The thread for Important Messages to the listening public from famous pop stars, generally in the eighties...

I hope the Russians love their children too.

Oh, now I realize your point here. You want all pop musicians just to sing about love and romance or dancing and how you should let your body move to the beat?

Not that I care much about lyrics, but it was a GOOD thing how acts like Johnny Hates Jazz etc. wrote about more meaningful stuff than just boys meets girl or dancing. And Sting even did in a great way. "Russians" was a GREAT lyric.

YOU'RE INSANE

Well, everyone thought so in 1985, and I believe most still do today. Unless they have the ill-adviced idea that pop should never be anything else than pop and never actually try to be pop AND art at the same time.

(I am not claiming that "The War Song" is good in any way though, not as a lyric and not musically either).

Geir, you have me wrong.

You also have Johnny hates Jazz wrong too. They sang about turning back clocks! Which the audience had to tell them was a futile thing to do, as time is a fixed finite measurement and not a divertable medium.

Also, there is no point in running away from a shattered dream, as that just means you're not actually asleep.

"I Don't Want To Be a Hero" is a great anti-war song.

And yet, when Re-flex sang of the Politics of Dancing, were they singing about dancing? or Politics?

Who can say. It is a mystery.

I mean, it's not like it is very deep, but in the case of anti-war songs, the best ones are the ones who speak out the obvious because the obvious is what the superpowers tended to forget about, such things as the Russians love their children too, and going out to kill another man is obviously not the right thing to do. Such things.

Great thread

YOU'RE INSANE

YOU'RE A DODGY ALBUM!

(xpost)

YOU'RE INSANE

-- Scik Mouthy, Monday, 11 August 2008 15:35 (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

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Well, everyone thought so in 1985, and I believe most still do today...

-- Geir Hongro, Monday, 11 August 2008 15:37 (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

how can I save my little boy from Hongro's deadly toy?

"Things Can Only Get Better," Howard Jones' early 1985 tender tribute to the defeated striking miners.

... more meaningful stuff than just boys meets girl or dancing

There always *was* more meaningful stuff sung about. Like fukking, f'risnstance.

As per Sting's meaningful "Russians" lyric, he's surely eargerly awaited to go and sing it, meaningfully, in Southern Ossetia, pronto.

"Torture," King's incisive 1985 examination of the treatment of Middle Eastern hostages.

'Russians' proved Sting had a sense of humour after all, unlike 'This Cowboy Song'

"Don't worry, be happy"..

Actually, Bobby McFerrin was playing Venice while we were there, we didn't go though. Is he still doing that acapella thing, or has he gone sensible and started doing more singing?

xpost "We can't hear the backing track..... The Cowboy Song.."

"For America," Red Box's damning 1986 indictment of Reagan's second term, with its telling chorus:

"Where's the peace and understanding?
Go drum go dance sound on sound
All this peace and understanding
Go drum go dance round and round
In America yeeooo ay da yeeooo ah"

That's telling 'em.

"Calling All The Heroes," It Bites' damning 1986 indictment of Reagan's second term.

"What's The Colour Of Money?," Hollywood Beyond's damning 1986 indictment of Reagan's second term.

Human League "Lebanon"
Kim Wilde "Cambodia"

I did a thread on this before

99 LUFTBALLONS

"I Just Died In Your Arms (Tonight)," the Cutting Crew's damning 1986 indictment of the steady increase in global military hardware and the proportionally increased risk of nuclear catastrophe.

"Through The Barricades," Spandau Ballet's tender 1986 portrayal of love behind the barbed wire of prejudice and oppression in the Troubles, is comparable with Bowie's "Heroes," i.e. it's a million times worse.

"I Just Died Because of Your Arms Race (Tonight)"

"Lipstick, Powder And Paint," Shakin' Stevens' damning 1985 indictment of the mess New Pop had gotten itself into.

I love that "has often been compared to", usually Dylan..

as in "he's nowhere near as good as Bob Dylan"

"Through The Barricades," Spandau Ballet's tender 1986 portrayal of love behind the barbed wire of prejudice and oppression in the Troubles

Indeed, "Making love through the barricades", always sounded awkward and downright painful to me

No doubt that was the inspiration for Spandau's underperforming 1988 comeback single, "Raw."

"Pie Jesu," Andrew Lloyd Webber's pognant plea for Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran to stop arguing over who gets to sit where on the Saturday Superstore Video Panel.