Play it Again, Sam #18b - "War"

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Military conflict is the topic of this morning's Play it Again, Sam. We are at #18b, the "cover" portion: Frankie Goes to Hollywood's cover of Edwin Starr's classic protest song, "War." Although I was born in 1964, and grew up in the 1970's, I am a product of the 80's. That was the decade in which I did my actual growing up, when I became aware of myself and what kind of person I am. In the 80's, we did not have a Vietnam War around which to rally (and whether "for" or "against," a war definitely makes people rally.) We did, however, have the Cold War, which was at the height of it's tension. The Soviet Union was pushing the limits as far as possible, and in Ronald Reagan, the United States had a leader that wasn't about to put up with any of their crap. War between the two Super Powers seemed inevitable. Enter Frankie Goes to Hollywood, an alternative music band from Liverpool, England, best known for their classic 1983 gay oral sex anthem, "Relax." Frankie also maintained a staunch anti-war stance, however (you might remember their anti-war hit, "Two Tribes," with it's hilarious accompanying video.) Their cover of "War" appeared on the band's much hyped 1984 debut album, Welcome to the Pleasuredome, and took Starr's classic straight into the 80's world of alternative music, complete with a very good Reagan impersonator. I'm a firm believer that when a band covers a song, it works best when they put their own stamp on it and do something different with it. Frankie Goes to Hollywood did that with "War." A brilliant cover version! (Info verified by Wikipedia)