Back in the 1980’s, both the Cold War and the nuclear build-up cast shadows over us all, all the time.
Asia’s “Countdown to Zero” is explicitly about European fear of being destroyed in a conflict between Washington and Moscow.
Midnight Oil’s “Put Down That Weapon” is pretty much what it says on the tin. (Wow, I’d forgotten how brilliant this recording is!)
Midnight Oil had a giant social conscience reputation, and spent a lot of time in this genre, even if their lyrics weren’t typically about nukes as such. They had a song called, “Minutes to Midnight,” an album named 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (called “The Countdown Album”), and of course “My Country.” When lead signer Peter Garrett later went into politics, a lot of fans were surprised he joined Labor instead of the Greens.
The next two are not as explicit, but they are of the time and show it:
“Let’s Go All the Way” is more vague & oblique, but Sly Fox may have meant the title to refer to disarmament.
Even vaguer, I guess, but of the time and the Zeitgeist, Eurythmics’ 1980’s track “Adrian” (with guest vocals by Elvis Costello) has a line that the liner notes render as “new clear morning.” Sure, as if that’s how you would say that. Listen, and Annie is saying “nuclear.”
It was like that.
I was trying to think of more bomb songs, and well, this one counts, really, considering the conceptual origins of the King of Monsters: BÖC’s “Godzilla.”
