3 Songs About the Cold War That Would Get Any History Enthusiast Excited

The Cold War spanned several decades, so naturally, there were a lot of songs written about this conflict. Here are some of the most interesting songs about the Cold War. If you’re a history fan, these will definitely scratch an itch.

“Two Minute Warning” by Depeche Mode

Alan Wilder, who was a member of Depeche Mode from 1982 to 1995, penned this track. “Two Minute Warning” describes the threat of nuclear war with such intensity that it almost makes you feel like you’re existing in a similar moment of crisis. In a Q&A, Wilder confirmed the feelings that inspired this song.

“It’s almost surreal – the possibility of a nuclear holocaust is so terrifying, but to actually turn it round and try to make it beautiful – and the tune is very light and bouncy – is more of a challenge than making it doomy,” he shared. “I really like the idea of people humming ‘Two Minute Warning’ without realizing what it’s about.”

“Stand Or Fall” by The Fixx

“Stand Or Fall” asks the listener to choose something to stand for in a crazy time. This one was co-written by Cy Curnin as a response to the Trident UK Nuclear Programme, and the way the UK’s decisions were impacting people’s life expectations. He explained in the book Atomic Tunes: “…All of a sudden, young kids weren’t thinking about what they would be doing in their sixties. They’d be thinking about what they were going to do with the last six months of their lives…” This song powerfully expresses those feelings, as you can see in the lyrics:

Is this the value of our existence?

Should we proclaim with such persistence?

Our destiny relies on conscience

Red or blue, what’s the difference?

“Leningrad” by Billy Joel

When Billy Joel wrote “Leningrad”, which displays the life of a Russian and an American side by side, he was actually writing about himself and Viktor Razinov, a Russian citizen. This song is special because it shows how both sides grew up with an impending fear of the war, and are more similar than you would expect despite the obvious history. Razinov was a real-life “circus clown,” by the way, which is how Joel describes him in this song.

And so my child and I came to this place

To meet him eye to eye and face to face

He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced

We never knew what friends we had until we came to Leningrad.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images