THE 1980s MOST ESSENTIAL update: #110-101.

THE ESSENTIAL 200 SONGS

OF THE

1980s

These are the songs that mattered most in terms of breaking new ground; changing the musical landscape and influencing the music that followed. These 200 songs helped shape the music of the present day and / or captured that timeless quality.

To be eligible for the list, a song had to have first appeared –on an album or single- between Jan. 1980 and Dec. 1989.

110 BETTE DAVIS EYES

KIM CARNES - 1981

 

The 1975 song was totally transformed with a spellbinding synthesizer performed by Bill Cuomo. The Song & Record of the Year Grammy Awards winner made #1 in 21 countries.  Its sound helped popularize the ‘New Romantic’ genre.

109 CULT OF PERSONALITY

LIVING COLOUR - 1988

 

Heavy rock / metal groups made up of all-black members were rare until Living Colour made it look commonplace. Vernon Reid leads the band on this scathing attack on world leaders throughout history.

108 THRILLER

MICHAEL JACKSON -1982

 

This song not only served as the title track of the best selling album of the 1980s, but its accompanying video became an event. The music clip is still hailed as the best ever made. This song had so much more: the choreography of the zombie dance moves, Vincent Price’s cameo, sound effects and an irresistible funky beat. Jackson holds it all together, creating 1 of the most defining memories of the decade.

107 PURPLE RAIN

PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION - 1984

 

Prince gave soul music a blast of guitars in a gospel-tinged/ rock track that still reveals new dimensions to this day. A mighty example of Prince drawing from music history to create something new.  

106 LIVING ON THE CEILING

BLANCMANGE - 1982

 

Blancmange infused synth pop with Indian / Middle Eastern sounds to create this standout dance track.

105 TWO TRIBES

FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD - 1984

 

Amid fears of nuclear war between the West and the Soviet Union in the 1980s, this song came blaring out of our radios. The Trevor Horn-led production adds to the power of this timely track. Its video remains a landmark of the 80s.

104 ENOLA GAY

ORCHESTRAL MANOUVRES IN THE DARK – 1980

 

OMD attack Thatcher’s plan to allow American cruise missiles into Britain. “Enola Gay” reminded listeners of the horrors of nuclear with its own brand of synth pop.

103 FASHION

DAVID BOWIE – 198O

 

Bowie explored new musical directions again with “Fashion”. It had a modern take on funk and dance. Robert Fripp on guitar drives the song so adeptly that is still sounds exciting and influential today.

102 GENIUS OF LOVE

TOM TOM CLUB - 1981

 

This side project from members of Talking Heads created a bouncy groove in “Genius Of Love” which was ahead of its time. It has been sampled by subsequent acts, (most effectively by Mariah Carey).

101 WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO

WHAM! - 1984

 

George Michael delivered 1 of the best examples of 80s bubblegum pop. Doing so, he revealed his immense talent for songcraft. Here, he created a fun, upbeat song that remains a timeless retro party favourite. The track has it all: soaring horns, a catchy chant (“jitterbug”), cute backup vocals anda heavenly falsetto from its songwriter / producer.

Another 10 songs will be added next Saturday.