Memory Lane

Come on down memory lane with Auntie Solar....

It's 1984, that Orwellian number. The Cold War is peaking at what would be its last height. Are we ducking and covering? Are we obeying Big Brother?

No! We're dancing in Berlin:

Watch on YouTube

The song is from the album Love Life, which included the better known single "No More Words."

I've always been partial to "Dancing in Berlin" though because it's an example of the kind of joyful, giddy music that came out of the 80s. It's as if New Wave were some compulsion to dance in the face of the existential crisis posed by possible nuclear war.

The song was also forward looking for its time. In 1984 Berlin and Germany were still divided. I was visiting family in West Germany during that summer and nobody then ever thought the country would be unified again. Not even on the radar!

Which goes to show how quickly history can change, something I think about as I watch current events unfold.