Reagan Rock and The Cold War.

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blissblogger

Well-known member
There's a really good essay on this era of film - not the music - called "Blissing Out: the Politics of Reaganite Entertainment" by Andrew Britton. It's all about those films like Top Gun, An Officer and a Gentlemen, Rocky etc etc. Written during the 1980s.

I came across it a few years ago and was a bit taken aback by the title having done a book called Blissed Out - which is essentially about youth taking refuge from the Thatcher-Reagan era in clouds of gorgeous noise aka dreampop.

Musically, others in this Eighties pugnacious vein would be Journey "Don't Stop Believing", Bon Jovi "Livin' On a Prayer", Van Halen "Jump"

The Journey song and "Eye of Tiger" are typical songs that schoolkids do at performances in American schools - sort of secular equivalents of hymns (cos we can't have hymns at school what with separation of church and state in the US). More recent ones in the genre are Katy Perry tunes like "Roar" and "Firework", Taylor Swift "Shake It Off", and "Let It Go" from Frozen. All positive thinking, uplift, nothing gonna hold me down / back sentiments,

it's very much in the American grain, this kind of can-do, gumption 'n' pluck thing. Reagan brought it back after the doubt and drift of the 70s with his famous "Morning in America" speech.
 
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blissblogger

Well-known member
my mate Carl Neville wrote a short book about this kind of thing, but focused on the 70s

carl neville no more heroes.jpg

however it was originally titled Holding Out For A Hero, as in the Bonnie Tyler / Jim Steinman
 
droid

droid

Well-known member
Appropriation is another aspect - even tunes which were highly critical of Reagan's America were anthemised as long as the chorus could be interpreted unironically. The perennial phenomenon of capitalism assimilating and perverting the opposition. Born in the USA is the prime example, but there's also this.

 
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Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Interested to know if there's a 2020 equivalent to this. Obviously there are all these MAGA nutcases but it seems like the US hasn't got the same appetite for patriotism and war that it had last around the time of 9/11. The patriotic music around then was country, right? Hence the Dixie chicks being excommunicated.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
The '70s are never quite garish enough, still some notion of fidelity to reality... it's gestating though
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy

Hulk Hogan brainwashed me at the age of about 7 or 8 and I was probably right behind the stars and stripes at that time.
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
The UFC intro song is more the sort of thing the body building meathead types listen to now I would say (and rap music)


Tap out t shirt, tribal tattoo
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
Corpsey said:
Interested to know if there's a 2020 equivalent to this. Obviously there are all these MAGA nutcases but it seems like the US hasn't got the same appetite for patriotism and war that it had last around the time of 9/11. The patriotic music around then was country, right? Hence the Dixie chicks being excommunicated.
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Simon reckons these are today's equivalents. I've not heard any of them I don't think.

"...sort of secular equivalents of hymns (cos we can't have hymns at school what with separation of church and state in the US). More recent ones in the genre are Katy Perry tunes like "Roar" and "Firework", Taylor Swift "Shake It Off", and "Let It Go" from Frozen. All positive thinking, uplift, nothing gonna hold me down / back sentiments"
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Trump is always getting in "trouble" with bands/singers for using their songs at his rallies. It's absolute poison to be associated with him (unless you're kid rock).

I don't think there's that steroidal optimism and confidence that the 80s had nowadays. It's an economic disaster for most people. Even the patriots think it's shit - hence needing to MAGA.
 
V

version

Well-known member
Anyone seen a Robin Williams film called Moscow on the Hudson? One of the most shameless pieces of Cold War propaganda I've ever seen. It literally has a scene where Russians in America sit in a cafe and recite The Declaration of Independence whilst someone lights a sparkler outside...

 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
luka said:
Simon reckons these are today's equivalents. I've not heard any of them I don't think.

"...sort of secular equivalents of hymns (cos we can't have hymns at school what with separation of church and state in the US). More recent ones in the genre are Katy Perry tunes like "Roar" and "Firework", Taylor Swift "Shake It Off", and "Let It Go" from Frozen. All positive thinking, uplift, nothing gonna hold me down / back sentiments"
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I see what he means but otoh these are hardly appealing to the macho types that aerosmith or whoever did, are they?

If anything they're more associated with a roaring liberalism.
 
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