Day After Day #244: Eighties

Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).

Eighties (1984)

When you hear a song with a similar riff as another one, is it plagiarism or homage? Nirvana was slammed in 1992 when "Come as You Are" bore a strong resemblance to Killing Joke's "Eighties," which came out seven years earlier. And indeed, Killing Joke considered filing a copyright infringement lawsuit, but it's unclear whether a suit was filed or if it was abandoned after Kurt Cobain's suicide.

And no doubt, the two songs have similar riffs. But then, one doesn't have to go back too far to find similar riffs to "Eighties": Garden of Delight's "22 Faces" (1984), the Damned's "Life Goes On" (1982) and Bauhaus' "Hollow Hills" (1981). And you could even say that 1968's "Baby Come Back" by the Equals (featuring a very young Eddy Grant) is also in the ballpark. I'd argue that while they're all similar, they all stand on their own as original and interesting songs. 

For now, let's focus on Killing Joke's song, which provided a stinging critique of a decade that wasn't even half over. Guitarist Geordie Walker shimmering guitar work drives the song along as singer Jaz Coleman spits out the repetitive but effective lyrics.

"Ah, Eighties/I'm living in the eighties/Eighties/I have to push, I have to struggle/Eighties/Get out of my way, I'm not for sale no more/Eighties/Let's kamikaze til we get there/And we sang/You do it this way."

The song's video features Coleman as a fascistic speaker at a podium while footage of world leaders like Reagan, Brezhnev, Thatcher, Anwar Sadat and Ayatollah Khomeini is intercut. 

"Eighties/By day we run, by night we dance, we do/Eighties/I'm in love with the coming race, oh/Eighties/I've got the best, I'll take all I can get/Eighties/I'm living for the eighties."

Coleman sings of the excess of the decade, but also the struggle of common people to keep up with everything going on in pop culture and global politics. 

"Eighties/I'm living, oh/Eighties/I'm living in the eighties, oh oh oh/Eighties/I'm living in the eighties, I push/Eighties/Push, push, struggle."

Killing Joke had been around since 1979 and quickly became one of the premier post-punk acts, balancing electronic and synth pop elements with heavier, guitar-oriented rock. In addition to Nirvana, the band was a big influence on other major acts to come including Nine Inch Nails, Metallica and Soundgarden. 

"Eighties" was released as a single in April 1984 (premiering it on The Tube in December 1983, see below), but later included on the 1985 album Night Time, which became the band's biggest album, getting to #11 on the U.K. Albums Chart. Killing Joke's next album was remixed by the label against the band's wishes to make it more commercial, but in the end it was a flop. In 1987, Coleman and Walker began working on a new album, but bassist Paul Raven and drummer Paul Ferguson ended up quitting the band after session players were brought in. The finished album, Outside the Gate, was controversial because of its extensive use of synths and diminished use of guitar. It was panned by critics, wasn't supported by any touring and was not released in the U.S.

Coleman and Walker put together a new lineup in 1988 with Martin Atkins (PiL) on drums and Dave Ball on bass (after trying out ex-Smiths bassist Andy Rourke and firing him after three days). After a tour, Ball left and Raven returned; a heavier album was released in 1990 and the band toured Europe and North America before splitting up again in 1991. The band has been on and off over the last three decades, releasing seven albums and touring. Raven died in 2007, and the original lineup of Coleman, Walker, Ferguson and Youth reunited. The band's most recent album was 2015's Pylon. Walker died last November at age 64 after suffering a stroke.

"Eighties" is one of Killing Joke's signature songs. It has been used by a number of TV shows and in a party scene in the 1985 movie Weird Science. Wherever the band came up with the riff, it has certainly served them well.