That’s noo-klee-er

I work in a place that’s got a nuclear policy bent, and my week at work has been frenzied thanks to President Obama’s nuclear security summit. In honor of the assembled leaders’ pledge to corral loose nuclear material, I thought it would be fun to put together a nuclear playlist — enjoy!

• Nena, “99 Red Balloons”
  The Watchmen movie did a respectable job of setting the stage with nuclear tension by including this ditty by German pop band Nena, which tells a story of 99 balloons floating into the air, triggering an apocalyptic overreaction by military forces.
• The Postal Service, “We Will All Become Silhouettes”
  The post-apocalyptic/fallout shelter imagery is haunting stuff — thankfully, the video is more warped than creepy. Or maybe it’s creepy because it’s warped:

• Genesis, “Land of Confusion”
  Okay, the song itself isn’t necessarily about nuclear weapons, but the nuclear imagery of the music video was burned into my brain as a kid:

• Keith Richards, “Oh Lord, Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me”
  I’d never encountered this recording before thinking about putting this list together. It’s a cover of a Charles Mingus recording (from the 50’s? 60’s? I can’t find any info about its origins) that features a host of Rolling Stones collaborators: Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, longtime backing vocalist Bernard Fowler, keyboardist Chuck Leavell, and the Uptown Horns all appear. Loose, fun stuff.
• Tom Lehrer, “We Will All Go Together When We Go”
  If you’ve gotta go, you might as well go with a smile: this wry take on nuclear destruction was recorded at Harvard’s Sanders Theater in back in 1959.
• “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Christmas at Ground Zero”
  Fallout makes for some great holiday cheer: “Oh, it’s Christmas at Ground Zero/And if the radiation level’s okay/I’ll go out with you and see the all new/Mutations on New Year’s Day”
• Electric Six, “Nuclear War (On the Dancefloor)”
  These awesome hair metal riffs are offered without comment.
• Electric Six, “I’m The Bomb”
  I had to double-dip with the Six, because this pair of songs go so well together. The catchy disco beat & melody are paired with an impressive Kenny Powers-style bravado, especially when it climaxes in the chorus: “3-2-1 I’m the bomb/And I’m ready to go off in your shit.”

Download the songs here:

Download: Nena, “99 Red Balloons” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Postal Service, “We Will All Become Silhouettes” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Genesis, “Land of Confusion” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Keith Richards, “Oh Lord, Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Tom Lehrer, “We Will All Go Together When We Go” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Christmas at Ground Zero” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Electric Six, “Nuclear War (On the Dancefloor)” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Electric Six, “I’m The Bomb” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

This ZIP of the entire list is da BOMB:

Download: That’s noo-klee-er (ZIP)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)