Comments on: Searching for a Cold War Soundtrack

Question: Searching for a Cold War Soundtrack

DOUBLE A SIDE — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:46:11 -0800

I am looking to make a music playlist that recaptures that '89 cold war, fall of communism feel. Think Scorpions - Wind of Change.

I'm living in Eastern Europe for the first time, a whole bunch of friends and family are coming over for a special occasion and I really want to create a playlist for a night of drinking in an old communist apartment. I'm not so interested in traditional folk music or patriotic songs...but popular music with subject matter relating to the cold war or the fall of communism (or Russia and Eastern Europe in general). I don't mind how cheesy they are and the song doesn't necessarily have to be western.

To Begin:
Scorpions - Wind of Change
Elton John - Nikita
David Hasselhoff - I'm Looking for Freedom
Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhatten [for the Berlin mention]
Nena - 99 Luftballons

Not Interested in:
The Beatles - Back in the U.S.S.R
Novelty songs - e.g anything by Weird Al

There were these nuclear songs previously, but maybe a bit too nucleary for me.

By: Lucinda

Lucinda — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:50:42 -0800

Right Here, Right Now by Jesus Jones?

By: Sweetie Darling

Sweetie Darling — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:53:25 -0800

That's what I immediately thought of too, Lucinda.

By: imposster

imposster — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:00:16 -0800

Billy Joel - Leningrad
Sting - Russians

By: DOUBLE A SIDE

DOUBLE A SIDE — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:00:55 -0800

Wow, I had never listened to the lyrics of that song, great.

By: imposster

imposster — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:04:26 -0800

Also: Songs about the Cold War from the 80s

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:05:54 -0800

Underworld - Underneath the Radar

My previous "Songs of Nuclear Destruction" AskMe may have some ideas too.

By: kimdog

kimdog — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:07:21 -0800

There are several songs from Hedwig and the Angry Inch that might fit the bill... SugarDaddy (maybe) or Tear Me Down (probably). The soundtrack is much better musically than these film clips.

By: Paragon

Paragon — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:26:11 -0800

Up for some late-80s Australian glam rock? Skyhook's Jukebox in Siberia (lyrics) could be fun drinking music.

By: orthogonality

orthogonality — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:31:17 -0800

"I'm not so interested in traditional folk music or patriotic songs.."

Are you sure? The Red Army Chorus doing the Soviet Anthem is amazing, and the DDR Hymn is surprisingly sweet.

By: scruss

scruss — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:00:20 -0800

Jona Lewie - I will stop the Cavalry

By: cimbrog

cimbrog — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:05:51 -0800

Rush - Heresy
Not quite eighties, but close.

By: chinston

chinston — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:00:25 -0800

For me, pretty much all of U2's Achtung Baby, but most especially Zoo Station (referring to the Berlin train station). And also the song Zooropa off of the album by the same name.

By: Ostara

Ostara — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:50:03 -0800

We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel covers events up until '89.

Also - Fury in the Slaughterhouse's "Every Generation Got It's Own Disease." Or, anything Fury. A great underrated band.

By: umbú

umbú — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:46:16 -0800

Der Kommissar - After the Fire

By: k8t

k8t — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:35:07 -0800

When the Children Cry - White Lion
Winds of Change - Damn Yankees

By: DOUBLE A SIDE

DOUBLE A SIDE — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:39:49 -0800

Excellent, thanks for the finds, should be a good night of music and vodka straight.

By: JJ86

JJ86 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:55:04 -0800

BTW, Nina Hagen is the artist, not Nena.

By: kimota

kimota — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:56:58 -0800

Fall of communism:
Adrian Belew/David Bowie's Pretty Pink Rose (at least, that's what I thought it was about at the time)

Nucleary songs:
XTC: I Remember The Sun and This World Over
The English Beat: Stand Down Margaret and Dream Home In New Zealand

Also, the way I heard about the fall of the Berlin Wall was an announcement on MTV that was immediately followed by Elvis Costello's version of What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding.

Finally, the Specials' "Free Nelson Mandela" always reminds me of that period in '89/'90 when the world seemed to be improving drastically.

By: euphorb

euphorb — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:03:23 -0800

The band Gorky Park embodies this moment in history as can be seen in this video for Bang.

By: mmkhd

mmkhd — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:30:57 -0800

JJ86: If you are referring to "Nena - 99 Luftballons ", it is definitively Nena and not Nina Hagen. Think Nena=pop band with girl singer Nena, Nina Hagen= punk, crazy, whatever, doing her own thing musically.

DAS: You might be interested in the Leningrad Cowboys (from Finland) who toured with the Red Army Choir as a backing group. This happend in the early 90s and I guess it would have been unimaginable before '89 :-)

I think that they do not fall under your novelty song prohibition, since their renditions are quite faithful to the originals.

Total Balalaika Show:

Kalinka , Sweet Home Alabama, So Happy Together, I am just a Gigolo, Those Were The Days

By: Shecky

Shecky — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:25:11 -0800

Mike and the Mechanics - "Silent Running"

(may not fit your bill exactly, but I thought of this question when I heard it just now)

By: DOUBLE A SIDE

DOUBLE A SIDE — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:27:12 -0800

Thanks again for the leads, making an ultimate mix-tape (play-list) now. Will look into the Red Army Choir could be very nice.

KIMOTA: I had never heard of the song 'Dream home in New Zealand', after reading the lyrics that could be fitting, seeing as most of us are from New Zealand...

By: DOUBLE A SIDE

DOUBLE A SIDE — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:24:13 -0800

Euphorb: I think 'Bang' is lost without the video, that is an awesome video.

Mmkhd: I'd completely forgotten about the leningrad cowboys, but yeah still a bit too novelty for me.