 If The Bomb Falls a PSA album 1961. | During early 50s in the United States McCarthyism had gripped the country, kids were being taught how to Duck and Cover by a turtle, all adding to the Cold War paranoia. The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, didn't help much either. Magazine adverts, commercials, public service announcements, and government pamphlets. It would seem that the American public were being bombarded from all sides with idea that they must prepare for the bomb to fall at any time. Out of this barrage emerged inevitably songs and recordings based on the Zeitgeist of nuclear apocalypse at any moment. |
Among the recordings that were produced around the time were instructional albums, like the If The Bomb Falls (A Recorded Guide For Survival) from 1961, were released along with government literature on getting through a nuclear attack. Many famous names of the time recorded instructional advice on record, for playing as radio inserts. An electric cast of characters was used, including Johnny Cash, Rock Hudson, Boris Karloff and Pat Boone all made informational and inspiring recordings.
The genre, style and type of songs that were made during the period all vary. Themes ranged from the Cold War and the nuclear threat to odes to nuclear energy. Some were pure novelty fluff, many despite their glibness told a horrifying story. What nearly all of them did have was an memorable message, with their bizarre lyrics and often up-beat tempo, like 1957's Atom Bomb Baby by the Five Stars. You can't help yourself, tapping your feet and bobbing your head away to this wonderful track. Fancy a bit of apocalyptic calypso? Seek out the Talbot Brothers of Bermuda, with their Atomic Nightmare also from 1957.
Of course many of the songs were (or at least appear to have been) tongue-in-cheek. Even the atomic themed Jesus is our saviour piece of weirdness from Lowell Blanchard and the Valley Trio in 1950, called Jesus Hits Like An Atom Bomb, seems to have been made with a deep sense of humour. Some were absolute novelty pieces, like Crawl Out Through The Fallout by Sheldon Allman form 1960. An absolute work of lyrical genius, hysterical and politically on-the-button!
The genre, style and type of songs that were made during the period all vary. Themes ranged from the Cold War and the nuclear threat to odes to nuclear energy. Some were pure novelty fluff, many despite their glibness told a horrifying story. What nearly all of them did have was an memorable message, with their bizarre lyrics and often up-beat tempo, like 1957's Atom Bomb Baby by the Five Stars. You can't help yourself, tapping your feet and bobbing your head away to this wonderful track. Fancy a bit of apocalyptic calypso? Seek out the Talbot Brothers of Bermuda, with their Atomic Nightmare also from 1957.
Of course many of the songs were (or at least appear to have been) tongue-in-cheek. Even the atomic themed Jesus is our saviour piece of weirdness from Lowell Blanchard and the Valley Trio in 1950, called Jesus Hits Like An Atom Bomb, seems to have been made with a deep sense of humour. Some were absolute novelty pieces, like Crawl Out Through The Fallout by Sheldon Allman form 1960. An absolute work of lyrical genius, hysterical and politically on-the-button!
