When war was declared on Iraq in March 2003 hundreds of thousands of people had already taken to the streets of London the month before to voice their opposition to military action. It made little difference.
Over the ensuing eight years of bloodshed, civilian casualties and bombings that took place between 2003 and 2011, while US and British troops were on the ground in Iraq, pop's political consciousness was also awoken.
Below is a selection of songs inspired by the Iraq invasion and the supposed threat of weapons of mass destruction.
From the politically charged anthems to the emotional and heartbreaking ballads of those missing soldiers or mourning innocent lives lost, each song serves as a reminder of that time. And the question still remains, 10 years on, was the war worth it?
The Dixie Chicks
This American country music band had their US career upended in 2003 when lead singer Natalie Maines disparaged President Bush 10 days before the Iraq invasion.
During a London concert, she cried: "We don't want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas".
Talk-show conservatives lambasted the group Stateside, while Brits - on the whole - reacted positively to the statement.
Then, in 2006, the Dixie Chicks released the single 'Not Ready to Make Nice' in response to the controversy, including the line "It's a sad sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger."
Neil Young - Living With War
Filled with the resentful knowledge that the world will be 'Living With War' for some time, Young rushed to release this song in 2006 with a video that made clear his thoughts on Iraq. Military vehicles, death tolls, mosques and the American flag make up the powerful imagery which hammers home his regretful message.
In fact, he was so against the invasion he wrote and recorded an entire album in nine days, protesting against both the war and George Bush's presidency.
Avenged Sevenfold - M.I.A
Complete with a conflict-filled video, heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold's 2005 song was reportedly inspired by the loss of their friend who went missing in action in Iraq.
The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
Released in 2004, Brandon Flower's anthemic plea for succour has not been attributed to the war directly, but it carries a poignant message.
Versus like "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier" meant that in October 2009, a band formed by War Child charity called The Young Soul Rebels released 'I Got Soul', a cover of 'All These Things That I've Done'.
Muse - Soldier's Poem
Muse's 2006 moving political song is written from the perspective of a soldier who cannot find a reason for why he is repeatedly risking his life.
One verse reads "How could you send us so far away from home, when you know damn well that this is wrong".
Carrie Underwood - Just a Dream
The songwriters of this Grammy-nominated country song, recorded in 2007, have refuted that there was anything deliberately political about it.
However, the lyrics, which tell the story of a woman who thinks she’s getting married and then realise she’s actually going to her husband’s funeral, touched many servicemen and women's families.
Songwriting trio Steve McEwan, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson, conscious of political interpretation, rejected the earlier title of 'American Dream' and instead named it 'Just A Dream'.
Jack Johnson - Crying Shame
This anti-war song, released in 2005, doesn't specifically mention the war in Iraq but is more about war and violence in general. Johnson preaches a message of peace as he sings "by now we should know how to communicate instead of coming to blows".