80s music and the Cold War
Christa Lopeman
Guiding Question:
How did the music of the 1980s reflect the threat of cold war and mutually assured destruction?
The 80s were the start of a decade of music that would impact music from then to the present day. Much like disco music's moment of fame in the 70s, the 1980s were the beginning of a new genre and trend through music that would become know as electric pop which showcased exclusively the sounds made from electric instruments. The 1980s also gave a start to the genre of modern rock that we see today bases the instrumentals heavily on the music of the electric guitar.
Land of Confusion- Genesis
Genesis wrote this song showcasing the confusion of the cold war. "There's to many faces. To many people. Causing to many problems" The video shows the many political figures of the 80s and celebrities as well.
GENESIS - Land of Confusion (1986)
Blackend- Metallica
Metallica rose to fame with the start of thrash metal music. Their song "blackened" demonstrates the key factors of trash metal music but also carries a more ominous undertone of mutually assured destruction. "Blackened is the end/ Winter it will send"
Metallica - Blackened
Modern Day Cowboy- Tesla
Tesla compares the Cold war to and Old west style duel in this song. "it's a showdown, in a no man's land/for the cowboy of the modern day" The two battlers of the time that the song is referencing are the United States and the U.S.S.R. The song repeats the phrase "Blow them away" which is an allusion to what would happen in the nuclear weapon was detonated.
Tesla - Modern Day Cowboy
Lennigard- Billy Joel
The song, released in 1987, references what it was like growing up in the times of the cold war and the pure hatred and fear a majority of the citizens of the United States felt against the soviets. The song says "We'll blast those yellow reds to hell" which the listener can assume he is referring to the cowardly soviets.
Billy Joel - Leningrad
1999- Prince
Some people of the 80s chose not to live in fear of mutually assured destruction. They was a group of people who chose to continue living life and lived in the moment. "The sky was all purple, "There were people runnin everywhere Tryin 2 run from the destruction, U know I didn't even care" and "Yeah, everybodys got a bomb, We could all die any day"
Prince 1999