Monday, April 18, 2011

P is for Peace & Protests

Did you know that 1986 was the designated International Year of Peace?   There was certainly a lot of talk about peace during the 80s - the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was in full flow in the UK and even in our music charts we were singing about peace.

In early 1981 Give Peace a Chance re-entered the UK Top 40 12 years after it's first foray into the charts - this was in response to John Lennon's murder in December 1980.

In 1983 John Lennon's former band mate Paul McCartney also had a 'peace' song enter the UK charts - Pipes of Peace was based on a true event that happened during the first World War.

Not to be outdone even the Eurovision Song Contest wanted a little bit of peace.   In 1982 the winner of Eurovision was a German singer called Nicole and her song was called A Little Peace.   An English version was released which jumped up the charts to the coveted number one position.

1982 also saw a duet between Bing Crosby and David Bowie released as a Christmas single - Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy.

If you're remembering the days of campaigning for peace and thinking - why have all of the politicians not figured out how to let us all live as one then you may be ready to hang up a Peace Poster!

I don't know about you, but I had some really big silver peace sign dangling earrings that I wore all the time, one of my friends wore bright pink ones which were really cool!   

In a battle cry for peace we were singing along to protest songs just like our parents did during the 60s, let's look at what songs were protesting against the state of the world during the 80s -

99 Red Balloons/99 Luftballoons
Another Brick in the Wall
Beds are Burning
Born in the USA
Brothers in Arms
Do They Know It's Christmas
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Free Nelson Mandela
Island on No Return
19
No More War
Peace in our Time
Tramp the Dirt Down
You're In The Army Now
You're the Voice

There are hundreds more, but I can't think of them right now - add any that you think I should have added.

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