10 '80s Songs About Nuclear War

Even if you’re not old enough to remember the Cold War, it’s a safe bet you’re familiar with it from your parents, school, and popular entertainment. From the end of WWII to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the ideological conflict between the United States/NATO and the Soviet Union and its allies defined global politics, and for four decades (give or take) the world held its breath in fearful anticipation of a full-scale nuclear showdown between these superpowers, awar many believed would mean the end of civilization as we know it. If you aren’t old enough to remember, just re-read Watchmen (or watch the film). It was a lot like that, minus Richard Nixon and naked blue superbeings.

However, nuclear paranoia’s influence was not confined to the geopolitical stage. It also had a huge impact on the pop culture of the era, especially in the 1980s, when the doctrine of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) was in full swing, and each side boasted a nuclear arsenal capable of destroying the planet many times over. Post-apocalyptic adventures like the Mad Max trilogy, dramas like Miracle Mile, and techno-thrillers like WarGames were some of the most popular films of the decade. But cinema was hardly the only medium affected; the subject was broached in popular music of the time as well, though not always as obviously. The manner in which the issue was treated varied from artist to artist and genre to genre: punk and metal were characteristically loud, direct, and often quite nihilistic in their treatment of nuclear war, while other bands wrote political songs that protested nuclear proliferation. A few even produced recordings that hardly anyone realized were about nuclear war, usually hiding their true message behind catchy rhythms and sardonic wit.
Here then are 10 hits (and a few not-quite hits) of the ’80s that would make a great playlist for when you’re stocking your fallout shelter with canned goods, or trying to outrun radioactive mutants on your custom-built supercycle across the post-atomic wasteland.

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