Songs About Nuclear War from the Eighties, Songs Beginning with C

During the eighties, the topic of nuclear war seemed to come up a lot. It was on the news frequently due to the arms build up under the Regean era. At one point I think there was enough fire power to destroy the world 100 times over (it's probably still something ridiculous like that though). With the end of the cold war all seemed fine, although recent events in India and Pakistan does help remind us that it could be triggered by almost any mad man who is intent enough.

This page currently edited by: Powerslave. Past editor: Speed Racer


Nuclear war songs beginning with: [Index] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] [misc]
"Can't Stop Running," by Space Monkey
Nuclear war..so you heard the news today...you are running out of time..i cant stop running..etc etc
"The Cave," by unknown
Man goes into a cave on innocent exploration, deep in cave sees result of nuclear flash. Returns to outside to see world devastated. Country western flavor. May pre-date 80s. Am searching for more data.
"Chain Reaction," by Journey
"You'll stumble before you fall", reference to Cuban Missile Crisis "So now just where do we go, tell me where?" no escape "You've crossed a red light", no return Chain Reaction is the basis for nuclear explosion
"Channel-Z," by The B-52s
I want the world to change for me! Gotta get away Away from Z---Living on the edge of Z Space junk---laser bombs---ozone holes Better put up my umbrella! Giant stacks blowin' smoke Politicrits pushin' dope I want the world to change for me---gotta get away---away from Z Living on the edge of Z Waste dumps---toxic fog---irradiate---and keep it fresh forever Good old boys---tellin' lies 'Bout time---I got wise Gotta tune in---pico waves. Gotta tune out---PCB's Gotta tune in---market crash. Gotta tune out---polar shift Gotta tune in---narrow minds. Gotta tune out---space junk Gotta tune in---bombs. Gotta turn out---atomic lasers falling from the sky ...
"Chemical Warfare," by Slayer
Chemical Warfare (Hanneman/King) Frantic minds are terrified, Life lies in a grave, Silent death rides high above On the wings of revelation, Multi death from chemicals, Arrogance has won , Annihilation must be swift, Destroy without destruction , Gods on the throne must be watching from hell Awaiting the mass genocide, Soldiers defeated by death from a smell, Bodies lie dormant no life, Rising new souls on the lands where they fell, Demons not ready to die , Nothing to see where the sleeping souls lie, Chemical warfare Artificial fucking peace, Line up in a death row, Generals in their slow defeat, Diminished from this hell, Banished from the dying world, The lords of hell await, Dogs of war are helpless prey, To immortality Gods on the throne must be watching from hell, Awaiting the mass genocide, Soldiers defeated by death from a smell, Bodies lie dormant no life, Rising new souls on the lands where they fell, Demons not ready to die, Nothing to see where the sleeping souls lie, Chemical warfare!!! , Fuck it up! ........ Liquidate The torture kills the troops that try to fight. Terminate Human pesticide bring days of doom Mist falls The deadly gas that brings them to their knees Sacrifice Steal the soul and send his corpse to hell Hahahahahaha Mummified regions lying in dust, Fall victim to this game, Petrified corpses bathing in rust, Taken without being blamed, Falsified spirits farther they fall,... Soon they will join us in hell. See the sky burning the gates are ablaze,....Satan awaits eager to merge Gods on the throne must be watching from hell Awaiting the mass genocide, Soldiers defeated by death from a smell Bodies lie dormant no life, Rising new souls on the lands where they fell, Demons not ready to die Nothing to see where the sleeping souls lie..... Chemical warfare Warfare!
"Christmas at Ground Zero," by "Weird Al" Yankovic
A song written about the cold war about possibly being bombed at any moment from the Russians. Meant only as a comedy, but still talks about it.
"Cities in Dust," by Siouxsie & The Banshees
The previous post about this song is actually not correct in my opinion. This song is not about nuclear war, but about the city of Pompeii, which was destroyed in a volcanic eruption. "under a mountain, a golden fountain" refers to the volcano itself. "we found you hiding, we found you lying choking on the dirt and sand" is told from the perspective of modern society. We DID find them in this position when the city of Pompeii was discovered. Just my $0.02, and worth every penny. ;-)
"Claude Rains," by The Front Lawn
The Front Lawn is an excellent band from New Zealand. This song is on an album called "Songs from the Front Lawn" Claude Rains / In Casablanca / He was the French police inspector / A functionary through and through / A small man / Remember at the end / Out on the airstrip / He could have tried to stop them / Ingrid Bergman and her friend / From the French Resistance / But he pretended not to see / It was a small act / Of defiance / As the storm rose / In the distance / He was on their side after all / Chorus: Claude Rains gave the order / To collect the usual suspects/ And the camera panned in close up on his face / He watched as the plane left the airstrip / Like hope leaves a dying man / But he clung on to the choice he made / Oh Claude Rains I saw a new film the other day / And it was set at the end / Of a nuclear war/ The actors weren't as good as Claude Rains / But then there was nothing that they could do / All of their small acts / Could count for nothing / As the storm rose in the distance / Not much to make a film about Chorus.
"Clean Clean," by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club / The Buggles
