It remains one of the most powerful simple statements about the futility of war and is considered one of the most commercially successful protest songs of all time. That changed when the anthemic protest song "War" went to the top of the charts in 1970. "This is the world destruction, your life ain't nothing The human race is becoming a disgrace Nationalities are fighting with each other Why is this? Because the system tells you"Įdwin Starr had been recording soul hit singles, including the top 10 pop hit "25 Miles," since 1965, but he wasn't widely recognized as one of America's top soul singers at the end of the decade. His 1982 single "Planet Rock," fusing influences from the band Kraftwerk with rap to create what was known as electro, is considered one of the most influential singles of all time.įor "World Destruction," Bambaataa reportedly asked producer Bill Laswell to come up with somebody "really crazy" for a collaborator on the record.
The video makes extensive use of clips of President Ronald Reagan speaking about nuclear war.īambaataa was already perceived as a pioneer of hip-hop when he put together the band Time Zone in 1983. " World Destruction" is credited as one of the first songs to effectively combine rap and rock music. To me this interpretation is very recognizable.In 1984 punk legend John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) got together with hip-hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa to record this cross-genre classic. I'm not saying this is what the song is about, it is just another way of interpreting it. He either can't sleep or scares himself awake, trying to soothe his thoughts by asking himself (his old self, his conscience) either why it is fleeing from him or how he should react to every incentive received that day. This is where the angst arrives, as he is scared that when he wakes up, he will be changed. 'Tonight you just close your eyes' is really soothing, closing his eyes like he used to and therefore doing things he used to do, trying to relax and make everything good again. He wants the old him back and is afraid of losing the old him. 'How close am I to losing you' is him being afraid of changing. He is obviously left speechless by the changing environment and by himself becoming someone else (e.g. 'Today you were far away' or 'you just walked away'). My InterpretationThis could possibly be about losing your conscience, your thoughts or yourself, or becoming someone else (someone far less superb) due to a changing environment, the bad sort of change.Ī distance between the teller and the person who he used to be is evolving, which he tends to notice 'today' (e.g. He knows the answer, and that's why it is so difficult to ask. About why she was so distant from him, why she didn't even say goodnight. He's finally summoned the courage to ask her "about today". Unlike other posters, I don't think he's just asking her about her day. She just closes her eyes and he watches her slip away from him. They go to bed and don't even bother pretending - no "goodnight", no kiss.
Saying something would just bring about the inevitable end. The distance is building between them and he notices it, but what can he say? He knows it's over, he feels it too.
My InterpretationI think this song is about the end of a relationship, that awful stage where you both know it's over, but neither can bring themselves to say it.
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