The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
The 80’s music style did not start with a bang in 1980 – it was a smooth transition from 70’s disco music to 80’s pop that had started with some 80’s-style songs in the late ‘70s and continued to gather momentum throughout the decade. To make the Top 10 hit list of 1980/1981 or 1982 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but their songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties TV Shows, MTV and Other Events from 1980 to 1982
To really get the feel for a decade, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. On TV, Magnum, P. I. made its debut in 1980 and Dynasty and Falcon Crest in 1981, while 1982 was a whole treasure trove for new and successful TV series like Cagney & Lacey, Cheers, Fame, Family Ties, Simon & Simon, Knight Rider and Remington Steele.
On August 1, 1981 MTV was launched and with it the concept of a music-only channel and VJs to guide viewers through the music selections. This was a tremendous opportunity for bands to extend their message from the audio into the visual realm. In fact, many an 80’s band gained more publicity with their outrageous or notorious videos than their music.
The background for the 80’s pop music decade:
- Magaret Thatcher was the U.K. Prime Minister; Ronald Reagan succeeded Jimmy Carter as the 40. President of the United States in January 1981; Francois Mitterand was elected President of France in May 1981, and Helmut Kohl replaced Helmut Schmidt in October 1982 as German Chancellor.
- The Cold War was still raging,
- the first recognized cases of AIDS were reported in June 1981,
- Diana Spencer married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981
- PacMan, the best-selling arcade games of all times was released on May 22, 1980 and the first compact discs (CDs) in 1982
- West Germany became Euro football champions after beating Belgium 2:1 in 1980 but was beaten by Italy 3:1 in the 1982 FIFA World Cup final in Spain.
Top 10 Eighties Songs of 1980 and 1981
Though “I Don’t Like Mondays” was released in 1979, it is clearly an early 80’s hit. Those who think that Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” was more popular than “Biko” have a point; the former was also a very early 80’s hit of 1977. Here’s the first Top 10 of the decade:
- “Bette Davis Eyes” – Kim Carnes (1981)
- “Biko” – Peter Gabriel (1980)
- “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – the Police (1981)
- “Funkytown” – Lipps, Inc. (1980)
- “I don’t like Mondays” – Boomtown Rats (1979)
- “Kiss on My List” – Hall & Oates (1981)
- “Rock with You” – Michael Jackson (1980)
- “Sailing” – Christopher Cross (1980)
- “The Tide is High” – Blondie (1981)
- “Waiting for a Girl Like You” – Foreigner (1981)
Top 10 Eighties Songs of 1982
The release of movies from Das Boot, Mad Max II and Blade Runner to E.T. and Grease II signifies a split in 80’s hit songs as well: Romantic ballads exist next to metallic and electronic beats, clearly precursors of what was to come later with trance, ambience and techno music.
- “Abracadabra” – Steve Miller Band
- “Chariots of Fire” – Vangelis
- “Don’t You Want Me” – Human League
- “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
- “Kids in America” – Kim Wilde
- “Maneater” – Hall & Oates
- “Rosanna” – Toto
- “Tainted Love / Where Did Your Love Go” – Soft Cell
- “Under Pressure” – Queen and David Bowie
- “Who Can It Be Now” – Men at Work
One can clearly see where the 80’s decade is headed: towards computerization and exciting technological advances that also benefit the music industry. Science fiction plays a big part in movies and music videos, while at the same time, romantic ballads and love songs are on the rise.
For more ultimate 80’s hits like “Safety Dance” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” check the following years 1983 and 1984, respectively. Or find about 1989, the last year of the decade.
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