If you ask someone about ‘80s music, they don’t always have pleasant memories. The general sentiment is that the ‘60s was the development of rock music, while the ‘70s was the ‘disco’ music decade and the ‘80s sucked.
The ‘60s belongs to bands such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Who along with many other classic groups who influenced the development of modern rock as we know it now.
However, ‘80s music is given less significance by the masses, but the experts think it doesn’t warrant such unfair treatment.
Tears for Fears, one of the ‘80s top bands, produced worldwide hits such as “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”
The truth is that the ‘80s produced lots of great music, but it never gets the deserved level of appreciation as the other eras of music.
There was no shortage of modern pop bands in the ‘80s as Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode emerged with hits such as "East End Boys and West End Girls" and “Route 66” respectively.
There were some other cult groups too like The Cure, out of whom some truly legendary artists developed.
Psychedelic Furs also arose in the ‘80s, whose “Pretty in Pink” was such an immense success that a movie of the same title was made and dedicated to the song – a rare feat in those days.
R.E.M’s “Losing My Religion” was also a pivotal product of the ‘80s, whose trendsetting ability led to the creation of modern rock music of the ‘90s.
Pop stars weren’t the only ones to contribute to ‘80s music hits.
In fact, the rock bands of that decade, including Duran Duran and Bon Jovi, were also hard at work producing smash hits and legendary songs such as “Rio” and “Living on a Prayer” respectively. The beauty and freshness of Guns n’ Roses’ song ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ was also cultivated in the 1980s.
There is no doubt that the biggest stars of ‘80s music stemmed from the pop genre.
Artists like Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson, who later went on to become acclaimed international celebrities, were in full prominence during the ‘80s, generating constant hit songs throughout the decade. Prince’s “Purple Rain” combined just the right amount of soul and rock, but arguably his biggest hit was “Let’s Go Crazy.”
British rock icons U2 also started their musical journey in the ‘80s with songs such as “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “With or Without You” marking their entry into the rock elites.
In spite of the entire mainstream scene dominated by pop and rock artists, the listeners were still open to whimsical music makers like Wham, whose “Careless Whispers” fought off stiff competition to reach the summit of multiple charts.
The success (although short) of some dark musicians like Til Tuesday also confirmed that the audience of the ‘80s did allow diverse genres to prosper in those times.
Overall, ‘80s music didn’t suck, it was totally tubular and people today’s listeners should give it another listen and see what they’ve been missing.
Tags:80s, bon jovi, depeche mode, duran duran, madonna, Michael Jackson, pet shop boys, prince, psychedelic furs, rem, tears for fears, the beatles, the cure, the rolling stones, til tuesday, U2, wham
