(For the) Children of the Eighties

"(For the) Children of the Eighties" (also known as just "Children of the Eighties") is a song performed by Joan Baez. The song was performed 2 times and they were both in December 1981. It was conceptualized for the Joan Baez/Grateful Dead album and recorded for it. It was released in 1984 on Live Europe '83, but the album with the Grateful Dead was never released.

Background
The song was written for an unreleased album by Joan Baez with the Grateful Dead as a backing band. It was written for the children born in the late 1970's and early 1980's and features a lot of pop culture references including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and The Doors. The main theme is for the Millennial generation to be a wiser generation than the ones that have come past and to help change the world for the good. This resonated with the largely hippie population of Deadheads.

It was performed at 12/12/1981 (aka  'Dance for Nuclear Disarmament') for the first time with The Dead backing Joan up. The second time was on New Years Eve 1981 (12/31/1981) where Joan appeared in an acoustic set in between The Dead's sets.

Composition
The studio version of the song is a lot darker than the live version, having haunting, swirling organ performed by Brent Mydland and complex fingerpicking parts by Jerry Garcia. The song is performed in a slow tempo with alto vocals by Joan Baez, so it is about a minute shorter than the released live version. It is in the key of G# minor, and is an acoustic ballad when performed live.