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Soundtracks of the IDU - Xiomera - 10-19-2025
If you ever wondered what music summed up nations of the IDU, here's the place to start. This thread is a place to post music that inspires your vision of your nation, describes it, or just portrays moments in your citizens' lives.
I'm kicking this off with this little number that sums up the mindset of your average Imperial Police officer, Imperial Security agent or analyst, XCP member, or other servants of the Xiomeran Empire.
Lyrics:
They see me strolling in my uniform
Acting like they seen a ghost
Wish I could tell 'em that I mean no harm
I wouldn't want to lose my post
It's risky returning to my stomping ground
After giving 'em a guarantee
That I'd never do anything so profound
As become the enemy
But I used to be weak (Weary of the wise)
Used to let my life get the best of me
(Then I was given a choice)
And it was easy to see, all I needed was a little bit of power
Now anybody with their head on straight
Could see me coming miles away
But I never expected I'd get so much hate
For putting people in their place
It would be difficult to find
Something in mind we couldn't do
To anyone who gives as much as a dirty look
Don't make it you
But we used to be weak (Weary of the wise)
Used to let our lives keep us in the weeds
We were given a choice
And it was easy to see what we needed
What we need is power
So we don't have to think about a thing
So we can bring you all to your knees
We can keep you from forgetting
We got the power to get away with anything
Over and over again
Three days straight seeing monochrome
Fuse is used, ready to blow
Called on to be vicious
Callous and expeditious
Well, I can't tell when I last slept
And though my conscience is a bit unkempt
Well, it's no bother, I can just forget
And never bother with a bit of it again
If my morals seem a bit mislaid
It might be easy to forget
If I ever tried to disobey
You're probably gonna find me dead
Power!
What we need is power
So we don't have to think about a thing
So we can bring you all to your knees
We can keep you from forgetting
We've got the power to get away with anything
Over and over again
RE: Soundtracks of the IDU - Laeral - 10-21-2025
Xio, thanks for posting this cool concept.
"Mama Said Knock You Out" (1990) by rapper LL Cool J from the album of the same name, is in fact about Laeral's own René Gramont, inimitable two-time president and creator of the political ideology "Gramontism." Please press play on the video below, and follow along with me as we dissect the lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vimZj8HW0Kg
Lyrics:
Don't call it a comeback, I been here for years
I'm rockin' my peers, puttin' suckers in fear
Makin' the tears rain down like a monsoon
Listen to the bass go boom
With the opening words "Don't call it a comeback," LL Cool J refers to Gramont's sudden return to political prominence when he was elected as president of Laeral in 1962 for a non-consecutive third term, three decades after last vacating Republic House. While this return to power might be seen as a "comeback," this in fact obscures Gramont's role as a prominent behind-the-scenes decisionmaker during the presidencies of his successors throughout the 1930s and 40s. Gramont has "been here for years."
The second line then refers to Gramont's heavy-handed tactics against his political opponents, particularly during the Emergency Period of 1964. Rockin' his peers and puttin' suckers in fear references Gramont's suppression of political dissent using wartime emergency powers, amidst a backdrop of the Great War and the regular threat of Daryan bombing raids over mainland Laeral: perhaps obliquely referenced by the "bass" (or bombs?) "going boom"?
Explosions, overpowerin'
Over the competition, I'm towerin'
Wrecking shop, when I drop
These lyrics that'll make you call the cops
The explosions of the Great War exist amidst a backdrop of the speaker, President Gramont, referencing that he is towering over the competition. Is this his domestic political opponents such as Laeralian National Congress leader Georges Auriol, whose phones were tapped at Gramont's order during the Emergency Period? Or does this refer to Shivnath Nishad and other leaders of the Pact of the Three Emperors, global competitors to Laeral who were ultimately cowed during the war?
This bombastic boasts of Gramont's power over both domestic and foreign enemies continues in the subsequent lines:
Don't you dare stare
You better move, don't ever compare
Me to the rest that'll all get sliced and diced
Competition's payin' the price
[Chorus]
I'm gonna knock you out (Huuh)
Mama said knock you out (Huuh)
I'm gonna knock you out (Huuh)
Mama said knock you out (Huuh)
I'm gonna knock you out (Huuh)
Mama said knock you out (Huuh)
I'm gonna knock you out (Huuh)
Mama said knock you out (Huuh)
In the chorus, the speaker expresses his determination to defeat his opponents, particularly at the bidding of his mother. This can be considered allegorical of the Laeralian nation itself: Gramont will defeat his opponents at the bidding of the Laeralian nation or motherland, with Gramont himself as a mere instrument of the motherland's will.
