We Built This City by Starship
Artist: Starship Weeks at #1: 2 weeks Chart dates: November 16, 1985 – November 23, 1985
About
“We Built This City” was a huge hit for Starship, reaching number one on the charts in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, as well as receiving a Grammy nomination. The lyrics, as originally written, were originally about how nightclubs in Los Angeles were being shut down, and as such live acts did not have any place to go. As performed, however, the ‘computerized’ feel of the song ironically made it exactly an example of the pro-live-music statement implied by the lyrics. The song remains a polarizing one in Jefferson Airplane lore. While the song itself implies Starship boasting of their late ‘60s success and impact on rock music/status as rock and roll rebels, the members had nothing to do with writing the song. The song gained infamy in the 2000s, when Blender Magazine and VH1 declared it the “worst song of all times”.
