Let's Go All The Way, But It's a Bad Idea

Every generation has a theme that identifies their belief systems, hopes, fears, and dreams. At one time, it was through productions for visual consumption. Even before the introduction of moving pictures and television, popular culture, our predecessors would go to the theater, burlesque, and Vaudeville. Regardless of the time, people enjoy experiences that represent themselves and their generation. We are now into the second decade of the 21st Century, and the visual representations have become muddied. I might be channeling my grandfather here, but with all of the video reboots, reality sludge, and thirty minutes on YouTube, I am wondering where we are going as a human race.

So, if video consumption might let to a dead end, I turn to music. The universal language, with your clothes on, music represents generational shifts. We can do a quick search on generational music, and it is a fascinating journey into the mindsets of those who walked this big rock before us. From sea shanties to tribal traditions, music binds us together. With the advent of music that could be replicated and broadcast, the dissemination of music led would lead to globalization and cultural diffusion. So this does not end up a twenty-page diatribe, I will do a brief overview of the 20th Century.

At the turn of the century, Tin Pan Alley ruled popular culture. World War I dominated the musical scene, but only temporarily. The Roaring Twenties was about frivolity, spending money, and hanging out at speakeasies. While liberating in some ways, the carefree lifestyle soon turned into the overly-despairing, over-optimistic styles of the 30s. Big band and swing transitioned us from the 30s to the 40s. World War II added to the fray of patriotic songs to the time. Post World War II saw a return to consumerism and the morphing of Rhythm and Blues to rockabilly and Rock and Roll.

It was during the era of Vietnam that music became more than patriotic themes and finding a girl to dance with. The songs became part of the cultural revolution that was hitting our country by storm. Songs about love, peace, equity, and, for lack of a better term, getting high, hit the airwaves. We also saw the birth of metal and witnessed the British Invasion. As with all things, society can only deal with a popular genre before the pendulum shifts, and the hippie movement would lead to the rebirth of conservatism. This is where my generation comes in.

While tempted to dive into why heavy metal and hair bands changed my life, I would instead take a look at how the music of the 80s would help push us out of the Cold War. Sure, historians may list out events such as the outspending of the United States over the Soviet Union or the independence movements of the satellite territories. Regardless, I will put this discussion before you through a list of songs popular during the 80s, along with a quick summation of what the song was about. Keep in mind, this is definitely not a complete list, and I will give a shout out to the movie The Day After, which has been credited for bringing, at least partially, the war to an end.

• 99 Luftballons (99 Red Balloons) - Nena - The song tells the story of how 99 red balloons were released and interpreted as a nuclear attack. Jet fighters were scrambled, and missiles released.
• Hammer to Fall - Queen - Song about just dancing under the mushroom cloud.
• Bullet in the Blue Sky - U2 - Scathing song about US military interventions in Latin America.
• Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Definitely about the conflict between the two superpowers.
• Land of Confusion - Genesis - Although I think people only like the video.
• Breathing - Kate Bush - A somewhat grim song about a baby who has just been born but cannot breathe because of nuclear fallout.
• Two Minutes to Midnight - Iron Maiden - Heavy metal represented by one of my favorite bands. Two Minutes refers to the Doomsday Clock, and the closer it got to midnight, the closer we were to an all-out nuclear exchange. Although during the 80s, we were at 3 minutes and 2 minutes during the 1950s. Oh, if you look at it now, we are currently sitting at 1 minute and 40 seconds due to conflict and global warming.
• When the Wind Blows - David Bowie - The song is depressing, but if you have ever seen the movie, you may get even more depressed.
• Bonzo Goes to Bitburg - The Ramones - Not technically an anti-cold war song, criticizes President Reagan's laying of the wreath at a graveyard where German soldiers are buried. The problem was, there were also officers in the SS buried there. The purpose of going to Germany was to build relationships and protest Nazism. 

Now we are in the second decade of the 21st century, what are the rallying songs about social change?

Then again, I haven't listened to the radio in YEARS.