Thirty-five years later, it is easy to forget that 1983 was an awful year. In the UK the far-right Thatcher government won re-election. Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire” and then invaded Grenada seven months later. A suicide bomber in Beirut killed more than 300 people, including 241 US troops. Saddam Hussein deployed chemical weapons in Iraq’s ongoing war with Iran. A Soviet fighter shot down a Korean Airlines jet, causing the death of all 269 passengers and crew. The possibility of nuclear war was a real concern; when ABC broadcast a TV film, The Day After, about the aftermath of Soviet nuclear strikes in Kansas and Missouri, more than 100 million people watched.
Given this atmosphere, it is no surprise that a lot of the music from 1983 reflects anger, tension, and dread. In a song like “My City Was Gone” or “Pills and Soap” the anger is unmistakable, but “Love on a Farmboy’s Wages” is just as angry, just more subtle and cloaked in pastoral music. “In a Big Country” sounds anthemic and gains energy from guitars manipulated to sound like bagpipes, but the lyrics portray a narrator looking desperately for something to hold onto in the face of disappointment and betrayal. “Making Flippy Floppy” has a goofy title, but the lyrics are about as dark and cynical as Talking Heads ever got: “Business and pleasure lie right to your face.” A cruel summer, for sure.
Even in a lousy year, bands continue to grow and evolve. Some performers seem to emerge fully formed from the beginning of their career. Examples of this include Ramones, Billy Bragg, and, to a degree, R.E.M. Others struggle early in their career to find their own voice, perhaps copying their heroes or experimenting with different styles until they find something that clicks for them. In retrospect, I see three important bands that fully came into their own in 1983. New Order had an amazing 1983, releasing their finest album, Power Corruption & Lies as well as two iconic singles, “Blue Monday” and “Confusion”. U2 released their third album, War (note the title!), which first exhibited the combination of political activism and stadium-ready sound that would make them superstars. Finally Hüsker Dü released the Metal Circus EP, which solidified their identity, both from a songwriting and sonic perspective.
Part 1: I’m Not Expecting to Grow Flowers in a Desert
- My City Was Gone – The Pretenders
- In a Big Country – Big Country
- Racist Friend – The Special AKA
- Pills and Soap – The Imposter (Elvis Costello)
- Love on a Farmboy’s Wages – XTC
- This is Not a Love Song – Public Image Ltd.
- 25 Reasons – Red House
- A New England – Billy Bragg
- Time Wounds All Heels – Nick Lowe
- Cruel Summer – Bananarama
- Bedward the Flying Preacher – Prince Far I
- Your Silent Face – New Order
- Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs – Minutemen
- Institutionalized – Suicidal Tendencies
- Real World – Hüsker Dü
- Color Me Impressed – The Replacements
- She’s in Parties – Bauhaus
- Talk About the Passion – R.E.M.
- Genetic Engineering – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
- Going Home – Mark Knopfler
Part 2: We Sing in the Darkness
- Making Flippy Floppy – Talking Heads
- Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant
- Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
- (Keep Feeling) Fascination – The Human League
- Borderline – Madonna
- New York, New York – Nina Hagen
- Tour De France – Kraftwerk
- Two Hearts Beat as One – U2
- Rockit – Herbie Hancock
- Here Comes the Rain Again – Eurythmics
- Moody (Spaced Out) – ESG
- 99 Luftballons – Nena
- Living My Life – Grace Jones
- An Ending (Ascent) – Brian Eno