Christiana recently did a
post on quintessential 80's pop-songs, and it got me thinking about the 80s. The 80's was a unique decade in which all of pop culture seemed to be going through an awkward adolescent phase, one punctuated by bright colors, lop-sided and gender-bending clothing and hairstyles, and a sense of rebelliousness motivated merely by the desire to have fun. So I'm going to list my own choices for songs and add music videos and movies to the list in an attempt to "define the 80s".
MusicAxel F (Harold Faltermeyer)
The lyric-less synthesizer theme from Beverly Hills Cop. The unique sound of early synthesizers gave 80's music (particularly the genre called "new wave") it's distinct sound. So what better song to represent that than one that completely depended on it?
Safety Dance (Men Without Hats)
I chose this for much the same reason Christiana chose Walk Like an Egyptian - it's an excuse to dance and act silly, but with one difference: no one actually knows what the "safety dance" is, and no one cares. Just dance, silly!
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Eurythmics)
Because no 80's collection is complete without it. Whether you like it or not. (I think I'm up to five copies of it between "Eurythmics Greatest Hits" and several 80's compilations).
I Ran (So Far Away) (A Flock of Seagulls)
The song itself is an example of the high numbers of one-hit-wonders that the 80's seemed to produce. But what may be more important here is the band. Their look is a classic example of the bizarre image experiments that individuals - but particularly rockers - conducted, between the hair and the clothes and the make-up.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
Cold War tensions, anyone? This song was everywhere. Including the soundtrack of
Real Genius(which, sadly, didn't make it on my movie list).
Music VideosThe music video came of age in the 80's, only to be snuffed out by it's own nurtures (MTV and VH1) in the 90's, but that's another story. So when you talk about the 80's, you have to talk about music videos. There are countless 80's songs that still invoke the memory of their video when I hear them.
"Video Killed the Radio Star" (The Buggles)
Well, I can't very well have a music video category without including the very first music video ever broadcast on MTV. And now the song is stuck in your head. HA!
"Thriller" (Michael Jackson)
Yes, Michael Jackson is a freak. But remember when he was a talented freak? "Thriller" took the music video to the next level, making it more of a short film than a mere illustration of the lyrics or a feast of imagines not necessarily related to the lyrics.
"Take On Me"
Some songs were made memorable almost entirely thanks to their video. The video for “Take On Me” combined animation and live photography in a surreal way, showing that the music video could be an art form in its own right.
"Sledgehammer"
Yet more experimentation that created a unique look for a video, this time with stop-motion photography.
"Money For Nothing"
Computers and video games came into their own in the 80’s, so I’m including the first music video to include computer animation. We’ve come a long way since crude cubic figures, haven’t we?
MoviesThis was the hardest. There are so many weird and wonderful 80’s movies. How to choose?
The Breakfast ClubThe 80’s movie.
Ferris Bueller's Day OffThe embodiment of rebelliousness motivated by the desire to have fun.
The GooniesThis one always comes up when I think of 80’s movies. Maybe because I was a kid in the 80’s. It’s kind of Indiana Jones meets middle school. Very odd.
Last StarfighterAs I said, video games came into their own in the 80’s. What better representative than a movie about a video game that turned out to be an intergalactic training program?
Revenge of the NerdsThings that were once nerdy (i.e. computers, video games, and sci-fi) went mainstream and even became cool in the 80’s. How’s that for revenge of the nerds?
