A recent Substack note from Kevin Alexander about Love Vigilantes by New Order made me realize something I hadn’t connected before: many of the most haunting songs of the New Wave and post-punk era were love stories set against war; soldiers leaving home, nuclear dread looming, and relationships caught in the middle.
The following songs explore the human impact of war, tied to love lost or left behind.
New Order - “Love Vigilantes”
I believe this song was based on a true story about a UK Royal Air Force pilot’s wife. When a soldier is missing in action and it can’t be confirmed whether they’re dead or alive, protocol after an allotted period is to presume death. The family receives official military notification, a telegram informing them of the death, and a funeral without a body is held.
The wife in this story, having received the telegram that her husband has been killed in action, gasses herself and their children—either in the house with the stove on, or in the car. The pilot, who actually survived, returns home to find his dead family.
Low-Life is one of my favorite New Order albums and blends some darkness of Joy Division and guitar-based rock, while still having iconic danceable tracks.
The Waterboys - “Red Army Blues”
This song came out during the threat of nuclear war and the decades-long Cold War with the USSR. It’s written in such a way that it could be about any period in Russia’s history where an imperialistic power from the West had attempted to invade.
Written from the perspective of a farmer’s son or peasant boy who has to put down the shovel and pick up a gun. The protagonist survives the war and comes back to Kiev, thinking he’s finally coming home to his mother. But he’s unwittingly sent off to Siberia instead:
all because comrade Stalin had thought we had become too westernized.
This song has chilling relevance now with Ukraine. The saxophone is haunting, bringing the same cold, stark dread as Clarence Clemons on the equally haunting “Atlantic City.”
I’ve written more extensively about the albums of this era of The Waterboys here.
Ultravox - “Hiroshima Mon Amour”
The first Ultravox incarnation with John Foxx, this song evokes the aftermath of nuclear devastation. Its metaphors of shattered love and destroyed cities create a chilling, timeless narrative of war’s human cost. While vague, it evokes any era, linking destruction to loss and longing. I’ve explored this era of Ultravox in a previous post.
THE CHURCH - “FIGHTER PILOT KOREAN WAR”
During the era of Love Vigilantes I always felt these two songs complemented each other thematically.
From the Church’s debut album that gave them their first touch of success with “The Unguarded Moment,” this song stands alone. For good or bad, they never retread the themes or sounds in this song.
It tackles PTSD; during the war, before the war, and after the war. The protagonist can no longer relate to the world he comes back to, and is forever changed by his experience. He’s longing to reconnect with his love, the refrain at the end of most verses: “I want to touch you.”
Last night I overheard your prayers
It's emptiness that scares
Or disappearing in thin air
ULTRAVOX - “DANCING WITH TEARS IN MY EYES”
From the second incarnation of Ultravox, with Midge Ure as band leader and chief songwriter. He has been open about the theme of this song, and the lyrics lay it out clearly.
Written during the scare of a Nuclear Winter with the USSR and the Soviet Bloc, when both superpowers were constantly on the brink of war. On his way home from work, the protagonist hears on the radio that a nuclear strike has been launched. He’s rushing to get home to his wife or lover, but arrives too late, left seeing the pictures fade away.
I remember the video on MTV as my first introduction to Ultravox.
HUMAN LEAGUE - “THE LEBANON”
This 1984 track received little US airplay, but it stands out as Human League at their most politically charged, with lyrics as haunting as U2 or Midnight Oil. Most of their songs are about nightlife and dancing, but here they confront the human cost of war.
There are three victims in this song. A girl / the land / the soldiers caught in between
The song’s themes remain painfully relevant today. In particular, the gut-wrenching documentary on 7-year-old Hind Rajab in Palestine illustrates a similar reality: over a two-hour emergency call to the Red Cross, authorities knew her location, yet she was tragically targeted and killed while still on the line.
Midnight Oil - “Short Memory”
A victim and scholar of the American public school system, I had to learn the real facts about colonialism through songs by rock artists. Midnight Oil was my supplementary teacher in the 80’s.
I’ve written more extensively about Midnight Oil in my three-part series
Peter Gabriel - “Games Without Frontiers”
I was probably 4 or 5 years old in a suburb in North London when I saw this video on Top of the Pops. My favorite bands at the time were Bee Gees, Boney M and any other disco music my parents played on our record player. I instantly became a fan of Peter Gabriel after this video and never stopped.
The quintessential anti-war song with those inimitable haunting backing vocals by none other than Kate Bush, in French.
I feel this song is a worthy antecedent of Midnight Oil. But instead of being literal, it is metaphorical.
The Fixx - “Red Skies”
My introduction to Fixx was also through early 80’s MTV. I felt a connection to some of their music with some of the themes I heard in Midnight Oil. They both seemed to share a nuclear disarmament theme in some of their songs.
Synth-driven, anti-nuclear, early 80s new wave. Its repeated mantra evokes Cold War tension and unease, perfectly complementing the era’s other apocalyptic tracks.
The video of this song stayed on heavy rotation on MTV for 11 weeks. It also reached #1 on the Billboard charts. Surprising, given the underlying theme of tension in this song is anti-establishment and specifically against the policies of Thatcher and Reagan. In those heady days, when it was not a crime to speak against the reigning Western regimes.
OMD - “Enola Gay”
Companion to Hiroshima Mon Amour and Love Vigilantes. Detailing the Hiroshima bombing, the track blends historical fact and emotional resonance, making a bold anti-war statement despite OMD’s generally apolitical catalog.
Written by keyboard player Andy McCluskey due to his fascination with World War 2 and airplanes. This is the most blatant anti-war song of the group, with lyrics detailing facts, including the exact time of day the bomb was dropped.
The most chilling line, followed by single tom hits sounding like bombs:
Is Mother proud of Little Boy today?
No more chilling than
It should never have to end this way
Not known for being a political band, there was a lot of trepidation surrounding releasing the song as a single. Surprisingly, it is the only single from their sophomore album, and it has since been considered one of the defining electronic/synth pop singles, going on to sell 5 million copies worldwide. In 2012 it was used in the Olympics.
The Church – “Roman”
From their 1985 album Heyday, “Roman” explores conflict in an allegorical way. It hints at the emotional toll of battles: fatigue, disillusionment, and the longing for what’s lost. Lines like “We have to kill them bastards, then compose an elegy” capture the tension between duty and conscience, while the refrain about never coming back resonates with isolation and yearning. It aligns with songs like Is It Like Today?, connecting personal struggle to broader reflections on human conflict.
World Party - “Is It Like Today?”
Expertly written, this track spans three timelines: past (ancient history, Babylon), present (the Gulf Wars), and future (spacefaring astronauts). The refrain — “How could it come to this? We’re really living in a landslide” — questions power, memory, and the human cost of war. Decades later, these fears remain, reminding us that the questions these artists asked about society and conflict are still relevant.
Many of these songs were written decades ago, yet the fears behind them never quite disappeared. The Cold War may have ended, but the questions about power, memory, and the human cost of war still linger. Listening back now, the most unsettling realization might be how familiar they still feel.
Many of these songs were written decades ago, yet the fears behind them never quite disappeared. The Cold War may have ended, but the questions these artists were asking, about power, memory, and the human cost of war, still linger. Listening back now, the most unsettling realization might be how familiar they still feel.
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Fascinating read.
Some of my favorite songs here!