Friday, April 18, 2008

The Wayback Machine: '80s Protest Songs

The '80s were times of political change. Reaganomics, The Apartheid, the Cold War. Lots of good stuff.

These are the greatest '80s protest songs?!


Somehow, there was something lost in translation. I don't think anyone really gets this from "Rock the Casbah" from the great band, The Clash:

This song is quite obviously about mideast peace, with the incredibly cheesy image of the rabbi picking up the Arab in a Longhorn Limo in the video. I got a feeling it's also against Islamic fundamentalism, as it portrays the Sharif ("nobleman") as oppressive.






Or this about "Sowing the Seeds of Love" from Tears for Fears:

This is basically a protest against political corruption.

WTF?!



I have great fondness for the '80s, since all of my older brothers and sisters were really into all of the music and movies and shared that with me. But for once, I might have to agree with TD, who says, frequently, "Man, the '80s sucked hard."