80s Music that reflected the Cold War Angst?

Question

What are some of the 80s songs that reflected people's throughts about the Cold War, east-west relations and/or the threat of nuclear war.

Answer 1

http://www.inthe80s.com/coldwar.shtml

Answer 2

99 Red Balloons, London Calling, and Final Countdown are the first songs that come to mind.

However, during the 80's not every song was so obvious with lyrics about the cold war. It was more anything that had to do with "urgency". The time was always "now" because we didn't know if tomorrow would come. That is the way I remember it anyway. "Rock the Casbah" appears to be about the Mid East and oil, but I think it was more about the Suez Crises, which was just one of the points in history where the bombs came close to falling.

Bands like The Clash and U2 included the attitude in every song they wrote. Punk Rock was pretty much all about nuclear holocaust and the anarchy that would follow if anyone survived. Sunday Bloody Sunday might have been about Black Sunday in N. Ireland, but the feeling was the Cold War, same with New Year's Day.

Even if a songwriter claims that some song had nothing to do with the Cold War, he/she is just not remembering right. Roger Water's was clearly writing about a lost band member in "The Wall". But, the first image that came to mind when hearing the song was the Berlin Wall. He couldn't escape the terminology/lingo of the time. On the same album he asks, "Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?"

Everything had something to do with the Cold War in the 80's because it was in the media everyday. Thinking back and looking at all the other answers, I can only remember part of what most people at that time had already accepted. It was not a question of "if" nuclear war would come anymore, but "when".

Answer 3

Russians - by Sting
99 Luftballons - by Nena
Leningrad - by Billy Joel
It's Our Mistake - Men At Work
Breathing - Kate Bush
In the Burning Heart - Survivor
Silent Running - Mike and the Mechanics
Cold War - Devo
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
Cult of Personality - Living Color
A Great Day For Freedom - Pink Floyd (about the Berlin wall)
Miss Gradenko - The Police
People are People - Depeche Mode
Seconds - U2

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Not really what you are looking for but check out "The Wind of Change" by The Scorpions. It reflects the changing of the times. Or you could check out "New Years Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 but they reflect the turmoil in Ireland. Hope this was at least somewhat helpful.

Answer 6

To add to the 3 previously posted:
"Two Tribes" - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
"London Calling" - The Clash
"99 Luftballoons" - Nena

Answer 7

"Forever Young" by Alphaville
"We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel
"Russians" by Sting
"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by REM
"End of the Innocence" by Don Henley
"The War Song" by Culture Club
"Nikita" by Elton John
"Nineteen" by Paul Hardcastle
"99 Luftballons" by Nena
"1999" by Prince
"One of Our Submarines" by Thomas Dolby
"Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
"Going Under" by Devo
"Leningrad" by Billy Joel
"Wild Wild West" by Escape Club

Also the video to Donald Fagen's song "I. G. Y. (What a Beautiful World This Will Be)" shows people getting into a 50's era bomb shelter...cool video.

Answer 8

Russians - Sting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_6briSs-hg
YouTube - Sting - Russians
Nikita - Elton John
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1kbDo-tY7E
YouTube - Elton john-Nikita
The War Song - Culture Clubhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSHqHm9IJZU
YouTube - culture club - the war song
It's a Mistake - Men at Work

Answer 9

Time Zone - World Destruction
Genesis - Land of Confusion

Answer 10

99 Red Balloons by Nena

Answer 11

U2 sang lots of song about war. Can't remember their names though