Don't you call this a regular jam
I'm gonna rock this land
I'm gonna take this itty-bitty world by storm
And I'm just getting warm
As the second verse begins, the speaker brags that his politics (or "jam") represent an entirely different ideology from his contemporaries, one which will reshape the nation and spread across the world: much like how the Gramontist ideology inspired peers in other nations.
Just like Muhammad Ali, they called him Cassius
Watch me bash this beat like a skull
The speaker references how boxer Muhammad Ali claimed his power by discarding his old name, Cassius, to take on a new one reflective of his evolving politics. So too did Gramont claim his power by changing his name, with the adoption of the middle name "Corentin" in commemoration of his military leadership during the First Fellsian War.
Don'tcha know I had beef wit'
Why do you riff with me, a maniac psycho
Gramont knowingly references his opponents during the Laeralian Revolution, who regularly portrayed him and the Rose Army revolutionaries as a vicious rabble. This theme continues in the remainder of the verse, which references his willingness to outlast and defeat his many opponents, before concluding with a reference to Gramont's literary work following his initial two terms as president: "I came up with a funky rhyme."
And when I pull out my jammy, get ready 'cause it might go
Blauh! How ya like me now?
The ripper will not allow
You to get wit' Mr. Smith don't riff
Listen to my gear shift
I'm blastin', outlastin'
Kinda like shaft, so you could say I'm shaftin'
Olde English filled my mind
And I came up with a funky rhyme
Shadow boxin' when I heard you on the radio
Uuh, I just don't know
What made you forget that I was raw?
But now I gotta new tour
I'm going insane startin' a hurricane, releasin' pain
Lettin' you know, you can't gain or maintain
Unless you say my name
Rippin', killin', diggin' and drillin' a hole
Pass the Ol' Gold
"I heard you on the radio" may reference the events of the Bloody Summer in 1952, in which Gramont himself, like the rest of the country, were alerted to the coup attempt by the coup plotters' radio broadcast. Finally, "rippin', killin', diggin' and drillin' a hole" likely references the Brissac War, a brief conflict with Libertas Omnium Maximus fought over control of oil-rich frontier regions during Gramont's first term as president. By unleashing bloodshed and pursuing underground oil extraction ("drillin'"), Gramont supported Laeral's energy self-sufficiency.
Shotgun blasts are heard
When I rip and kill, at will
The man of the hour, tower of power, I'll devour
I'm gonna tie you up and let you understand
That I'm not your average man
When I gotta jammy in my hand
Damn, ooh
Listen to the way I slay, your crew
Damage (Uhh), damage (Uhh), damage (Uhh), damage
Destruction, terror and mayhem
Pass me a sissy, so suckas I'll slay him
More bravado on behalf of the speaker. Although a peace-loving man, Gramont's life was often defined by war: from his formative service in the trenches and battlefields of the First Fellsian War to the chaos and destruction of the Laeralian Revolution, to the upheaval of the Bloody Summer, and to his final years in the twilight of his life as he led the nation through the darkness of the Great War.
Farmers (What), farmers (What?)
I'm ready! (We're ready)
LL Cool J, speaking as Gramont, references one of his signature achievements from his first presidency: the program of land reform, which met the deep aspirations of peasants for land ownership. The farmers are indeed ready for an escape from the exploitation of tenant farming.
I think I'm gonna bomb a town (Get down)
Don't you never, ever, pull my lever
'Cause I explode
And my nine is easy to load
I gotta thank God
'Cause he gave me the strength to rock, hard
Knock you out, mama said knock you out (Huuh)
Paying an oblique reference to the bombing of civilian towns and cities in Haesan, Slokais, Darya, and other battlefields during the Great War, the speaker references Gramont's martial prowess. Although Gramont's Republican regime would strike at the power of religious institutions under the presidency of Gramont's successor, J.P. Salaun, Gramont himself was a Christian, and in this verse, he gives thanks to God for inspiring his strength of will which shaped a nation.
I'm gonna knock you out (Huuh)
Mama said knock you out (Huuh)
I'm gonna knock you out (Huuh)
Mama said knock you out (Huuh)
I'm gonna knock you out (Huuh)
Mama said knock you out (Huuh)
The song concludes with a repetition of the chorus, once again reaffirming Gramont's eagerness to defeat his enemies on behalf of the Laeralian motherland. Although "Mama Said Knock You Out" may depict a more belligerent version of Gramont than many listeners are familiar with, few would disagree that Gramont's immense personal drive and iron will allowed him to truly outlast, overcome, and "knock out" his many rivals and opponents.
RE: Soundtracks of the IDU - Democratic Republic Of Eiria - 10-22-2025
For a look into more recent Eirian history, I have decided to use “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from Les Misérables to represent the fight against Neil Darrin’s regime and its aftermath.
