Friday, July 27, 2012

19 - Paul Hardcastle

This track, esoteric for top 40 in any era but a pretty big hit in 1985, was part of the post-Vietnam recovery culture of the early 1980s.  This period included movies like the Rambo films, Platoon, and Full Metal Jacket, and informed US culture and foreign policy into the 90s (e.g. the Powell Doctrine in the Gulf War, which reflected an existential fear of committing ground troops to a conflict without 110% assured victory and low likelihood of casualties).  The rehabilitation of the images of veterans and US enlisted troops also began during this era resulting in their exalted status in the popular culture (even if not exactly in government policy) today.
Musically, I like the haunting narration from a TV documentary.  Wikipedia lists the genre of the song as "New Wave, freestyle, post-disco".  But I hear a lot of house in it.  It's truly excellent as a mid-tempo dance track, although not often usable as that because of the sampled narration.

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