New Frontier Lyrics

Lyric discussion by underbanyantrees 

Cover art for New Frontier lyrics by Donald Fagen

This is a great tune... my favorite off the album... learned to play it cause I love it so much. The song, due to the video is self explanitory, but rikdad this is way 1950's. Kennedy is not even a Congressmen when this song is suppose to take place. The New Frontier references the time after the nuclear bomb all but destroys the world or into future space travel, both of which were fears and ideas in Ike's time.

Well, except… "New Frontier" was the term JFK originated and used widely in his 1960 presidential campaign, intended to echo FDR's "New Deal." It was a standard journalistic reference to the culture and times of his presidency. Most fallout shelter activity resulted from the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. As a contemporary of Fagen I can assure you Ambush perfume, the French twist hairstyle, the limbo, Tuesday Weld and Dave Brubeck all enjoyed great popularity in the early 60s. There was little cultural divide between the late 50s and early 60s, but these lyrics form a remarkable capsule picture specifically...

Also, just for the historical record, Kennedy represented Massachusetts's 11th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953. Then he served in the U.S. Senate from 1953 until he was sworn in as President January 20, 1961..

@underbanyantrees NO. the New Frontier was a Kennedy admin slogan. There was an idea inth early 60's that nuclear war was survivable with a fallout shelter, see my comments elsewhere)