Environmentalism
As the cold war intensified in the 1950s, the fear of nuclear annihilation of the world dominated public discourse. However, during the early years of the Cold War, virulent anti-Communism suppressed concerns regarding the potential negative impacts of nuclear technologies in general. The environmental movement only started to blossom in the late 1960s, where the focus of environmental concern broadened to include commercial generation of nuclear energy as well as nuclear weapons (Yale University, n.d.). The central theme of the songs discussed below revolving around environmentalism highlights the fear of fallout from nuclear warfare or disasters. While environmentalism regarding nuclear technology intensified in the 1950s, songs about environmentalism of nuclear technology only became popular during the Cold War era. These songs mainly addressed the environmental concerns centred around the nuclear winter controversy, and how it might lead to the annihilation of the human race as well as mother earth. Furthermore, there were songs that also addressed concerns about nuclear energy, which were mainly in the form of protest music in response to nuclear plants meltdowns that have occured in history.
Soviet Snow
Shona Laing’s hit, ‘Soviet Snow’, was released in 1987, a year after the infamous Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster, which happened in Ukraine, USSR. The disaster had caused contamination over “large parts of the Soviet Union” (United Nations, 2022), causing many civilians to be exposed to radiation. While nearly half a million citizens were resettled, millions continued to live in an environment where they were continually exposed to radiation, thus causing adverse effects on them. The huge explosion from the nuclear reactor produced a massive plume of radioactive dust that was carried towards parts of Europe, where there were “observations of enhanced radiation levels” (ApSimon et al., 1989) in the Scandinavian countries. This would then later be described as the ‘Soviet Snow’ by Shona Laing.
‘Soviet Snow’ is a chilly synthpop song in response to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, whereby Shona sings about the adverse effects of the disaster as well as a plea for listeners to stay ‘wide awake’, to prevent any occurrence of such disaster from happening again.
One eye on the winter
Did I conjure up that cold
I’ve got friends in the far north
And should’ve had that mystery solved
The first sentence ‘One eye on the winter’ will be repeated throughout the song, this indicates that humanity has to always be wary and alert to the impending ‘Soviet Snow’ that will fall on them. Furthermore, through this verse:
We need something to keep the chill
From freezing our own free will
We're teasing at war like children
Love is the one solution
Seeing ourselves inside
Our enemies' need for shelter
Same winter wind that's blowing
Deep down inside we know
That we're wide awake and the world's aware
Radiation over Red Square
Creeping on to cross Roman roads
Fear of freezing in the Soviet snow
One eye on the winter
Oh there's just a hint of Soviet snow
Shona encourages cooperation between countries to prevent the end of humanity, by acknowledging the devastating effect nuclear warfare has on the human race, and an effort to disarm, rather than “teasing at war like children”. Lessons could be learnt from the devastating impact the Chernobyl disaster had and we should not turn a blind eye on it in order to hope for a peaceful earth where humanity can survive.
Soviet Snow
Shona Laing
Song Choices
For purpose of discussing the theme of environmentalism, 3 songs will be discussed
You Can’t See It, And You Can’t Smell It Either
Released in 2011, in reference to the Fukushima Nuclear power plant disaster. A protest song regarding the use of nuclear technology in Japan
Soviet Snow
Released in 1987, it references the infamous Chernobyl Nuclear power plant disaster, and hope for no nuclear war.
Blackened
Released in 1988, "Blackened" references the nuclear winter controversy, on how a nuclear war would bring about complete and utter destruction.
Blackened
Released in 1988, near the end of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Metallica released their fourth studio album titled “...And Justice for All”, with the first track titled ‘Blackened’. ‘Blackened’ is a thrash song that has an eerie-sounding introduction, followed by dominance of heavy guitars. During 1988, the Cold War was still going strong and “Blackened” is a song that talks about the adverse effect of nuclear war, on how it will produce a nuclear winter and bring about complete and utter destruction on life on earth as well as the human race.
Blackened is the end, winter, it will send
Throwing all you see into obscurity
In the first verse of “Blackened”, the band provides a morbid description of how the end of the world would look like, black and dark, likely as a result of burning and decay from the results of nuclear warfare.
You Can’t See It, And You Can’t Smell It Either
Set to an infectious upbeat dancehall reggae beat, “You Can’t See It, And You Can’t Smell It Either” is an anti-nuclear song released in 2011 that is sang by Ranking & Dub Ainu Band – a collaboration between Japanese reggae artist Rankin’ Taxi and Japanese musician Dub Ainu Band. This song is a part of the wave of songs that protested against the use of nuclear technology in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.
