An overlooked niche with tons of great music. Remember when we were all afraid of disappearing in the flash of a nuke, betrayed by sleeper agents living suburban cover lives, while Soviet paratroopers descended from Cuba?
Help me build a playlist that allows me to smell the graffiti on the Berlin Wall…
Men at Work - It’s a Mistake
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Two Tribes
Rush - Distant Early Warning
Nena - 99 Luftballons
and so on…
Sting - Russians
Art of Noise - A time for fear (who’s afraid)
“Lawyers in Love,” by Jackson Browne.
“Enola Gay,” by Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark.
It may not be the official meaning, but Queen’s “Hammer To Fall” sure sounded to me like it fit this category.
Peter Gabriel - Red Rain
Supertramp - Brother Where You Bound
99 Luft Balloons was going to be my contribution but it is already taken. Whatever you include in this compilation, I suggest you end it with Wind of Change by the Scorpions to end the story on a somber by good note.
That, or the Jesus Jones song “Right Here, Right Now.”
Billy Joel - Leningrad
“Think Again” by Billy Bragg (written by Dick Gaughan, but popularized by Bragg)
Eve Of Destruction, by Barry McGuire?
Standing In The Dark by Platinum Blonde
David Bowie - Heroes
Prince - Ronnie Talk to Russia
Def Leppard - Gods of War
“The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” by Timbuk3
You’re a couple decades off.
“In A Free Land” or “Deadly Skies” bu Husker Du
“Paranoid Chant” by the Minutemen
“Kill A Commie” by Gang Green
“World War 3” by D.O.A.
“Bonzo Goes To Bitburg” by the Ramones
Lots more in the hardcore punk category.
Does Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut count? Whole album is damned near a war protest (albeit, not necessarily a cold war protest).
But more specifically off of that album:
Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert
Southampton Dock
The Fletcher Memorial Home
Two Suns in the Sunset
Land of Illusion - Genesis
Burning Down the House - Talking Heads (arguably)
1999 - Prince (Only Prince would turn impending Armageddon into a reason to party harder)
Every Day Is Like Sunday - Morrissey
Please Forgive Us - 10,000 Maniacs
Ooh, good ones.
To prime the pump some more…
XTC - This World Over
Men w/o Hats - Pop Goes the World album
Camper van Beethoven - Sweethearts
Melissa Etheridge - This War Is Over
Bruce Springsteen - War
Weird Al Yankovick - Christmas at Ground Zero