Growing up in the 1980's wasn't always the easiest thing to do. Terrorism wasn't the ever-present threat (to the average person) that it is now, but we were still mired in a cold war, braced for nuclear attacks, and (too slowly) becoming aware of AIDS. We also, however, had some rockin' music. So it was sort of a fair trade.
Not too unexpectedly, a good solid dose of paranoia can be found in many of the 80's songs that crop up on the compilations that I still buy despite having iTunes. Paranoia is a manifestation of anxiety and depression that can result in delusions ("that guy in the yellow coat has been following me all day") and projections ("everyone can smell my fear").
Some songs may seem like they're paranoid, but they're actually (I think) about something else. The Police's 1980 song Don't Stand So Close to Me may echo what you might here from a nervous guy on a NYC subway, but it's pretty clearly a retelling of the Lolita story from the point of view of a handsome teacher. If there was any doubt about the reference, Sting (a former English teacher) sings near the end, "He starts to shake and cough/Just like that old man in the book by Nabokov."
My favorite paranoid song is Men at Work's 1981 breakthrough Who Can It Be Now? The upbeat melody and grooving saxophone makes it sounds like a happy song - until they sing, "Who can it be knocking at my door/Make no sound, tip-toe across the floor/If he hears, he'll knock all day/I'll be trapped, and here I'll have to stay." As they continue to jauntily sing about imaginary friends and their worries of being carted off to a mental institution, the song becomes quite dark.
Another paranoid song is Rockwell's 1984 hit Somebody's Watching Me. Not a shining example of subtlety, the lyrics include "When I'm in the shower/I'm afraid to wash my hair/Cause I might open my eyes/And find someone standing there." Less paranoid but more repetitive was The Selecter's 1980 Too Much Pressure which consists of the title being repeated over and over again with a few other refrains. The Bangles, in their 1988 song Crash and Burn sing of driving faster and fast, hoping they crash and burn: "Got to be a place where they can't find me/Watching all those bridges burn behind me/And if I can't see/What's passing me/Nothing's going to touch me and I'll fly." The reason behind the desperate need to flee is never said. Billy Joel's 1986 song Running on Ice also speaks of a furious need to escape, although it is more rooted in anxiety and (perhaps) panic attacks: "I get no traction/ because I'm running on ice/It's taking me twice as long/I get a bad reaction cause I'm running on ice/Where did my life go wrong."
Some ‘80s songs reflect an era where paranoia was acceptable - Nena's 1983 song 99 Red Balloons (or 99 Luftballoons for any German readers out there). A metaphor about nuclear war, she tells a story of how a simple act (letting go of a large number of balloons) could lead to accidental nuclear holocaust (although, really, how many of us haven't nearly triggered one?). Mike and the Mechanics's 1985 Silent Running is a bit ambiguous about which war is going on, but an opening like "Take the children and yourself/And hide out in the cellar/...Don't believe the church and state/...Believe in me, I'm with the high command," perhaps some paranoia might be justified.
Some songs are about the people who make other folks feel paranoid. Blondie's 1978 song One Way Or Another is a good example (I know it's 1978 and not the 1980's, but the nice part about writing a blog like this one is that the rules always be bent a bit). The song starts off sounding like it's about a passionate if ardent romantic pursuit ("One way or another, I'm gonna find you/I'm gonna get you, get you, get you, get you). As it continues, we start to worry that the singer may not have the best intentions ("I'll walk down the mall/Stand over by the wall/Where I can see it all/Find out who you call/Lead you to the supermarket checkout/Some specials and rat food/Get lost in the crowd"). Alas, the song's narrator has turned into a full-fledged stalker (and the references to "rat food," i.e., perhaps, "rat poison" are a bit disturbing). Animotion's 1984 New Wave song Obsession could either be about an intense romantic desire or a about the kind of creepy guy who needs a restraining order ("I will have you/....Like a butterfly/...I will collect you and capture you").
A song I've never been quite sure about is the late (and much missed) Laura Branigan's 1982 song Gloria. I've read people say it's a song with the generic topic of a woman who needs to slow down and relax. One website commentator suggested it was about someone in witness protection. I've always gotten a different vibe: "Gloria, you're always on the run now/...Are the voices in your head calling?/Gloria, don't you think you're falling?/...I think they've got the alias that you've been living under." That sure sounds like someone having a (paranoid) schizophrenic break. Granted I can read that type of thing into most songs (Kermit's The Rainbow Connection asks, "Have you heard voices?/I've heard them calling my name"), but this one really makes me wonder.
Were the ‘80s an especially paranoid time? Probably not; the songs I know tend to be from my own adolescence - when everyone is paranoid. Let me know which ones I forgot!
My creativity definition/thought of the day: "Whatever definition of the creative concept you use, it needs to hold true when applying it to the learning experience. Learning anything new, linking new concepts together, is a creative process - as is exploring subjects that are familiar."
Darren Looby
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