, 3, 5)
LaTour – People Are Still Having Sex (1, 4)
Laurie Anderson – Language is a Virus (2)
Laurie Anderson – Only an Expert (3)
The LeeVees – How Do You Spell Channukkahh? (1)
Lefty Frizzell – An Article from Life (1)
Lil B – No Black Person is Ugly (1, 3, 5)
Lily Allen – The Fear (3, 5)
Lindsay Lohan – Rumors (1, 3, 5)
Living Colour – Information Overload (1, 2, 5)
Living Colour – Type (3)
Lou Reed – Satellite of Love (1, 3, 5)
Loudon Wainwright III – Sunday Times (1)
Love and Rockets – ****(Jungle Law) (1, 3, 5)
M-Clan – Los Periodicos de Mañana (1)
Manic Street Preachers – Kevin Carter (1)
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s – A Journalist Falls in Love With Death Row Inmate #16 (1, 3, 5)
Merle Haggard – That’s the News (1, 3, 5)
Michael Jackson – Breaking News (1, 3, 5)
Michael Jackson – Scream (ft. Janet Jackson) (1, 3, 5)
Michael Jackson – Tabloid Junkie (1, 3, 5)
Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (1, 3, 5)
Midnight Star – Headlines (1, 3)
Miley Cyrus – Fly on the Wall (1, 3, 5)
Ministry – LiesLiesLies (1, 3, 5)
Mischief Brew – Free Radical Radio Fever (1, 3, 5)
Mistah F.A.B. – Hit Me On Twitter (1, 5)
Mojo Nixon – My T.V. is Watchin’ Me (1, 3, 5)
The Moody Blues – Question (1)
Morrissey – Journalists Who Lie (1, 3, 5)
The Mr. T Experience – I Wrote a Book about Rock and Roll (1)
Muddy Waters – Herbert Harper’s Free Press News (1, 3, 5)
Nada Surf – Whose Authority (3)
Neil Diamond – Front Page Story (1, 5)
Nelly Furtado – Powerless (Say What You Want) (3, 5)
New Found Glory – No News is Good News (1, 3, 5)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – We Call Upon the Author (3)
No Doubt – Trapped in a Box (1, 3, 5)
Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why (1)
Oingo Biongo – Grey Matter (1, 3, 4, 5)
OK GO – Television, Television (1, 3, 5)
Paula Abdul – Straight Up (1, 4)
Pere Ubu – My Friend Is A Stooge For The Media Priests (3, 5)
Pete Seeger – Newspapermen Meet Such Interesting People (1, 3, 5)
Pete Townsend – Jools and Jim (1, 3, 5)
Peter Gabriel – The Barry Williams Show (1, 3, 5)
Peter Gabriel – The Book of Love (1)
The Police – Too Much Information (1, 3, 5)
The Psychedelic Furs – Soap Commercial (1, 3, 5)
Pylon – Read a Book (1)
Public Enemy – Don’t Believe the Hype (1, 3, 5)
Public Enemy – A Letter to the New York Post (1, 5)
Public Enemy – She Watch Channel Zero?! (1, 3, 5)
Queen – Scandal (1, 3, 5)
Radiohead – Daily Mail (1)
Radiohead – Everything In Its Right Place (2)
Rage Against the Machine – No Shelter (1, 3, 5)
Randy Newman – My Country (1, 3, 5)
Ray Davies – Other People’s Lives (1, 3, 5)
REM – Bad Day (1, 3, 5)
REM – Ignoreland (1, 3, 5)
REO Speedwagon – Take it on the Run (3, 4, 5)
Robert Plant – Network News (1, 3, 5)
Robyn Hitchcock – Television (1, 3, 5)
Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me (5)
Rollins Band – Liar (3)
Roger Taylor – Dear Mr. Murdoch (1, 3, 5)
Roger Waters – Who Needs Information (1)
The Roots – False Media (1, 3, 5)
The Scorpions – Media Overkill (1, 3, 5)
Simon & Garfunkel – 7 O’Clock News/Silent Night (1)
Skyhooks – Horror Movie (1, 3, 5)
The Slackers – Information Error (3, 5)
Slade – Nuts Bolts And Screws (1, 3)
Sly & the Family Stone – Searchin’ (1, 2)
The Smiths – Cemetery Gates (5)
Smog – The Morning Paper (1, 3)
Snap – The Power (5)
Sparks – Now That I Own the BBC (1, 5)
Sparks – Those Mysteries (1)
St. Vincent – Digital Witness (5)
Stan Freeberg – Tele-Vee-Shun (1, 3, 5)
Stan Ridgway – Newspapers (1, 3, 5)
Steppenwolf (w/ John Kay) – Give Me News I Can Use (1, 3, 5)
The Stereophonics – I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio (1, 3)
The Stereophonics – Mr. Writer (1, 3, 5)
Sudden Death – I’m On It (Wikipedia) (1, 3)
Switchfoot – Selling the News (1, 3, 5)
Talking Heads – The Book I Read (1)
Talking Heads – Crosseyed & Painless (3, 5)
Talking Heads – Found a Job (1, 3, 5)
Talking Heads – Television Man (1, 3)
Tate Gallery – Newspaper Man (1, 3)
Taylor Swift – Shake It Off (3)
Taylor Swift – You Need to Calm Down (3, 5)
The Teardrop Explodes – Books (1)
Tom Lehrer – Lobachevsky (5)
Tom Lehrer – Smut (5)
Tom Paxton – Daily News (1, 3, 5)
Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood (2)
Tool – Die Eier von Satan (3)
Tool – Vicarious (1, 5)
The The – The Beat(en) Generation (3, 5)
The Tragically Hip – Scared (3, 5)
The Tubes – TV is King (1, 3, 5)
U2 – With or Without You (2)
UK Subs – Papers Lie (1, 3, 5)
The Verve Pipe – Villains (1, 3, 5)
Violent Femmes – Her Television (1, 3, 5)
“Weird” Al Yankovic – The Brady Bunch (1)
“Weird” Al Yankovic – I Can’t Watch This (1, 3, 5)
“Weird” Al Yankovic – Couch Potato (1, 5)
“Weird” Al Yankovic – Don’t Download This Song (5)
“Weird” Al Yankovic – Everything You Know is Wrong (3)
“Weird” Al Yankovic – Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me (1, 3, 5)
“Weird” Al Yankovic – TMZ (1, 3, 5)
The Who – The Seeker (1)
Wilco – Kicking Television (1, 5)
Wire – Field for the Sundays (1, 3, 5)
Wire – Reuters (1, 3, 5)
X – Adult Books (1)
Zoot Woman – Living in a Magazine (1, 3, 5)
2 Live Crew – Banned in the USA (5)
10cc – Headline Hustler (1, 3, 5)