The Melting of the Cold War

Rationale: As the Cold War evolved over four decades; the end of the world seemed
imminent as the nuclear arms race continued to escalate. Popular music, especially
in the 1980s, reflected this growing pessimism. By 1989 and 1990, as the Berlin Wall
fell and Communism crumbled in Eastern Europe, popular music began to contain
more optimistic commentary regarding the Cold War. This lesson uses popular music
to illustrate changing attitudes about the Cold War from the 1980s through to 1990.
The final project extends the lesson through to the present.
Objectives: The student will be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of pessimistic attitudes of the Cold War;

2. Analyze selected songs and identify what historical events they reference;
3. Recognize the ordinary person's view of the Cold War (which often seems to
contradict that of the politician);

4. Listen critically to the style of music in each song and distinguish similarities
5.

and differences in each of the songs;

Create a musical collage or timeline for the period since the collapse of the
Soviet Union (1990) to today.

Audience: History students.

Time Frame: one class period to listen to and discuss the music. One to two class
periods to work on and develop the collage/timeline.
Materials: Phone for MP3s; Bluetooth speakers; paper and writing materials for
timelines, tapes for collages
Background: This lesson would be part of a unit dealing with the Cold War Era
(1945-1990). Before starting this lesson, students would have studied the origins of
the Cold War and some of the conflicts during the early years from 1945 to 1961.
Highlights would include the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and
American Bomb shelters (simulated in an activity).
Procedures:
1. Begin the lesson by reviewing activity on bomb shelters and the fears of the
nuclear age. Explain that by the 1980s these fears turned to pessimism about
the government's Cold War policy and a great deal of anti-nuclear sentiment
among the general population. This changing attitude is reflected in the songs
of the time period.
2. Listen to "Russians" by Sting.
What does the music itself (as opposed to the lyrics) convey to the listener?
(Answer: heavy/sober in feeling/tone/attitude)
Who are the people that Sting mentions in the song? (Answer: Mr
Kruschchev, the leader of the Soviet Union; Oppenheimer, the lead scientist in
the creation of the first Atomic Bomb; Mr. Reagan, President of the United
States)
What is Oppenheimer's deadly toy? (Answer: Atomic Bomb)

3.

4.

5.

6.

What viewpoint does this song reflect? (Answer: may vary but may include
everyday person's view of the Cold War; a plea for peace)
Listen to "Rust in Peace" by Megadeath. Discuss what comes to mind when
they hear this song. Answers may vary.
Is this a song of optimism or pessimism? (Answer: Pessimism)
Why? (Student should point to evidence in the song to support their
answers.)
Listen to "Leningrad" by Billy Joel. Discuss historical events referenced in
this song.
After Leningrand - birth of Communism in Russia
McCarthy time - time of communist hysteria in post World War II years
(1951-1954)
38th parallel - Korean War
Air Raid drills - practiced weekly in schools
Levittown - growth of the suburbs
Cuban Missiles - October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
Watched my friends go off to war - Vietnam
What message can be taken away from this song? (Answer: If people get to
know each other, they'll find they are not so different from each other)
Students read background information on the Scorpions. Point out the
importance of their travels to the Soviet Union in 1988. Listen to the song
"Wind of Change."
What does this song suggest about the future of the Soviet Union? (Answer:
things are going to change for the better; optimisim)
Why could the Scorpions foresee these things one to two years before they
actually happened? Answers will vary.
Ask students why they think the Berlin Wall came down? Why did the Soviet
Union collapse? Students will most likely give economic/political/social
reasons. Point out that perhaps it also had something to do with rock and roll!

