Kids of the 80s, remember the scary communists? Remember how USSR was the evil enemy? Remember how Reagan and Gorbachev were always having talks? Remember how we used to fear nuclear war? Remember the Berlin Wall? Remember how our grandparents were still recovering from World War II? Remember how people feared a World War III?
I watched TV with my dad, in complete awe, as chunks of the Berlin Wall went flying. The wall came down and a city was reunited. People rejoiced, cried, danced, partied. My dad was teary-eyed, saying he never thought he'd see something like this. It seemed communism was coming to an end and peace was coming to the world! A few years later, I watched breathless again while the USSR underwent a coup d'etat and Gorbachev was removed from power for 2 days while communist hard-liners who opposed his reforms (remember glasnost?) took control. I was so relieved when he was restored to power. I had been so afraid that it would go back to the way it was.
At ages 16 and 17, this was a pretty big deal to me. I felt a lot of fear, a lot of hope, and a lot of joy. Man, what an exciting time! Nothing brings it all back like this song.
I was alive and I waited, waited
I was alive and I waited for this
Right here, right now, there is no other place I want to be
Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history
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