Songs that define the 80's

Thank you. Yes, the partisan question was to try and distinguish this from Greem Room material.

Since this thread has been so enjoyable, I'll be doing one for the 90's next.

Really?

It's no masterpiece, but I've always found it to have a catchy tune.

Here's part of my list:

Sorry for the double and then triple post but here is the rest of my list:

There is more but I can't think of them right now.

when I worked construction in Phoenix (in the 80's) this song came out and it was weird because us construction guys were (quite literally) building a city while this song would play on the radio of the foreman's truck while we were working! That said the song sucks. It reminds me of getting severely injured to the point where I had to join the army just for a safer job.

last 2 are quite worthy

what always gets me in these threads is how much really good stuff one can forget until it's pointed out to you. And even if you "cheat" and look at some Billboard lists you still only get the chart records, not the less well known stuff or the great album cuts. Basically all those albums I listed have great songs on them that were never released as singles

Take U2 for example:

This was on The Unforgettable Fire


From The Joshua Tree


These were on Rattle and Hum

and


The first three were never singles and the fourth peaked at 83 in the U.S. and each is comparable to anything that was published that year
(the latter has a really good "story" video too)

1985- Bowling for Soup

I worked with an English teacher a few years ago who looked just like Susan Ann Sulley of "The Human League" from about the time "Don't You Want Me Baby" came out

If anybody wasn't already head over heels in love with Susanna Hoffs, that video would do it.

Grace Slick, from poster girl for the psychedelic counter-culture revolution to... whatever the hell that crap was.

This was the period, IIRC an interview I saw with them, that they changed record labels. They went in with a pile of songs they'd written, and the label said "Oh, no no, we have the songs written and assign them to whichever artist we think they suit, and you record them." The girls were all ", but we've always..." But since they wanted to keep working and getting paid, they went with it.

I think the defining quality of '80s music, for me, is the boisterousness. It's loud without being "hard rock" levels of self-parody, it's got fun sounds, it doesn't seek to dive deep, deep into mediocre blandness like the early-to-mid '90s pap Mom subjected us to.

Isn't a Disney band cheating, though?

I don't know exact years, but Mariah Carey is for me the poster whipping child for the "'90s" genre. Then there was a brief resurgence with the likes of "I Don't Wanna Wait" and "Drops of Jupiter", late '90s into the early '00s through Snow Patrol's peak. After that it's hit and miss, or mostly miss nowadays apparently.

^

My pick for worst would be "Total Eclipse of the Heart" off the top of my head, but keep in mind I wasn't alive for part of the decade.

And Ryan, you put "Sweet Dreams" and "These Dreams" in the same post. How am I supposed to rep you, with a red X decorating a medal?

I'm still not sure if Total Eclipse of the Heart is Jim Steinman parodying himself, or if he was serious. I mean, I've even got Meat Loaf playing in the car today (Bat Out of Hell), and I still love the hell out of it. And his songs in Streets of Fire are completely awesome. But Total Eclipse of the Heart is just soooo over the top campy-bad.

Let's not forget "Baby I Love Your Way", which has had at least two successful covers.

And possibly a long-shot: turns out "Daniel" is from all the way back in 1973, but I distinctly remember a female cover of it that had the same echo-ey, ethereal sound to it that Will to Power's original "Baby I Love Your Way" had, so I always figured it was an '80s song. Spotify just looks at me weird when I look for it. Anyone know who did that one?

Does that count, since the song (both songs, actually, since WtP's cover also includes elements of "Freebird") are from the mid-70s?

Squeeze!

I only really love two Squeeze songs: "Pulling Mussels From a Shell" and "Annie Get Your Gun." As far as consistent output AKA "longevity" versus one-hit-wonders Madonna really had a lot of great songs in the 80's. The late 80's video "Like A Prayer" she was at her peak in hotness & musical talent.

"Hot Coffee in Bed" is, like, an 80s anthem to me. Probably because it was the one MTV ran most.
That other number you mentioned, my friends and I used to sing it "Pulling Muscles from Michelle."

^Speaking of misheard lyrics, the nominee for Worst Song of the 80s has got to be "Pump up the Jam."

Nice beat to dance to, but the words are virtually incomprehensible. For years I thought she was singing "Get your booty on the bus now." How the hell anyone ever heard "Get your booty on the floor tonight" out of that mess is beyond me.

Mike Tyson's cover is a lyrical tour de force.

Ryan.
You seem to have decent 80s tastes, so I was surprised you forgot...

My 80s is best summed up on these three compilations





along with the entirety of the Clash's discography

did you try to hit it? Asking for a friend.

yeah those eyes are something else! I think she's on everyone's "would hit" list.

ummm....I heard "get your booty on the floor tonight" and I'm the squarest/whitest/straightest guy on the planet. Then again, there is a line adjacent to that that I hear as "Iowa...a place to stay...." before they get into the "booty on the bus now" line.

Of course not. I'm married and she's married (to a nice guy who is a football coach up the road). Rode with her a couple of times to a Literacy workshop.