Can’t Happen Here | Through the Shattered Lens

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

The 53rd video to air on MTV was the video for Can’t Happen Here by Rainbow. Watching the video, it’s interesting to see that a lot of it did end up happening here. Just take a look at the lyrics:

Contaminated fish and micro chips
Huge supertankers on Arabian trips
Oily propaganda from the leaders’ lips
All about the future
There’s people over here, people over there
Everybody’s looking for a little more air
Crossing all the borders just to take their share
Planning for the future
And we’re so abused, and we’re so confused
It’s easy to believe that someone’s gonna light the fuse
Can’t happen here, can’t happen here
All that you fear they’re telling you, can’t happen here
Supersonic planes for a holiday boom
Rio de Janeiro in an afternoon
People out of work but there’s people on the moon
Looking for the future
Concrete racktracks nationwide
Juggernauts carving up the countryside
Cars by the million on a one way ride
Using up the future
And we’re so abused, and we’re so confused
It’s easy to believe that someone’s gonna light the fuse
Can’t happen here, can’t happen here
All that you fear they’re telling you, can’t happen here
Satellites spying for the CIA
The KGB and the men in grey
Wonder if I’m gonna see another day
Somewhere in the future
We got everything we need for a peaceful time
Take what you want but you can’t take mine
Everybody’s living on the Siegfried line
Worried ’bout the future
And we’re so abused, and we’re so confused
It’s so easy to believe that someone’s gonna light it
Easy to believe someone’s gonna light the fuse
Can’t happen here, can’t happen here
All that you fear they’re telling you, can’t happen here can it?