9/8/06: Heaven 17:
       “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” (1981)

Bad enough that it’s a four-day theme week, but now we’re closing with a Leftist anthem that’s strictly for laughs. Put the blame on James Lileks, who got us thinking about tolerance with this recent essay. He’s typically effective while dissecting the inherent contradictions of counter-cultural pop culture. Still, we’ve found plenty to enjoy in Leftist rants that double as corporate kitsch—and there’s no finer example than “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang.”

Heaven 17 got their start as the thinking man’s Human League. There’s a dubious distinction. “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” was their first big UK hit, and the soulful synthiness certainly got Democrats’ feet tapping and Republicans’ eyes rolling. Quake in fear, young people:

        Democrats are out of power
        Across that great wide ocean
        Reagan’s president elect
        Fascist god in motion
        Generals tell him what to do
        Stop your good time dancing
        Train their guns on me and you
        Fascist thang advancing

And it was banned by the BBC—but mainly because the word “fascist” might scare the old folks. Or maybe it was “thang.”

By the mid-90s, we were goofing on how nice it was of those fascists to allow Heaven 17 to do reunion shows. The joke was pretty much telegraphed. That hasn’t kept “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” from only getting funnier over the years. The song was always hard to top. College radio didn’t manage a better laff-fest until The Smiths came along .

Make it your own: Heaven 17 recently had their first three albums remastered, and the guys remain lovable. The ’81 debut of Penthouse and Pavement suffers for trying to match the political pretensions of “Groove Thang.” (The new liner notes are equally laughable, with some oblivious Leftist sexism regarding the sins of “Margaret Thatcher and her handbag.”) The Luxury Gap, however, showed the trio maturing with a set of love songs. The album opens with “Crushed By The Wheels of Industry,” and it plays like a feel-good anthem.

1984’s How Men Are is even better, despite venturing back to the political. At this point, Heaven 17 was so arch that everything sounds like Dirk Bogarde trying to talk Julie Christie into bed because the bomb could drop at any minute, luv.

And yet Heaven 17 was mainly a singles act—and their corporate overlords have exploited that with far too many compilations. Or you can just wait for the next comp that’ll feature the remastered versions.

 

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