This is strongly reflected in the lyrics of “Blackened”, where nuclear warfare would bring about nuclear winter:
Blistering of Earth, terminate its worth
…
Callous frigid chill, nothing left to kill
Never seen before, breathing nevermore
‘Blackened’ also talks about the ability of human race to be able to enact long-lasting changes to the environment in a short period of time:
Smoldering decay, take her breath away
Millions of our years, in minutes, disappears
Metallica presents an environmental song that is anti-nuclear warfare by spinning the topic into an epic thrash metal song. Reflecting the devastating effect a nuclear winter would have as a result of nuclear warfare.
Blackened
Metallica
Nuclear Winter
During the mid-1980s, Carl Sagan came up with a theory that attempted to paint a dire picture of what nuclear war might look like, as well as describing the consequences of it. Carl Sagan explained that a nuclear war might trigger a “climatic catastrophe” (Sagan, 1983). A nuclear war would cover the earth in a huge blanket of nuclear soot, decreasing the amount of sunlight entering Earth, thus, global temperature would “plunge and take only months to a few years to recover” (Sagan, 1983). Furthermore, humans would succumb to toxic gases due to the nuclear soot, potentially resulting in extinction of the human race and fundamentally altering life on earth forever. Therefore, this theory provided a new dimension to nuclear warfare. Before, the concept of nuclear war meant the killing of humans.
Satire with Dark Humour
The song is playful, satire in nature, with elements of dark humour, but surprisingly catchy at the same time. It talks about the “invisible but inescapable anxiety” (Fisher, 2011) that was present throughout Japan at that point of time. This feeling of anxiety was fueled by the “recurrent fear of the unimaginable” (Iida, 2018), having experienced two atomic bombings and another nuclear disaster, it is not surprising that the Fukushima nuclear disaster has been “replete with stories of potential ends” (Iida, 2018). Furthermore, at the time of the disaster, Japan, a state smaller than California, had a total of 54 nuclear plants (nippon.com, 2020). This definitely exacerbated the Japanese’ anxiety regarding nuclear technology as well.
To emphasise how radiation does not discriminate and is a threat to both the weak and strong alike, the song lists out lists of powerful human figures as well as singling out both Tokyo Electric and Kansai Electric, electric companies who were in charge of managing the Fukushima nuclear plants:
Radiation is strong, Radiation is powerful, it doesn't discriminate, and you can't beat it
Even if you're...
Gaddafi, Obama, Sarkozy, Berlusconi,
Hirose Takashi (anti-nuclear journalist), Rankin' Taxi (composer of this song)
the Prime Minister, Hanshin Kyojin (comedy duo), the pro-nuclear and anti-nuclear camps
Tokyo Electric and Kansai Electric and all the other electric power companies
Men, women, children, adults
Asahi (newspaper) Bunshun (magazine), Ebisu and Kirin (beer)
White people, black people, Seiyu and Daiei (rival supermarkets)
Toyota and Nissan (cars), Iraq and Iran
You Can't See It, And You Can't Smell It Either
Rankin and Dub Ainu Band
Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and devastating tsunami that resulted from it brought disaster to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. This resulted in three nuclear meltdowns, prompting evacuation of over 100,000 people, while there were no reported cases or deaths from radiation poisoning, there were nearly 20,000 people who died as a result of the disaster, earthquake and tsunami (World Nuclear Association, 2022).
Music Video
Throughout the entirety of the music video, there were montages of images that portrayed an opposite meaning to the lyrics that were being sung in the song. For example, when the singer sings the lyrics:
Nuclear power- safe even with a leak of the primary cooling water!
Nuclear power - preserving world peace 24 hours a day!
Images of the devasted Fukushima nuclear reactor and the atomic bomb that were dropped on Japan were shown as these lyrics were sang, to highlight the hypocrisy of the Japanese government.
Can't see it, can't smell it, can't run from it
Can't see it, can't smell it, can't run from it
Can't see it, can't smell it, can't run from it
Can't run, Can't run, Can't run, Can't run, nuclear!
Can't run, Can't run, Can't run, Can't run, if there's a screw-up
Can't run, Can't run, Can't run, Can't run, nuclear!
Can't run, Can't run, Can't run, Can't run, if there's a screw-up
It's safe! It's safe! It's safe! It's safe! Nuclear!
It's safe! It's safe! It's safe! It's safe! until there's a screw-up
It's safe! It's safe! It's safe! It's safe! Nuclear!
It's safe! It's safe! It's safe! until it's not, until it's not, until it's not, until it's not,
Stupid!
The end of the song displayed the singer’s frustration with the competence of the Japanese government by repeating the above lines and ending it with a loud ‘Stupid!’ at the end. “You Can’t See It, And You Can’t Smell It Either” has managed to describe the Japanese’ anxiety as well as frustration and helplessness when being able to make change in the country’s policy making when it came to nuclear technology.
