This Day in Rock Music - July 23, 1984
Springsteen, Tina Turner and Elton John All Have Hit Songs
Jul 23, 2009
Time to appreciate a summer for the ages. The summer that kick-started the middle 1980s as a pop culture juggernaut. The summer when The Karate Kid sparred with Indiana Jones at the movieplexes. (And honestly, don’t forget Cannonball Run II.) The summer where Los Angeles hosted a classic Olympics, while the Soviets stayed home.
And in this year in music, a confluence of events caused waves that tectonic plates couldn’t duplicate. Established solo acts were making huge comebacks. Powerhouse bands were at their creative and commercial peak. A famous family reunited. An omnipresence of movie tunes took hold. Prince began taking over the universe. That year was 1984.
Enough years have passed to put proper perspective on what ruled airplay 25 years ago today. Fact is, song after song from that snapshot in time has become so iconic in its own way that it makes Katy Perry, Taylor Swift or anyone with the last name Jonas even more small-time by comparison. Here’s a sampling.
The Songs: "When Doves Cry," "Dancing in the Dark" and More
- “Ghostbusters,” Ray Parker, Jr. The immensely popular film from the summer of 1984 yielded a title song that catapulted to number one, even if it did sound a little like “I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis & the News. Nobody heard much from Parker again, even though his follow-up, “Jamie,” had a smooth R&B vibe.
- “When Doves Cry,” Prince. Again, Prince had dominion over 1984 with the release of Purple Rain and its smash soundtrack. The song diverted from the usual Prince formula of dance beats and lyrics riddled with sexual innuendo. This one came from a darker place, and it became one of his biggest hits.
- “State of Shock,” The Jacksons. The centerpiece of the Jacksons’ Victory tour, “State of Shock” was the only song other than “Torture” to make any kind of impact from the album. Michael agreed to tag along, so the rest of the crew had that going for them.
- “Sad Songs (Say So Much),” Elton John. Joining forces again with Bernie Taupin for 1983’s Too Low for Zero energized Sir Elton in the 80s. His follow-up, Breaking Hearts, kept him rolling, and the catchy “Sad Songs” from that effort was one of the runaway hits of the summer.
- “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” Tina Turner. Turner picked herself up, dusted herself off and emphatically announced her return with Private Dancer 25 years ago. Although she famously didn’t care for the song initially, it won a Grammy for Song of the Year in 1985. And she still tours to this day.
- “Infatuation,” Rod Stewart. Stewart turned his attention to the synth-laced pop rock that exemplified the sound of the mid 1980s. Throw in a horn section and tough-guy guitar licks with the swirling synthesizers, and “Infatuation” is quite the musical stew.
- “Stuck on You,” Lionel Richie. This countryfied ballad was the fourth of five singles from the aptly-titled Can’t Slow Down album to chart high. “Hello” (and the oh-so-realistic sculpture from the video) came before and “Penny Lover” followed, so Richie worked himself into a lather of adult-oriented softness.
- “Dancing in the Dark,” Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen danced cheesily with Courteney Cox all the way to another indisputably huge song from this day in 1984. What more needs to be said?
- “I Can Dream About You,” Dan Hartman. The late singer, who died of a brain tumor in 1994, made his own comeback with this song from the movie Streets of Fire with Willem Dafoe and Diane Lane. The laid-back groove brought him back into the spotlight for the first time since his frenetic disco romp “Instant Replay” in 1978.
- “Sunglasses at Night,” Corey Hart. “Don’t switch the blade on the guy in shades, oh no!” Hart first issued that warning 25 years ago. And it still stands on its own as sound advice.
Perspective: Does Today's Music Measure Up?
This isn’t even including Van Halen’s “Panama,” which broke through on the rock chart before making the pop cut, ZZ Top’s “Legs” or Ratt’s prototype for radio-friendly hard rock, “Round and Round.” But this much is clear: July 23, 1984 was a crazy day in music.
How will history view the music from July 23, 2009? Will the music of Lady GaGa or Miley Cyrus, for example, have the staying power of Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner? Whatever the case, this lineup of headliners and radio mainstays from that summer day in 1984 is difficult to match.
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