# Greatest Hits of the Cold War **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 20, 2001, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763 "2001-03-20T19:42:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/21 "2001-03-21T06:49:58Z")
**"West of the Wall"** - far too old for most of you to remember. Phil Spector type background, girl singer with pain in her voice West of the Wall, I’ll wait for you West of the Wall, my heart will still be true Berlin, in case anyone needed to know. Nice beat, and you could dance to it. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/22 "2001-03-21T14:57:50Z")
Since nobody’s mentioned it, how ‘bout the "Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag" by Country Joe and the Fish? (“Be the first one on your block to have you boy come home in a box!”) ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/23 "2001-03-21T15:36:33Z")
“Political Science” by Randy Newman “Two Tribes” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan Keith ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/24 "2001-03-21T18:59:12Z")
My apologies – Billy Joel’s song about a circus clown is “Leningrad”, not “Stalingrad”. Also, Doug Bowe, thank you for the Kingston Trio one! I had a professor who quoted that song once but didn’t know the name of it until now – in fact I was just about to post the question this morning (after spending way too much time looking in Kingston Trio lyrics archives). A few other songs – “Crazy Train” has some lyrics – “millions of people living as foes”, “heirs of a Cold War, that’s what we’ve become” “Forever Young” by Alphaville – “Are you going to drop the bomb or not?” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/25 "2001-03-21T19:17:28Z")
Tom Lehrer had a bunch of good songs, as noted. One more concerned a plan for Western nations to join in a multilateral force (MLF) to create a nuclear deterrent to Communist aggression - resulting in the _“MLF Lullaby”_: \*"Why shouldn’t they (_the Germans)_ have nuclear warheads? England says no, but they all are soreheads. I say a bygone should be a bygone We’ll make peace, the way we did in Stanleyville and Saigon. Some say the Germans are evil and mean But that won’t happen again We taught them a lesson in 1918 And they’ve hardly bothered us since then."\* And for the most unintentionally hilarious Vietnam War song, there’s the _Battle Hymn of Lieutenant Calley_. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/26 "2001-03-21T19:47:23Z")
**New Frontier** - Donald Fagen (In which our narrator takes his date into his parents’ bomb shelter to pitch some woo.) ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/27 "2001-03-21T20:24:06Z")
I like how the terminology bled into even the most simple tunes: _You dropped The Bomb on me, baby You dropped The Bomb on me (wheeeeeeeeeeeew)_ And band names are everywhere, like the B-52s. Did they _ever_ do a Cold War-themed song? I can’t remember any. And then there’s U2, 7 Seconds, Nuclear Assault, Megadeth, Berlin, the Communards… ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/28 "2001-03-21T22:28:22Z")
**Sofa King** wrote: > [@](#): > > I like how the terminology bled into even the most simple tunes Yeah, and who can forget **The Neutron Dance**? > [@](#): > > And band names are everywhere, like the B-52s. Did they ever do a Cold War-themed song? I can’t remember any. If memory serves, “B-52” was the name of the beehive hairstyle Cindy and/or Kate wore. Only an indirect Cold War reference. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2001, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/29 "2001-03-22T01:38:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doug Bowe \* > The Merry Minuet > by The Kingston Trio To be precise, the Trio just sang the song. Sheldon Harnick is the song’s composer. He also did the lyrics for “Fiddler on the Roof” and wrote many other songs. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2001, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/30 "2001-03-22T07:07:07Z")
I forgot another Dutch classic, DE BOM (the bomb), from the early eighties. The lyrics translate roughly as Making a career - until the bomb drops Working on my future - until the bomb drops I rush through my diary - until the bomb drops Safe in my insurance scheme - until the bomb drops And when the bomb drops… The I lie in my best suit With my classifications and my cheques My insurance and my knowledge of words Under the ruins of the city next to you etcetera… Doesn’t Coldfire chip in on these subjects? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2001, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/31 "2001-03-22T07:21:21Z")
Pretty much the whole of Roger Waters’ _Radio KAOS_ The tide is turning… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2001, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/32 "2001-03-22T23:12:50Z")
Though it doesn’t mention the USSR, “The Smallest Astronaut” by The Royal Guardsmen. “Surfin U.S.S.R.” by Ray Stevens. Wasn’t “Major Tom” a cold war hit? I still like it even if it doesn’t count for you. The cold war includes Vietnam also. “Jimmy Newman” by Tom Paxton. “Whose Garden Was This” also by Tom Paxton. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763/33 "2001-03-23T00:07:04Z")
How about [“Mother Russia”](http://www.enteract.com/~nlights/lib/lyrics/turn.htm#MOTHER) by Renaissance? Annie Haslam had a terrific voice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-hits-of-the-cold-war/58763.md?page=1)