Humans have come up with all sorts of creative ways to inflict bodily harm on one another.
From torture devices, to psychological manipulation, to the KFC Cheetos Chicken Sandwich.
The problem with traditional torture, is that the prisoner can actually prepare for it and
at some point, the physical pain stops hurting.
Psychological pain, on the other hand, is impossible to train for.
For this list, All Things Top 5 ranks the Top 5 songs used to torture prisoners that
are straight out of the CIA’s torture mix tape!
Number 5 Dirrty!
Not only did teenage boys “self-torture” themselves to this music video, but also Mohammed
al-Qahtani, who tried to enter the U.S. to participate in the 9/11 hijackings.
Al-Qahtani was kept awake using Christina Aguilera’s Dirrty and told he could sleep
“when he tells the truth.”
The ex-Mousketeer’s song was an overtly sexually charged pop anthem meant to make
it impossible for Mohammed al-Qahtani to be a good Muslim; since women singing were believed
to be extra-offensive.
Dirrty was utilized alongside exposure to female interrogators to “intimidate and
upset” the prisoners.
In addition, many prisoners were forced to go shirtless during interrogations and forced
to give each other lap dances Magic Mike style!
Number 4 Enter Sandman!
Trying to keep the prisoners awake while blasting music about sleeping is definitely torture!
When the war in Iraq first started, the military was using Metallica’s Enter Sandman to soften
the prisoners up and offend their cultural sensibilities by making them frantic.
In a 2004 interview with NPR, James Hetfield said "If the Iraqis aren't used to freedom,
then I'm glad to be part of their exposure."
As for how he feels about their music used for torture, Hetfield nervously laughed.
In an interview on MSNBC, drummer Lars Ulrich has a different opinion
of Metallica’s music being used as torture.
If the military really wants to get a prisoner to talk, perhaps they should play something
off of Lulu.
Number 3 The Real Slim Shady!
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
These were the nasally words detainees at Guantanamo Bay prison came to fear.
Binyam Mohamed was seeking asylum in the U.K. in 1994.
He was later detained in Pakistan and was held in both Guantanamo Bay and a CIA prison
in Morocco.
Binyam’s captivity included horrible torture methods, including beatings, being sliced
with a scalpel, and listening to the bleach blonde rapper spit hot fire directly into
his ear canal for 20 days straight.
When the Guardian interviewed him in 2008, he said the music was worse than the physical
pain.
Binyam said he could hear others in the prison “screaming and smashing their heads against
walls” and “plenty lost their minds”.
When given the choice, he would rather lose his sight before losing his mind than continue
to listen to Slim Shady.
Number 2 Stayin’ Alive!
Is there anything more disturbing than the optimism and grooviness of Stayin’ Alive
in the context of pain, humiliation, and terror?
The contrast between the how the song sounds and the situation the CIA plays it in is enough
to make anyone tremble.
According to Moazzam Begg – who had been interrogated by FBI and CIA agents while detained
in Afghanistan in 2003 – the scroticle squeezing harmonies of the Bee Gees’ 1977 disco soundtrack
to Saturday Night Fever were used on detainees to keep them constantly awake and quite possibly
fearful of being castrated.
Begg thought it was a joke at first, but as the torture began to stretch on, it became
unbearable.
This song became the auditory equivalent of getting kicked in the nuts over and over again.
Before we get to number 1, remember to subscribe to All Things Top 5 and ring the bell to be
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Number 1 F--- Your God!
While most artists protested the use of their songs in torture, death metal band Deicide
definitely didn’t have a problem with any of it.
Deicide's 'F--- Your God' was named as ranking #1 on the favorites list for torture among
U.S. troops.
When word of this info got to drummer Steve Asheim, the only thing he could really say
was "It's cool.
If we're up to military standards of audio abuse, it makes me feel like Deicide's doing
our part for the troops."
It seems that any music with cracked-out Cookie Monster vocals ultimately becomes useful in
the hands of interrogators.
Honestly, we at All Things Top 5 find that the Baby Shark theme song is more disturbing
than Deicide's 'F--- Your God'.
Do you agree or disagree with our list?
Did listening to any of these songs break your will and make you hit that subscribe
button?
Comment below and watch our other videos and subscribe to All Things Top 5!