Have You Ever Seen this Kind of World?

Author: Dave Malbon and Pank Pathak
Published: Mon 01 Sep 2025
Episode Link: https://shows.acast.com/bang-101-songs-about-nuclear-war-from-the-80s/episodes/have-you-ever-seen-this-kind-of-world

Welcome to Episode 14. This time Dave and Pank travel around the world to hear what other countries were singing about nuclear war.

We start in Nigeria, with the inspirational and innovative William Onyeabor (and an acknowledgment of the great Fela Kuti). William’s song “This Kind of World” captures, ialwith joyful synth abandon, the fears he had about the way the planet was going.

We then move to South Africa, and progressive punk band Dog Detachment’s fiery and fearful “Third World War”. We then discuss one of South America’s most outspoken and important bands – Los Prisioneros, whose wistful “Pa Pa Pa” pleads for a better world.

The Japanese heavy metal scene in the 80s was huge, and nothing blasted louder than Loudness with their commentary on the American Star Wars policy, “SDI”.

We then look at the influential Russian band Kino and much lamented singer Victor Tsoi, who proclaimed “I Declare my Home” to be a nuclear-free zone.

We end by asking our listeners to help identify a mystery 80s band with their unknown track. Listen to find out…

We have put together an extra playlist to cover a whole section of nuclear war songs from around the globe. Give it a listen at:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/43QBqIr32rnu28lRXfrl1P?si=atRU76eLS0-pRXEDrAWRmw

and on Apple music

https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/bang-world-music/pl.u-PDb4oqgILlLYypP

And, of course, our main playlists are always updated.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0vLjQBbJEhiDaFNOTz9snD?si=4da04b17ed3347ea

https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/bang-101-songs-about-nuclear-war-from-the-1980s/pl.u-6mo4j9KFByBgKXl

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