100 80s songs about fear of nuclear holocaust

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The 60s are often seen as sort of the heyday of the "cold war"-related lyrics, which was kind of natural considering you had the Cuba crisis, Vietnam, Prague and more.

However, there was also a somewhat briefer "second cold war" during the early 80s, following the Russian invasion into Afghanistan and the conflict and increase in nuclear heads as a result of this. And there were certainly 80s songs covering the theme too, which is often overlooked by baby boomers being nostalgic about the 60s.

This thread is dedicated to listing as many of those 80s cold war/nuclear fear lyrics as possible, and let's see if we can get to 100 and maybe beyond:

1. I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Nik Kershaw
2. Glad It's All Over - Captain Sensible
3. Russians - Sting

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:02 (twenty years ago)

4. Breathing - Kate Bush

― scnnr drkly (scnnr drkly), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:06 (twenty years ago)

5. Ozzy- Thank God For the Bomb

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:07 (twenty years ago)

6. Let's All Make a Bomb - Heaven 17

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:07 (twenty years ago)

7. "Rust In Peace... Polaris" - Megadeth

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:08 (twenty years ago)

8. "two tribes" - frankie goes to hollywood

9. "99 red balloons" - nena

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:10 (twenty years ago)

fucking hell, there must have been factory songs galore ... why can i not think of any?

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:11 (twenty years ago)

10. Bonzo Goes to Washington- "(We Begin Bombing in) Five Minutes"

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

11. The Smiths- Ask
12. Metallica- Blackened

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:16 (twenty years ago)

ultravox "dancing with tears in my eyes"

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:17 (twenty years ago)

sorry, that was #13, obviously

14. OMD - enola gay

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:20 (twenty years ago)

15. Einstein a-Go-Go - Landscape

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:22 (twenty years ago)

16. The Sound -- "Missiles"
17. The Chameleons -- "Up the Down Escalator"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:22 (twenty years ago)

18. Neil Young and Crazy Horse -- "Shots"

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:23 (twenty years ago)

("enola gay" not strictly about the 80s fear of holocaust, I know, but hey...)

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:24 (twenty years ago)

19. duran duran "is there something i should know" ("you're about as easy as a nuclear war")

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:25 (twenty years ago)

x-post to ailsa: i considered it, but decided against it for that very reason :)

oh! C90 - 1980s Cold War/nuclear paranoia

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:26 (twenty years ago)

How I Learned to Love the...Bomb -- Television Personalities

― Kali (Kali), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:30 (twenty years ago)

12. Men At Work- It's a Mistake
13. The Clash- London Calling
14. Prince- Ronnie Talk 2 Russia
15. Alphaville- Forever Young
16. Iron Maiden- 2 Minutes to Midnight
17. Donald Fagen- New Frontier
18. Thomas Dolby- One of Our Submarines is Missing

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:34 (twenty years ago)

Whoops. Looks like a lot of posted while I was composing that.

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:36 (twenty years ago)

20. gillan - mutually assured destruction.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:36 (twenty years ago)

28.- AVIADOR DRO - Nuclear Si
29.- AVIADOR DRO - Varsovia en llamas

― antonio, Monday, 17 April 2006 22:37 (twenty years ago)

30. husker du - deadly skies

― r lynch (solarmanite), Monday, 17 April 2006 22:55 (twenty years ago)

London Calling? I have no fear/Cause London is burning and I live by the river.

― musically (musically), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:00 (twenty years ago)

prince "1999," maybe a little? i feel like a bunch stuff from 1999 is nuclear war-informed.

― pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:33 (twenty years ago)

1999 definitely OTM

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:39 (twenty years ago)

32. Christmas At Ground Zero - Weird Al Yankovic

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:40 (twenty years ago)

33. I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Hall & Oates

― dave vire think (dave225.3), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:45 (twenty years ago)

SUN RA
Nuclear war (yeah)
Nuclear war (yeah)
Talkin about (yeah)
Nuclear War (yeah)

It's a motherfucker,
don't you know.
If they push that button,
your ass gotta go.

― Jaxon von Jaxon (jaxon), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:51 (twenty years ago)

ALSO, SORRY TO RUIN YOUR THREAD, BUT IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE AND ALPHABETIZED.

http://www.inthe80s.com/nuclearwar/index.shtml

― Jaxon von Jaxon (jaxon), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:51 (twenty years ago)

34. Queen - Hammer to Fall, sorta

― musically (musically), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:53 (twenty years ago)

if you had clicked on the link in the previous post, you would have noticed that song was already included

"Hammer To Fall," by Queen
This is an anti-nuke song, written by Queen's guitarist Brian May. 'Hammer to fall' should be interpreted as 'nuclear bomb coming down'. It's was a moderate rock hit in Europe (although I think the overdone 80s production makes the song sound 'over-compressed'). It featured on Queen's The Works album and a 'headbangers mix' was released on 12" (best version if you ask me). It's also on the Greatest Hits II compilation. The lyrics are great throughout the song, but the most notable part about nuclear war is: For we who grew up tall and proud In the shadow of the mushroom cloud Convinced our voices can't be heard We just wanna scream it louder and louder

― Jaxon von Jaxon (jaxon), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 00:32 (twenty years ago)

Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk 3

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 01:49 (twenty years ago)

I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Hall & Oates

I can't wait to hear the justification behind this

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 01:50 (twenty years ago)

Fishbone- Party at Ground Zero

This is a pretty jaunty tune considering the subject matter and it has a cool low budget video.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 01:55 (twenty years ago)

based on a rough babel fish translation i did once, i'm pretty sure "vamos a la playa" by righeira belongs on this list. so that's...37?

