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 SOLD OUT--THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT! While Cockburn had been popular in Canada for years, he didn't make a splash in the United States until 1979, with the release of the album Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws, still a landmark of acoustic-based pop featuring intricate lyrics, great sonics, and startling guitar work. "Wondering Where the Lions Are," the first single from that album, became a minor hit in the U.S. (and ultimately a Muzak staple), landing Cockburn on NBC's hit TV show Saturday Night Live.
Through the 1980s Cockburn's songwriting became first more urban, later more global, and then, ultimately and most famously, more politicized: he became heavily involved with progressive causes. His growing political concerns were first hinted at in two astonishing but little-known discs, Humans and The Trouble with Normal. As far as casual radio listeners were concerned, however, these concerns became evident only with Cockburn's second radio hit, in 1984, the song "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" from the Stealing Fire album. He had written the song a year earlier, after visiting Guatemalan refugee camps in Mexico that were attacked before and after his visit by Guatemalan military helicopters. His political activism continues to the present: Cockburn has traveled to many countries (from Mozambique to Iraq), played countless benefits, and written many songs on a variety of political subjects ranging from the International Monetary Fund to landmines. His internationalist bent is reflected in the many "world music" touches (reggae, Latin, etc.) found in his music. |
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