Eighties (song)
Encyclopedia
"Eighties" is Killing Joke
's first single off their fifth studio album, Night Time
. It was originally released in April, 1984 under E'G Records as a 12" and 7" single and was produced by Chris Kimsey
. The 12" single A-side featured the track "Eighties (Serious Dance Mix)" with "Eighties" and "Eighties (The Coming Mix)" as B-sides. The 7" single exempted the "Serious Dance Mix" and instead, featured "Eighties" as the A-side. Also, the 7" single was sold with a bonus 7" single of "Let's All Go (to the Fire Dances)
". The single reached number sixty in the UK Singles Chart
, but received less recognition than the 1992 song "Come as You Are" by the US band Nirvana
, which had a similar riff. A short snippet of "Eighties" was the opening theme to the short-lived 2002 Fox sitcom That '80s Show
.
, "Eighties", like other music by Killing Joke
, was "aggressive music. It's not polite entertainment...we've got songs in the dance charts...as far as I'm concerned, Killing Joke is dance music. I'm not at all displeased with getting into the disco charts. I think it shows great hope for the world."
In a 2004 interview with Alex Smith, Ferguson described the band's music as "the sound of the earth vomiting. I’m never quite sure whether to be offended by the question of 'are we Punk' or not, because, I loved Punk music, but we weren't. And I think our influences were beyond Punk. Obviously before Punk, there was Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and there was Yes even and King Crimson, and those had all influenced me as a player, and the other guys would say other things, but I’m sure they were all part of their history as well."
grunge band Nirvana
, has a riff similar to "Eighties." Nirvana and its management were unsure about releasing the song as a single from their 1991 studio album, Nevermind
. Danny Goldberg, head of Nirvana's management Gold Mountain
, later revealed that "[w]e couldn't decide between 'Come as You Are' and 'In Bloom.' Kurt [Cobain
] was nervous about 'Come as You Are' because it was too similar to a Killing Joke
song . . . but we all thought it was still the better song to go with. And, he was right, Killing Joke later did complain about it." Nirvana biographer Everett True
writes that "Come as You Are" was eventually chosen for release as a single because "Goldberg favoured the more obviously commercial song".
After Nirvana released the single in 1992, members of Killing Joke claimed the main guitar riff of "Come as You Are" plagiarized the riff of "Eighties", but according to Rolling Stone
magazine, they did not file a copyright infringement lawsuit, because of "personal and financial reasons". However, conflicting reports, such as Kerrang!
, have stated differently.
Cobain's death in 1994 effectively dissolved Nirvana and the conflict with Killing Joke. If there was a lawsuit issued that Kerrang! claimed, it was either thrown out of court, or it was dropped to take the burden off the remaining members of Nirvana and their management. However, the court that supposedly took the case was not named and many doubted that Killing Joke ever issued a lawsuit against Nirvana.
An interview with Geordie Walker
that same year reassured the possibility of a said lawsuit, thus proving that the claim by Kerrang! was not a hoax. Walker stated:
Nine years later, in 2003, Dave Grohl
, Nirvana's drummer, took a leave of absence from his current band, the Foo Fighters
, to record on drums for Killing Joke
's second self-titled album
. The move surprised some Nirvana fans, given Nirvana's past conflict with Killing Joke.
Bill Janovitz, writer for the website Allmusic, reviewed "Eighties". He compared and contrasted "Come as You Are" and "Eighties":
However, The Big Takeover
magazine's Jack Rabid reported that Captain Sensible
's "Life Goes On", recorded by The Damned for their 1982 album, Strawberries
, "features the exact same, extremely unique riff as both 'Eighties' and 'Come as You Are'." Jaz Coleman and Paul Ferguson have separately claimed to have no knowledge of this.
Side B
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
's first single off their fifth studio album, Night Time
Night Time
Night Time is the fifth studio album by Killing Joke, released in 1985. It was an international hit, featuring some of their best-known tracks like "Night Time", "Eighties", "Love Like Blood", and "Kings and Queens"....
. It was originally released in April, 1984 under E'G Records as a 12" and 7" single and was produced by Chris Kimsey
Chris Kimsey
Christopher Kenneth Kimsey is a record producer, mixer and musician most famous for having co-produced The Rolling Stones' Undercover and Steel Wheels albums...
. The 12" single A-side featured the track "Eighties (Serious Dance Mix)" with "Eighties" and "Eighties (The Coming Mix)" as B-sides. The 7" single exempted the "Serious Dance Mix" and instead, featured "Eighties" as the A-side. Also, the 7" single was sold with a bonus 7" single of "Let's All Go (to the Fire Dances)
Let's All Go (to the Fire Dances)
"Let's All Go " is the only single off Killing Joke's fourth studio album, Fire Dances. It was released as a 12" and 7" single under E'G Records in June, 1983. The A-side for the 12" single included a live version of "The Fall of Because", originally off their second studio album, What's THIS...