Evaluation:
1. In groups of three or four, students will create a musical collage or timeline
illustrating political, social, and economic issues relating to world peace from
1990 to the present.
Learning Log: What did you learn from this activity? How does it connect with
the previous activity on bomb shelters?
Selected Recordings:
"Leningrad" recorded by Billy Joel (Storm Front, Columbia Records, 1989);
lyrics and music by Billy Joel
"Russians" recorded by Sting (The Dream of the Blue Turtles, A&M Records,
1985); written and arranged by Sting and based on a theme by Sergei
Prokofiev
"Rust in Peace" recorded by Megadeath (Rust in Peace, Capitol Records, Inc.,
1990);

"Wind of Change" recorded by Scorpions (Crazy World, Mercury Records,

1990); lyrics and music by K. Meine
Enrichment/Additional Resources:
Have students brainstorm major historical events that have happened since
the Cold War ended. Ask students to bring in any song that relates to one of
the events that they brainstormed. Students should include a copy of the
lyrics, as well as background information on the artist. The students must
explain what historical event the song relates to and why.
Resources that provided background information for this unit include:
Friedlander, Paul. Rock and Roll: A Social History. Boulder: Westview Press,
1996.
Romanowski, Patricia and Holly George-Warren. The New Rolling Stone
Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll. New York: Fireside, 1995.
Todd, Lewis Paul and Merle Curti. Triumph of the American Nation. Chicago:
Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1986.

Lyrics for: Russians

In Europe and America,
there's a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mr. Krushchev said we will bury you
I don't subscribe to this point of view
It would be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too

How can I save my little boy

from Oppenheimer's deadly toy
There is no monopoly of common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

There is no historical precedent

To put words in the mouth of the president
There's no such thing as a winnable war

It's a lie we don't believe anymore

Mr. Reagan says we will protect you
I don't subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

We share the same biology

Regardless of ideology
What might save us me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too
Rust In Peace...Polaris
Tremble you weakings, cower in fear
I am your ruler, land, sea and air
Immense in my girth, erect I stand tall
I am nuclear murderer I am Polaris
Ready to pounce at the touch of a button
My systems locked in on military gluttons
I rule on land, air and sea
Pass judgement on humanity
Winds blow from the bowels of hell
Will we give warnings, only time will tell
Satan rears his ugly head, to spit into the wind
I spread disease like a dog
Discharge my payload a mile high
Rotten egg air of death wrestles your nostrils
Launch the Polaris, the end doesn't scare us
When will this cease
THe warheads will all rust in peace
Bomb shelters filled to the brim
Survival such a silly whim
World leaders sell missiles cheap
Your stomach turns, your flesh creeps

High priests of holocaust, fire from the sea

Nuclear winter spreading disease
The day of final conflict
All pay the price
The third world war
Rapes peace, takes life
Back to the start, talk of the part
When the Earth was cold as ice
Total dismay as the sun passed away
And the days where black as night
Eradication of Earth's
Population loves Polaris
Artist: Billy Joel Lyrics
Song: Leningrad Lyrics
Victor was born
The spring of 44
and never saw
His father anymore
The child of sacrifice
child of war
Another son who never had
A father after Leningrad
Went off to school
and learned to serve his state
follow the rules
and drank his vodka straight
the only way to live
was drown the hate
the russian life was very sad
and such was life in leningrad
I was born in 49
A cold war kid in the McCarthy times
Stop 'em at the 38th parallel
blast those yellow reds to hell
cold war kids were hard to kill
under their desks in an air raid drill
haven't they heard we won the war
what do they keep on fighting for?
Victor was sent
to some red army town
served out his time

become a circus clown

the greastst happiness
he'd ever found
was making russian children glad
when children lived in leningrad.
The children lived in Levittown
hid in the shelters underground
Til the soviets turned their ships around
torn the cuban missiles down
and in that bright October sun
we knew our childhood days were done
I watched my friends go off to war
What do they keep on fighting for?
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.
Artist: Scorpions Lyrics
Song: Wind of Change Lyrics
MP3 Downloads
Click here to send Scorpions polyphonic ringtone to your cell phone.
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change
The world closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close,like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change
Chorus:
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away

In the wind of change

Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever
I fallow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change
The wind of change blows straight
Into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change