Unpopular opinion time. The 80s far surpass any decade of music, hands down. The 60s? Forget about it; the Beatles were overrated. The 70s? Cut your hair. The 90s? Take a damn shower. The 80s, though? Embrace it. Start teasing your hair, grab your most obnoxious neon colored clothes (I know that at least at one point in your life, you were an “80s Exercise Girl” for Halloween), fix your skinny tie and head out to the club.
Places to actually dance and not be smashed into some decrepit corner of a bar? You must be dreaming. Where, as a society, did we go wrong? We had it so right back then, but do not fret! There’s still time for us to fix our most egregious error. The 80s are not something that we should be ashamed about. It’s all about having fun and hopefully you aren’t against that.
Nearly anything contemporary you listen to has been inspired by the 80s. Heavy basslines? 80s. Synth? 80s. When do you think electronic dance music started getting popular? YOUR DJS WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT THE 80S.
So says the woman born in 1995.
Onwards!
“Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs, off of their album, Forever Now.
The opening sequence of notes played on the marimba is iconic. Arguably, this is the coolest use of a marimba to date. “Love My Way” is the definition of the 80s: experimentation with new instruments, soulful vocals and of course: the synthesizer. Need I comment on the bass? I nearly do in every article, you should know by now.
This song should ease you into the decade if you’re a non-believer about the greatness that was the 80s. Yeah, the 80s went out of style, but “it’s a fashion with a gun, my love.” The 80s are going to come back, hold that gun to your head and make you answer as to why you’ve ignored it for so long.
“Pictures of You” by The Cure, off of their record, Disintegration.
You know The Cure; they’ve been in nearly every romance-comedy (rom-com) movie with either “Friday, I’m In Love” or “Just Like Heaven”. “Pictures of You” is a slow song, but in all the right ways. It drags on just for the right amount of time, long enough for you to get into the groove and bop your head of teased hair to the beat of the drum. The guitar, intrinsic to the sound of The Cure, sounds like it’s underwater. It’s almost as if The Cure plan to take you down with them, smothering you with the emotional vocals of Robert Smith.
“What Have I Done To Deserve This?” by Pet Shop Boys, off of their album, Actually.
I play this song any time I have to walk outside in this freezing weather, or if the printer jams, or if I have one too many reading assignments. Really, it’s a song for any occasion, namely heartbreak, but I’ve appropriated it for all the wrong reasons. Apparently everyone in the 80s was experiencing some sort of heartbreak, but Dusty Springfield (RIP) allowed you to dance the pain away. You’ll be singing along in no time.
“Enola Gay” by Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark (OMD), off of their album, Organisation.
OMD wrote a melancholy song about the dropping of the atomic bomb (Little Boy) on Hiroshima from the plane, Enola Gay. With lyrics such as, “It’s 8:15 / That’s the time it’s always been / We’ve got your message on the radio / Conditions normal / And you’re coming home” paired with Andy McClusky’s shaking voice, it’s hard to listen to without your heart sinking into your chest. Regardless, this song, with “Love My Way” is the definition of the 80s. The steady drum beat, the constant sequence of notes on the synthesizer, the bass, this song will get you shoegazing, if you haven’t started already.
“Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order, off of their record, Brotherhood.
Hands down, no contest, this is the best song ever written. Forget your “Stairway to Heaven”, your “A Hard Day’s Night”, your “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, just sit down and listen to this real beauty. Don’t even go near the meager four minute twenty-three second version of this song; you need the six minute forty-six second version, or don’t even bother. This song will simultaneously break your heart and repair it in its play time. “Get down on your knees and pray” to thank God for allowing such a magnificent song to grace your ears.
“Poison Arrow” by ABC, off of their debut album, The Lexicon of Love.
You cannot deny the funkiness of this song. The song only begins when the bass line gives permission, most notably the opening descending bass scale that repeats throughout the song. Martin Fry has a voice that’s filled with attitude and easily, that attitude transposes itself onto you. You’ll be singing along with expressions on your face as if you wrote this song about your own unluckiness in love. In short: a lot of snarling and air drumming in a mirror.
“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears for Fears, off of their album, Songs From The Big Chair.
You know this song. If you had to pick only one song to listen to for the rest of your life, I hope it’s this one. This song has always reminded me of summer, sitting on the shore-side, listening to the waves crash down on the sand (Keep that in mind when the song begins to build up towards the chorus). Certainly a different feeling than “Poison Arrow”, this song shows that diversity that was the 80s. It wasn’t all heavy bass and synthesizer, but “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” is still characteristically very 80s.
No bass drops, excessive clapping or condoning excessive consumption of alcohol (“I Can’t Stop Drinking About You” by Bebe Rexha, really?), relax.
“Enjoy The Silence” by Depeche Mode, off of their album, Violator.
I struggle every day knowing that no new singer will ever come out with a voice like David Gahan. If there is one goal for all singers to achieve, it must be to have a vocal style like Gahan’s. The guitar isn’t out to impress you, just to lull you into a trance where there has never been more peace than in these four minutes and seventeen seconds.
Ah, the 80s: hands-down the most melancholic, chill decade. Better than being full of angst (I’m looking at you, the 90s).
“A Little Respect” by Erasure, off of their album, The Innocents.
“Give me a little respect / To me!” Such a simple message, yet so many people cannot abide by it. Whether it be friendships or romantic endeavors, the 80s had it right: respect is key. Andy Bell’s voice is charged with sadness in “A Little Respect” and it sounds as if there is a dialogue occurring between two people in the song. Combine the two, you have a song that is equally parts heart-breaking and anthemic.
I heeeeeeeeeeear you caaaaaaaaaaalliiiiiiing, oh baby pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase, give me a little respeeeect toooooo-oooh meeee!
“Space Age Love Song” by A Flock of Seagulls, off of their eponymous debut.
If you look above to the picture at the top of the article, you will find a picture of this band. Out of all the bands, why did I choose them? Well, they “look” the most 80s out of all of them.
This song is like whizzing through various unnamed galaxies, lights flashing in front of you and behind you, in a giant freakin’ spaceship. The guitar, paired with the sound of the synth, sounds like as if a laser gun has been fired off. “Space Age Love Song” is exactly what it states to be; it is nothing more, it is nothing less. A good love story is filled with adventure and danger and if you close your eyes while listening to this song, you can see the story unfurl before your very…eyelids? Eyes? Either way, you’re on your way to an 80s space adventure. Could you ask for anything more?
No, you can’t, because the 80s were the greatest.