". The single reached number sixty in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, but received less recognition than the 1992 song "Come as You Are" by the US band Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, which had a similar riff. A short snippet of "Eighties" was the opening theme to the short-lived 2002 Fox sitcom That '80s Show
That '80s Show
That '80s Show is an American sitcom that aired in half-hour long episodes from January through May 2002. Despite having a similar name, show structure, and many of the same writers and production staff, it is not considered a direct spin-off of the more successful That '70s Show, since the...
.
Reception
According to drummer Paul FergusonPaul Ferguson
Paul Ferguson is a rock drummer, best known for his work in the post-punk/industrial group, Killing Joke, and cult English punk band, Pink Parts. Ferguson was a founder member of Killing Joke, and was their drummer from 1978 to 1987, and was known as 'Big Paul Ferguson' during this period...
, "Eighties", like other music by Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
, was "aggressive music. It's not polite entertainment...we've got songs in the dance charts...as far as I'm concerned, Killing Joke is dance music. I'm not at all displeased with getting into the disco charts. I think it shows great hope for the world."
In a 2004 interview with Alex Smith, Ferguson described the band's music as "the sound of the earth vomiting. I’m never quite sure whether to be offended by the question of 'are we Punk' or not, because, I loved Punk music, but we weren't. And I think our influences were beyond Punk. Obviously before Punk, there was Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and there was Yes even and King Crimson, and those had all influenced me as a player, and the other guys would say other things, but I’m sure they were all part of their history as well."
Nirvana
The song "Come as You Are", by AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
grunge band Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, has a riff similar to "Eighties." Nirvana and its management were unsure about releasing the song as a single from their 1991 studio album, Nevermind
Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
. Danny Goldberg, head of Nirvana's management Gold Mountain
Gold Mountain Records
Gold Mountain Records was a record label that was distributed by A&M Records between 1983 and 1985. Since 1985, the distributor has been MCA Records.Gold Mountain Records changed its name in 1989 to Gold Castle Records....
, later revealed that "[w]e couldn't decide between 'Come as You Are' and 'In Bloom.' Kurt [Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
] was nervous about 'Come as You Are' because it was too similar to a Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
song . . . but we all thought it was still the better song to go with. And, he was right, Killing Joke later did complain about it." Nirvana biographer Everett True
Everett True
For the cartoon character, see The Outbursts of Everett True.Everett True is a British music journalist, who grew up in Chelmsford, Essex...
writes that "Come as You Are" was eventually chosen for release as a single because "Goldberg favoured the more obviously commercial song".
After Nirvana released the single in 1992, members of Killing Joke claimed the main guitar riff of "Come as You Are" plagiarized the riff of "Eighties", but according to Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine, they did not file a copyright infringement lawsuit, because of "personal and financial reasons". However, conflicting reports, such as Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
, have stated differently.
Cobain's death in 1994 effectively dissolved Nirvana and the conflict with Killing Joke. If there was a lawsuit issued that Kerrang! claimed, it was either thrown out of court, or it was dropped to take the burden off the remaining members of Nirvana and their management. However, the court that supposedly took the case was not named and many doubted that Killing Joke ever issued a lawsuit against Nirvana.
An interview with Geordie Walker
Geordie Walker
Kevin "Geordie" Walker is a rock musician, best known as the guitarist from the post-punk group Killing Joke.-Life and career:...
that same year reassured the possibility of a said lawsuit, thus proving that the claim by Kerrang! was not a hoax. Walker stated:
Nine years later, in 2003, Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
, Nirvana's drummer, took a leave of absence from his current band, the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, to record on drums for Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
's second self-titled album
Killing Joke 2003 (album)
Killing Joke is the twelfth studio album by Killing Joke, released on July 28, 2003 by Zuma Recordings. Recording for the album in 2002 marked the end of a six year hiatus that began in 1996 and it was Killing Joke's first studio album in seven years. Produced by Andy Gill of Gang of Four, the...
. The move surprised some Nirvana fans, given Nirvana's past conflict with Killing Joke.
Bill Janovitz, writer for the website Allmusic, reviewed "Eighties". He compared and contrasted "Come as You Are" and "Eighties":
However, The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover is a bi-annual music magazine published out of New York City since 1980 by critic Jack Rabid.-Overview:The Big T usually appears in June and December, with most recent issues coming in around 200 pages. The review section, featuring Jack’s Top 40 for the issue, is regularly 60-80...
magazine's Jack Rabid reported that Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible is a singer, songwriter, guitarist who grew up in Croydon, England, and co-founded the punk rock band The Damned in 1976. After leaving the band, he reinvented himself as an alternative pop singer with a rebellious, self-conscious image...
's "Life Goes On", recorded by The Damned for their 1982 album, Strawberries
Strawberries (album)
Strawberries is the fifth album by The Damned, released in October 1982 on Bronze Records.Limited editions included a strawberry scented lyric insert...
, "features the exact same, extremely unique riff as both 'Eighties' and 'Come as You Are'." Jaz Coleman and Paul Ferguson have separately claimed to have no knowledge of this.
12" vinyl single
Side A- "Eighties (Serious Dance Mix)" – 06:02
Side B
- "Eighties" – 03:35
- "Eighties (The Coming Mix)" – 03:33
Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
60 |