Reflection 3: Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution—When '80s Eighties Music Got Political

Eighties music is often dismissed as silly and inauthentic, nonetheless the decade can lay claim to a substantial amount of socially-conscious music. In reality, it likely produced more politically-charged songs than any decade except the Sixties. Everything from child abuse to nuclear war to African famine received musical attention from some of the biggest stars of the decade. Certainly, 21 century music fans would be hard-pressed to identify as many political songs today as there were in the ‘80s—how many Black Lives Mater or Syrian refugee songs can you name? For this reflection, examine three ‘80s socially-conscious songs. In your examination, look at not only the song itself, but the social issue surrounding it. Finally, would these songs be relevant today? Why or why not?

Choose three of the following songs:

• Bob Marley & The Wailers, "Redemption Song" (1980) [Social awareness]
• Kate Bush, "Army Dreamers" (1980) [Anti-war]
• Pat Benatar,  "Hell is for Children" (1980) [Child abuse]
• Peter Gabriel, "Biko" (1980) [Anti-apartheid]
• Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, "The Message" (1982) [Racial inequity and poverty]
• Billy Joel, "Allentown" (1982) [Blue-collar displacement]
• Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel, "White Lines (Don't Do It)" (1983) [Anti-drug]
• U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1983) [Ant-war]
• The Specials, "Nelson Mandela" (1984) [Anti-apartheid]
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Two Tribes" (1984) [Anti-nuclear war]
• Bruce Springsteen, "Born in the USA" (1984) [Veteran rights]
• Nena, "99 Luftballoons" (1984) [Anti-nuclear war]
• Culture Club, "The War Song" (1984) [Anti-war]
• Band Aid, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (1984) [African famine relief]
• USA for Africa, "We are the World" (1984) [African famine relief]
• Sting, "Russians" (1985)
• Northern Lights, "Tears Are Not Enough" (1985) [African famine relief]
• Artists United Against Apartheid, "Sun City" (1985) [Anti-apartheid]
• Paul Hardcastle, "19" (1985) [Anti-war]
• Suzanne Vega, "Luka" (1987) [Child abuse] 
• Midnight Oil, "Beds are Burning" (1987) [Aboriginal Australian rights)
• 10,000 Maniacs, "What's the Matter Here" (1987) [Child abuse]
• R.E.M., "Orange Crush" (1988) (Anti-war) 
• N.W.A., "Fuck tha Police" (1988) (Police brutality)
• Tracy Chapman, "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" (1988) [Political uprising]
• 10,000 Maniacs, "Poisoning the Well" (1989) [Pro-environmental]
• Public Enemy, "Fight the Power" (1989) [Racial injustice]

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two pages in length

Due: Th 9.22