― joseph (joseph), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:20 (twenty years ago)

38 The Mob - No Doves Fly Here
39 Crass - Nagasaki Nightmare
40 Crass - Bomb

― sleeve (sleeve), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:32 (twenty years ago)

41. Young Marble Giants - Final Day

― Dr Benway (dr benway), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:39 (twenty years ago)

Metallica-Fight Fire with Fire

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:48 (twenty years ago)

How is this not up here?

42. 99 Luftballons- Nena

43. World Destruction- Afrika Bambaata and John Lydon

44. Part at Ground Zero- Fishbone

― elgin again (golf and games), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 03:11 (twenty years ago)

Nena and Fishbone are up there tho.

I was just coming here to post World Destruction, doheth.

45. Depeche Mode - Two Minute Warning

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 03:26 (twenty years ago)

46. new order "don't do it"

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 03:32 (twenty years ago)

post the babelfish translation of "Vamos a La Playa"

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 03:58 (twenty years ago)

47. B Movie- all fall down
48. Fischer-Z- Red Skies Over Paradise, also cruise missiles
49. midnight oil- Put Down That Weapon

― -rainbow bum- (-rainbow bum-), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 04:43 (twenty years ago)

50. Men without Hats - Safety Dance (which is supposed to be about nuclear disarmament)

― Herr Fahrstuhl (Herr Fahrstuhl), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 05:54 (twenty years ago)

post the babelfish translation of "Vamos a La Playa"

Not Babelfish gibberish, but my own:

Let's go to the beach oh-ohoh-ohoh

Let's go to the beach, the bomb has gone off
The radiation toasts and colours (things) blue

Let's go to the beach, everyone wear a hat
The radioactive wind will tousle our hair

Let's go to the beach, the sea is finally clean
No more melly fish, but fluorescent water

― naranjito (Koens), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 06:49 (twenty years ago)

melly ==> smelly

― naranjito (Koens), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 06:49 (twenty years ago)

Every song by Discharge.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 08:08 (twenty years ago)

51. The Glaxo Babies, There'll Be No Room For You In The Shelters

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 08:13 (twenty years ago)

I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Hall & Oates
I can't wait to hear the justification behind this

I was just waiting to see how long before someone called foul !

Back to 50.

― dave vire think (dave225.3), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 10:24 (twenty years ago)

My sensible answer is

51. Discharge - Two Monstrous Nuclear Stockpiles

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 10:27 (twenty years ago)

52. The Specials - Man At C&A

― zeus (zeus), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 10:30 (twenty years ago)

53. Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "War" (yes, a cover, but I think it counts since said fear is presumably the reason they covered it)

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 11:43 (twenty years ago)

54 Hazel O'Connor - Eighth Day (just inside the 1980s i believe)

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 11:46 (twenty years ago)

55. xtc - this world over

(i think)

― Lawrence the Looter (Lawrence the Looter), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 11:48 (twenty years ago)

You think right

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 11:51 (twenty years ago)

56. Suicide - Radiation (one of my favourites)
57. The Stranglers - Nuclear Device (or is that 70s?)
58.

http://www.buyreggae.de/images/25396.jpg

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 11:59 (twenty years ago)

59. Minutemen - Paranoid Time

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 12:12 (twenty years ago)

Or, Paranoid Chant, rather. How y'all got to 50 without hitting that one is baffling to me...

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 12:15 (twenty years ago)

60. Fireside Favorites - Fad Gadget

― HPrimeau, Tuesday, 18 April 2006 12:21 (twenty years ago)

Hayzi Fantayzee, "Shiny Shiny"

― mike a, Tuesday, 18 April 2006 13:12 (twenty years ago)

lyrics containing "press the button" != about da bomb surely??

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 13:47 (twenty years ago)

62. Sly Fox - "Let's Go All The Way"
63. Timbuk Three - "Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades"

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 13:49 (twenty years ago)

64. Fun Boy Three - "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)"

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 13:50 (twenty years ago)

There was a song from Big Country, it was something like :
lets hope the Russians are just like us, etc.

anyone remember this? Couldn't find it on the web.

Big Country looks like they've got a million songs that fit the nuclear holocaust theme.

― Some Guy, Tuesday, 18 April 2006 21:21 (twenty years ago)

64. Fun Boy Three - "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)"

Exactly how is this about fear of nuclear holocaust? I thought it was a song to "mourn" the election wins of Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 22:52 (twenty years ago)

i dunno if this one counts but:

black sabbath----war pigs

― James Fantom, Thursday, 20 April 2006 23:04 (twenty years ago)

genesis - land of confusion

― Kim (Kim), Thursday, 20 April 2006 23:26 (twenty years ago)

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