‘Margaret on the Guillotine’: Revisiting the classic anti-Thatcher songs of the ’80s
Discovered this wonderful 1980s punk and new wave site on They Might Be Giants' Facebook feed this evening. Enjoy. http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/04/08/margaret-thatcher-dead/
As one of our readers noted this morning, Morrissey finally got the answer to the question he posed of Margaret Thatcher in his controversial Viva Hate closer “Margaret on the Guillotine”: “When will you die?” The former British prime minister passed away today at age 87.
As such, it’s worth looking back at some of the great music inspired by the divisive leader. Much like the American punk/hardcore/indie scene’s reaction against Ronald Reagan, the U.K. conservative inspired a host of classic protest songs, from the aforementioned Morrissey track — the title of which originally was considered for The Queen is Dead — to songs by Elvis Costello, The Specials, Billy Bragg and more.
Below, we’ve assembled a few of the obvious standouts, but please feel free to add your own — and your memories of the songs and the era —in the comments below.
Morrissey, “Margaret on the Guillotine” (1988)
Many more boffo videos from my favorite era of music, including:
The Beat, “Stand Down Margaret” (1980)
Elvis Costello, “Shipbuilding” (1983)
The Specials, “Ghost Town” (1981)
Crass, “How Does It Feel to Be the Mother of a Thousand Dead” (1983)
Madness, “Blue Skinned Beast” (1982)
Billy Bragg, “Between the Wars” (1985)
Kitchens of Distinction, “Margaret’s Injection” (1989)
New Model Army, “Spirit of the Falklands” (1984)
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"Tramp the Dirt Down." I bet the video views for all these songs have shot up on You Tube the past few days, especially in England. 
But I think Morrissey really nailed it with the punchline from "Margaret on the Guillotine." You can't get much better than that.