---Lyrics--- Pogo and Johnny kicked me in the head, Aimin' for the floorboards but they pick me up instead Through the ringing from the night before Said, "The engine's running gotta pay a call." Johnny drove the halftrack cos we could not find the jeep Wake me in the morning, gotta get some sleep Driving all night out of fear Got in the ribs every time he changed gear (Chorus) I'm gonna take a ride, gonna pick up the team Gonna go where we've never been I'm gonna pick up the team (pickin up, pickin' up the team) God you know it's hard to keep the fighting clean Clean, clean (4x) Pogo and Johnny gonna fight that war Chaplain in the morning at the local liquor store Pogo coughin' bad from diesel fumes Johnny, tell the chaplain go and polish his tombs Lying on the wasteground with a blanket on his face Indicating that he's left the human race Helmet open where the world came in Gotta keep your head if you wanna win (Chorus) Clean, clean (4x) Lost a million in the very first attack Don't you worry cause you know we'll get them back Lost a million in the very first attack Don't you worry cause you know we'll get them back --- Written by Trevor Horn, Geoffrey Downes, and Bruce Woolley, Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club were the first to release it on their album "English Garden." The Buggles (Horn and Downes) released it one year later on their album "The Age of Plastic." (Nearly every song on the Buggles album seems to imply some eerie, dystopian future and listens like a collection of sci-fi short stories.) The Camera Club version features a minute-long instrumental introduction called "W.W.9". The Buggles version opens with a much shorter, almost Gothic organ intro. Though both songs have an instrumental bridge, the Buggles version has more complex instrumentation (like most of their music) and comes off sounding like some sort of sinister circus march (stomping/clapping, someone shouting orders, piccolo and tuba [synth]). Both different versions of a very good song.
"Cloudburst at Shingle St.," by Thomas Dolby
"headlong into the cloudburst naked, there's really no escaping it, there's gonna be a cloudburst here"
"Countdown to Zero," by Asia
The city lights are fading now as I climb into the plane To shield me from The stinging acid rain And this is it, it's over now As we taxi down runway one Tell me please You'll wake me when it's over Do you realize what's happening in western Europe? Norway, Finland, Scotland, England We will be the first to go Don't do it Countdown to zero Has just begun Countdown to zero It's time to start the run.
"Countdown to Zero," by Asia
This song is from 80s "supergroup" Asia, from their 1985 album "Astra" (which also includes another song about nuclear war, "After the war"): The night is cold, the sun is down I see faces through the wire No chance for them No shoulder left to cry on It's 4 am out on the street Through the smoke I see the fire It's a funeral pyre For them to die on {chorus} Countdown to zero Just begun Coundown to zero It's time to start the run The city lights are fading now As I climb into the plane To shield me from The stinging acid rain And this is it, it's over now As we taxi down Runway One Tell me please You'll wake me when it's over {chorus} Do you realize what's happening in Western Europe? Norway, Finland, Scotland, England We will be the first to go Don't do it {chorus} Don't do it Don't do it Don't start the countdown to zero We want to live We want to live We will live You've got your finger on the trigger Take it off Let it go Let it pass Let it go
"Cries Of Help," by Discharge
napalm tumbles from the sky chorus/cries of help cries of pain skin looking like hardened meat
"Cruise," by David Gilmour
A nifty little work that sounds like it is about a pupil singing about his mentor when it is really about Reagan putting Pershing missiles in England.
"Cruise Missiles," by Fischer-Z
Lyrics: We share a common destination. Each person Has their time to die. But men are speeding up our journey. By seeing what they can destroy with their Cruise missiles (We're living near those). Cruise missiles (We're looking for those). Cruise missiles (They're not five years away). They're building shelters for the privileged. There won't be room for you and me. So read your pamphlets of precautions. They'll make you laugh until you see that those Cruise missiles (We're living near those). Cruise missiles (We're sitting on those). Cruise missiles (They're not five years away). They claim the ultimate solution. To all the problems that we face. It's pointing rockets at the Russians. And hope they don't end up in Greece. All those Cruise missiles (We're looking for those). Cruise missiles (We're standing near those). Cruise missiles (They're not 5 miles away). They're not 5 years away. They're not 5 miles away. They're not 5 miles away. The song is part of the 1981-Album "Red Skies over paradise", very popular at the time in Germany, maybe because of the fact that the cruise missiles were supposed to be stationed in the country and make Germany the first battle field of a possible nuclear war. The album features a lot more of anti-nuclear-war-songs (title track, "Multinational bite", "Batailions of strangers")
"Cuando seas grande," by Miguel Mateos
This song from Argentina is about the growing pains of a boy. He doesn't know what to do with his life, and the eldest keep asking him "¿Qué vas a ser cuándo seas grande?" ("What will you do when you grow up?") The chorus ends with the verse: "¿Nene, nene qué vas a hacer cuándo alguien apriete el botón?" ("Boy, what are you gonna do when someone pushes the botton?"); a clear reference to the Nuclear War and the infamous Red Button.
"Curfew," by The Stranglers
The enemy has cut down all of the power London south of the Thames is invaded
Westminster is razed down to the ground
The government has fled
The government has fled
The government has fled for Scotland today
It becomes black and white
Is it true what they say
They turn the day into night
Black and white becomes
"Current Events," by Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns
"Larry Monroe from KUT-FM Austin had the idea for Current Events Are Making Me Tense. We used it in a song for an anti nuke rally." http://www.joeking.com/shop/yabba.htm
Nuclear war songs beginning with: [Index] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] [misc]

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