Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCLXXVII--The Call: The Walls Came Down

There was a time in the early eighties (tell us about the good old days, Grandpa!) when there were several really good bands going who weren't afraid to make political statements with their music--bands like U2, the Alarm, and this week's band, The Call.  It gave a little bit of hope to those of us who feared the Reagan devolution would haunt us for years...and unfortunately still is.

The Call formed in 1980 in Santa Cruz, California (not too terribly far from where I grew up), and after doing my weekly half-assed research, was pleasantly surprised to find they'd had a little longer and more successful career than I would have thought.  Over the course of their twenty year career, The Call released eight studio albums, five of which charted.  They also released two live albums and four compilations, as well as seven singles.  Their song "Let the Day Begin" was used by Al Gore for his 2000 Presidential campaign, and another song, "I Still Believe" was featured in the movie Lost Boys.  Sadly, their lead singer and bassist Michael Been passed away from a heart attack in 2010.  The remaining members have gotten together for a couple of one off affairs in the last few years and the band released a three LP compilation just last year.

"The Walls Came Down" was released as a single in 1983 from their second albums, Modern Romans.  The single would reach #74 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album would chart at #84.

From the start, "The Walls Came Down" injects itself in your veins with its jangly guitars and thumping bass...and it doesn't quit for the next three and a half minutes.  Michael Been speaks, sings, and screams with an urgency that conjures the times themselves--while the walls didn't really come down, they fucking should have.  I suspect, but wasn't able to verify, that the song has religious overtones (horns blowing, walls coming down, singing of a congregation) which, much like many a gospel influenced pop tune, only adds to its power.  The song closes with about a minute of the band providing sing-song lyrics that make you feel as if you're gonna grab your sledgehammer and walk right up to that wall and knock it down yourself--and any time a song can provoke you into action, you know it's a rock solid slice of pop music.

Lyric Sheet:  "I don't think there are any Russians/And there ain't no Yanks/Just corporate criminals/Playin' with tanks..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee