Eighties Lyrics
This song is actually about Margerat Thatcher's legacy as prime minister in Britain: it's a comment on the lassaiz faire politics of the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher, and how everyone suddenly had to compete and struggle just to make a living: "I'm in love with the coming race"... "I take all I can get".
Killing joke have always had political undercurrents to their music, and been critical of right wing leaders.
Its one of my favorite songs by Killing Joke, the main guitar riff still sends shivers up my spine
@devotion Yes, Thatcher brought in a brutal end to an engineered crisis. I always hear, when I feel the political foment rise, and listen to the record: "I'm in love with the coming mallaise". Which is French for sickness ... but in political talk it would mean, ... well, just exactly what we always have ... discord, disbelief & disenfranchisement. 'The coming Mallaise.'
@devotion Yes, Thatcher brought in a brutal end to an engineered crisis. I always hear, when I feel the political foment rise, and listen to the record: "I'm in love with the coming mallaise". Which is French for sickness ... but in political talk it would mean, ... well, just exactly what we always have ... discord, disbelief & disenfranchisement. 'The coming Mallaise.'
what happened was killing joke sued nirvana and then the lawsuit was dropped when cobain killed himself
Life Goes on by The Damned came out before Killing Joke 80's in 1982. That's where this riff originates from.
I'm guessing it's an overview on the eighties through the eyes of killing joke. With of course the trademark killing joke sarcasm and tone. Listen to this track, you'll understand why killing joke now receive royalties for nirvana's "come as you are", hehe.
ps. I'm shocked no one has hardly posted on these killing joke tracks, and someone needs to add seeing red on here, i cant find the lyrics ANYWHERE.
So true, sammy. This band was way too important to bands that made it big to be so obscure.
I heard they were gunna sue Nirvana and all that shit, and Kurt Cobain just said something like sure, i stole that riff, so what? They dropped the charges.
They actually dropped the charges when Kurt died.
They actually dropped the charges when Kurt died.
It's from 1985, a year that not much songs like "Eighties" came out. New wave era ended about 2 years earlier and Post punk was no longer relevant, and i think the song is about killing joke's feeling about their music. I mean, in the charts at that time, The Europop-trash style was dominant, and killing joke style was not so popular in 1985.
i wished i lived in the 80s as well..
Nirvana stole he riff, but Joke have stolen a fair few riffs themselves (certainly some of the early bass riffs). Killing Joke skillfully played the whole thing for maximum publicity in my view (and why not?) at a time when they weren't doing so well, paving the way for their comeback with Pandemonium. Dave Grohl later made friends with Jaz and drummed on one of their albums.
My favourite song to play at Tupperware Parties