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
Music was a frequently utilized form of political expression during the Darrin regime, as through most periods of Eirian history. New songs like “Choking Fist” and “Rank and File” picked at the cult of personality Darrin had been trying to cultivate among the Eirian populace, and more traditional folk songs like “Voices in the Graveyard” stoked republican nostalgia and emphasized the dire state of the nation’s democratic principles.
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
Percussive instruments were also famously used to combat the Darrin regime. Handbells (klōšei dei mās) tuned to the notes of G flat and C, historically used by farm workers to signal the end of the day, provided a loud dissonant noise that was used to signal that police or other government forces were in the area.
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!
Recruitment for resistance movements was both easier and harder than you may expect. A large segment of the population was already committed to acts of simple resistance (such as vocal criticism of the regime) or civil disobedience, but resistance organizations were largely splintered and divided by ideology, with only remnants of purged institutions (such as the Guard of the Republic) being able to muster a cohesive resistance effort initially.
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
By the year 2010, Neil Darrin had reached the peak of his power, with most of the fiercest defenders of democracy purged, in exile or in hiding. However, that year served as a crucial turning point in the Regime Era, with Darrin being dealt major blows. Over 20,000 military personnel defected in the course of two weeks, leaving a major hole in the regime’s security apparatus. Similarly, Deputy Minister of Culture Ana Salijār broadcasted multiple dossiers of the regime’s classified plans, strategies and resources, leaving Darrin and his advisors scrambling even after she was executed for treason. This internal conflict, known as the Second Wave of Institutional Rebellion, set the stage for further popular resistance to the regime.
Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!
While participating in demonstrations against the Darrin regime became more and more popular as the regime cracked down, the cost of attending these marches and protests was often high. In a typical protest in a major city, dozens of demonstrators would end up either arrested and sent to a labor camp or killed by the regime’s forces. Most Eirians have at least one friend or family member among the mosekei, a term used to refer to those killed in Darrin’s purges, in prisons or labor camps, or by regime forces in general. Across Eiria, there are plenty of memorials to the mosekei near government buildings or at the sights of notorious massacres.
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
From 2006 to 2014, the reign of Neil Darrin illustrated the dark side of the Eirian Republic’s institutions. Political polarization, decaying institutional checks and an apathetic populace set the perfect stage for an opportunist to seize power and degrade the democracy Eirians were so proud of. Yet, this period also demonstrated the tremendous character and determination of the Eirian populace. From songs and music to protests and defections, the Eirian people demonstrated that no autocrat may ever hold dominion on Eirian soil without being ousted. And although the cost to rebuild the nation was steep, and the national scars obtained may never heal, the Eirian Republic is far stronger than it was before its Civil War. Only time will tell if that strength lasts.
RE: Soundtracks of the IDU - Gardavasque - 10-24-2025
I did Spotify playlists a few years ago, back when I used to enjoy N-Day. Here's a few Soundtracks for my nation + puppets. Maybe it's time to update them?
Gardavasque
Ecclesiastical Dominions
Great Tequila Island
The Lavender Country
RE: Soundtracks of the IDU - Xiomera - 11-11-2025
I think this song sums up the Huenyans pretty well, especially under the more aggressive leadership of Xiadani.
Lyrics:
There’s no time for redemption
Those flags you wave, will they hold up?
Don’t cry for your vengeance
It’s right there to take if you want it
The world is watching
This part of the song would speak to the Huenyans' desire to avenge the centuries of Imperial oppression they endured, as well as avenging their current struggles such as putting down the Golden Blade insurgency sponsored by the Xiomeran Empire.
Here’s your judgement
Here’s your reckoning
Write your story down into history
Pride and country
You could have everything
So bring home the glory alive
This part of the song would speak to the Huenyans facing their struggles to build a nation and remain independent, facing the "judgement" and "reckoning" of their own people and the world at their response to those struggles. It would also take a bit of a swipe at the Xiomeran Empire, which Huenyans believe will face its own "judgement and reckoning" at the hands of Huenya and its allies. It would exhort Huenyans to seize their own destiny ("writing history"), and to uphold Huenyan pride and their new country.
Go and rise for your nation
There’s so much at stake, will you show up?
Oh it’s about damned time for a little salvation
Those flags you wave, represent them
The world is watching
This part of the song would urge Huenyans to stand up and take on the hard work of building a new nation, as well as defending it from the Empire that would see it destroyed. It would remind Huenyans that everything - their independence, freedom, and rights - are all at stake and at risk of being lost if they don't "show up". It would demand that Huenyans "represent" the Huenyan flag by standing up for the nation. It would finally remind Huenyans that the world is watching to see if Huenya can survive, and take on Xiomera.
The entire song as a whole would rally Huenyans to build a nation together, succeed and show themselves worthy in the eyes of the world, and defeat the Empire.