Why is NMA often labeled political when most of the songs are not?

[Amandistan]

What I first noticed about NMA lyrics is that many are about nature and love and life.The first topic is what drew me in as well as the story lines in the lyrics.  Less than half are about politics but I often see this band labeled  as "1980s" or "Political".   

Yes, some songs are political obviously but I would say less than 40 percent are. 
Is there a history behind this? Did the band create this image or was it the music press? 

[Space]

First impressions are lasting impressions, simple as that.

When the early releases that got big attention were "Spirit Of The Falklands" and "Vengeance" its kind of hard to shake a political label.

[Master Ray]

First impressions are lasting impressions, simple as that.

Agreed.

[Pol]

Aye shit sticks n bad smells linger

[Johnz]

Are you really surprised that a band called "New Model Army" gets labelled as political?

Admittedly they have toned down the politics in recent years but they have always been very outspoken about their political views, both in their songs and in public. And good on them!

[Amandistan]

Some obviously are political.  I discovered them after the release of high. Some was political but perhaps it was far more so in the early days.

[Johnz]

Some obviously are political.  I discovered them after the release of high. Some was political but perhaps it was far more so in the early days.

The lyrics have become more introspective on the more recent albums. However, Today Is A Good Day has a few political songs and the title itself is meant as a political statement. To me NMA are inherently linked to anti-fascist anti-corporate and anti-US foreign policy sentiments.

Basically, there is no doubt in my mind where NMA stand politically. So I don't think the political label is all that undeserved.

[Guillaume]

Justin once said in an interview that all the politics stuff he had to say were in the first two albums.

[Ron B]

 I Remember when I saw the 1st video of NMA on MTV when they in the Beginning were breaking in new bands was White Coats and the song 51st State were played well like others have said 1st impressions are what they are.

[Amandistan]

I guess it's not my first impression simply because I was not born for the very early albums.  The band is actually older than me. 

[Darkness]

I remember Justin saying that NMA weren't political, they just wrote about what was going on around them. In the early to mid 80's it wasn't very hard to be political. War, unemployment, Tory Government, the miner's strike etc.

[Shush]

I often think it strange when even today you can read a review, or details on a venue announcement and NMA are referred to as the "political band". Maybe I missed the boat to some extent, but to me they were never overtly political even in the early days. I have never thought that the lyrics were trying to push a political viewpoint on to me when listening. If the lyrics have political overtones, then to me they do not seem to be party political such as you had with Billy Bragg in the 1980's. Certainly the lyrics can be judged to be left wing as they concentrate a lot on social issues of the 1980's such as "Young gifted and skint" which to me is about w young people wasted on the dole and not being able to take part in the consumer society they are living in. To me the lyrics of the first two albums are about things JS had on his mind, his own personal opinion on the World around him. Personally I struggle to see how "Vengeance" is a political song when it is about the desire to have Nazi war criminals brought to justice. If that is a political issue, then it is one that all but the most extreme ring wing parties would agree with, if do little about. Songs such as 225, White Coats, Snelsmore Wood to me are about environmental concerns. Has it ever been suggested JS is a Green Party spokesman ?

[Amandistan]

I completely agree with Shush. You put it into better words than I ever could.

[Shush]

Thanks Amanda. I would add, if people like to view NMA as a political band, then I would not want to take that away from them. In the 1980's they could be seen as a voice for the down trodden in Thatcher's Britain which you can call "political" if you want to. Similarly, if someone was proactive with environmental issues or the Green Party, then a song such as "Ballad" can be viewed as such. 

[Johnz]

I guess it depends on how you define political. To me 51st State, Another Imperial Day, Spirit of the Falklands and a host of others are political songs. Sure, they are not necessarily in line with any particular party but I would say that most key-points on any UK party's political manifesto have been addressed in a NMA song. So to that extent I can understand why people might label them as political. And wasn't there a "**** the Tories" tour in the early 90s?

There also seems to be the underlying notion (especially in the UK) that being political is bad. Bands that sing about politics are serious and preachy and therefore unpopular with the press and large sectors of the public. I don't agree with that but then again I am German so what do I know about fun.

I personally don't really think of NMA as a political band anymore mostly because they have produced so many fantastic songs that deal with human emotions, the power of nature and understanding your place in this life. To me those are their strongest moments.

I do think it's great that NMA can be so many different things to people.