“88 Seconds In Greensboro” by OMD
This song (“88 Seconds In Greensboro”) was written by Andy McCluskey of OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) alongside his band mate Paul Humphreys.
The pair wrote it after being touched by a massacre that happened in North Carolina. The said incident saw five demonstrators being brutally killed by a group of racists in November 1979.
Quick Facts about “88 Seconds in Greensboro”
The song was recorded at Connecticut Recording Studios, with Paul Leka as the producer.
In terms of its genre, it falls in the category Electro Pop
Six years after the aforementioned took place, Andy released this track (1985). It was a song listed in the album “Crush”. Three (3) singles were released prior to the album, of which “88 Seconds in Greensboro wasn’t part”.
This song did not win any award. It also didn’t chart. The reason is apparently because it was never released as a single.
A Summary of The Greensboro Massacre
The Greensboro Massacre took place on November 3, 1979, in Greensboro, North Carolina. It involved the killing of five protesters by members of two very racist organizations. The five protesters comprised of four members of the Communist Workers Party (CWP), who had organized the Death to the Klan march and a bystander.
Before the event took place, both sides had exchanged inflammatory rhetoric. The march had been organized as part of the CWP’s efforts to support workers’ rights activism for black textile industry workers. On the day of the march, the two sides exchanged gunfire as they came into contact.
While the CWP and their supporters used one or more handguns, members of the racist organizations were seen taking rifles. Aside from the five deaths, ten other demonstrators and one Klansman sustained wounds.
By 1984, the second trial of perpetrators had been conducted and all defendants had been acquitted on grounds that they acted on political, instead of racial motivations.
Prior to that, the Christic Institute filed a suit seeking damages of about $48 million. Greensboro City settled with the plaintiffs’ damages for $351,000. The Greensboro City Council, in 2009 expressed regret for the deaths that took place, and in 2015, they memorialized the massacre by unveiling a marker.
The Council formally apologized for the Greensboro Massacre on August 15, 2017, and on October 6, 2020.
88 Seconds In Greensboro is a touching tribute to the 1979 Protesters massacre. It should always remind us of which kind of person WE are, or want to be at the very least. I’ve been a fan of this song since it was released in the early 80’s.