Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant
Released in 1982 (1983 in the US), this song, about a street in South London that was the first street to have electric lights, made it to #2 on the US charts with the help of heavy rotation on MTV. The street is in an area known as Brixton and in 1981 had a very large Caribbean immigrant population.
The song references riots between locals and police after policy was changed to allow police to stop and frisk anyone on the streets without a reason. The heavily African-Caribbean population viewed this policy as racial discrimination and on the evening of April 10th, 1981, tensions boiled over and violence erupted. It took two days for order to be restored to the streets. Over 300 were injured, but thankfully, no deaths. Lots of cars got destroyed but what else would you expect protestors to find and take their anger out on? (BTW, I always condemn violence in any manner. We're evolved creatures, we can discuss issues without EVER resorting to destruction or violence).
Eddy Grant immediately wrote and recorded this song to voice his anger about how awful this situation had become. It also reached #2 on the UK charts, verifying that people in that country also agreed with its message.
The video has several classic images. The motorcycle riders. Eddy collapsing on the beach. Eddy stepping away from the chair he's watching television from and falling into a carpet of water.
Please enjoy and lets all listen to the concerns of our fellow humans.....they might listen to your concerns, in return.
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