Greatest 80's Songs


timm525

Recommended Posts

They sure knew how to write great and catchy tunes, that and they came up witch epic music videos that Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson could only dream of. :)

God, what a mess, on the ladder of success

Where you take one step and miss the whole first rung

Dreams unfulfilled, graduate unskilled It beats pickin' cotton and waitin' to be forgotten

We are the sons of no one, bastards of young

We are the sons of no one, bastards of young

The daughters and the sons

Pretty girl keep growin' up, playin' make-up, wearin' guitar

Growin' old in a bar, ya grow old in a bar

Headed out to San Francisco, definitely not L.A.

Didn't mention your name, didn't mention your name

Edited by ArtieRollins
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, ArtieRollins said:

Two great Suzanne Vega songs from her 80s classic, Solitude Standing:

 

Great songs Thankyou for posting !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first Rush album I got. Even though I had heard some of their more hard edged, proggier 70s material, I had no problem with the shorter and more synth-dominated 80s stuff. Over the years as I got a hold of most of their releases, I still often go back to Signals (1982) and what I consider to be one of their finest achievements, with the beautiful song, Losing It:

Some are born to move the world

To live their fantasies

But most of us just dream about

The things we'd like to be 

Sadder still to watch it die

Than never to have known it

For you, the blind who once could see

The bell tolls for thee...

Edited by ArtieRollins
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, ArtieRollins said:

The first Rush album I got. Even though I had heard some of their more hard edged, proggier 70s material, I had no problem with the shorter and more synth-dominated 80s stuff. Over the years as I got a hold of most of their releases, I still often go back to Signals (1982) and what I consider to be one of their finest achievements, with the beautiful song, Losing It:

Some are born to move the world

To live their fantasies

But most of us just dream about

The things we'd like to be 

Sadder still to watch it die

Than never to have known it

For you, the blind who once could see

The bell tolls for thee...

Great songs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Listening to a retro radio station the other week and heard Depeche Mode 'See You'

 

Immediately went online and bought their best of CD....bloody brilliant...i had forgotten how good they were 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The Buggles - Elstree (1980)

Elstree, remember me?

I had a part in a B movie

I played a man from history

Elstree, I look at me

Now I work for the BBC

Life is not what it used to be

Elstree

Such a sweet and beautiful song/video, sadly it did not recieve the kind of success that Video Killed The Radio Star enjoyed, and instead have ended up as one of too many great but forgotten 80s gems.

Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Its a good one, even though I prefer the album version as it contains the beautiful but very short mid section (02:02-02:13) and has a longer outro, that the single/video mix has left out. One of those songs which should have become a much bigger hit, but only reached 55th place in the british top 100 chart list, and then faded out after just a couple of weeks. For me, the best song The Buggles ever did.

I also like the little nod/tribute to Kraftwerk in the end, great stuff all the way.

Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been going through the later Yes albums such as Tormato (1977), Drama (1980) and 90125 (1983) for the past few days and I was surprised to see how much I enjoyed their early 80s stuff. I had not listen to 90125 for over a decade, beside maybe Owner Of A Lonely Heart and still I have a bit of "trouble" getting into some of the albums sound/production (I am a big fan of their early 70s prog classics) but one number that impressed me and stood out and not only as the albums best cut, but probably one of the bands best moments, is Leave It. It has Trevor Horn written all over, and no surprise as he left the mic after (Drama) and went on to produce and co-write some of the albums best cuts, and then of course you have Trevor Rabin who really gave the band a much needed 80s injection and help take the "lost" prog "dinosaurs" back to the top of the charts, again. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree Artie.

Yes was an incredible band. I saw them back in the 80's at the Buffalo Aud when Trevor Rabin was a part of the new re-grouping effort. I liked the stuff they did on 90125 as well as the next album when they all joined into a supergroup with Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe. I also really liked Trevor Rabin's solo album of that time "Can't Look Away"

Rush has always been a personal favourite of mine as I have followed the band since they were formed. I went to a highschool dance when I was 16 and Rush was playing the dance with John Rutsey as the drummer. Years later \I was working in the Auto Body trade and I was asked to weld up four windows in an old schoolbus and low and behold Alex Lifeson picked it up. The old used shoolbus was their tour bus!

I like some of the stuff they did in the eighties but what really blew me away was the fact that Geddy Lee was doing keyboards as well as playing the bass! I don't know how these guys did it live but they were sensational!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know that Rush's song "Lakeside Park" pays homage to Port Dalhousie Ontario? That is the beach where I hang out quite a bit in the summer. It's the home town of Neil Peart.

The synth stuff was good and I liked many of the songs but Rush changed sounds considerably throughout their career and it was all good.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never been much of a fan of Rock and Roll: Hall of Fame, (more like Shame), but I was so happy for Rush when they were being inducted in 2013 and it was probably the funniest and most memorable too. From Alex Lifeson's epic speech and to the audience reaction, it showed just how big of an impact they had and still have as one of the best rock bands of all time.

Screw the critics, RUSH FOREVER! :radio::thumbsup:

2 hours ago, Stinger390X said:

Rush has always been a personal favourite of mine as I have followed the band since they were formed. I went to a highschool dance when I was 16 and Rush was playing the dance with John Rutsey as the drummer. Years later \I was working in the Auto Body trade and I was asked to weld up four windows in an old schoolbus and low and behold Alex Lifeson picked it up. The old used shoolbus was their tour bus!

By the way, that must have been some great moments, Stinger. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

This is hands down one of the BEST ballads of the entire 1980s. Whether you like this song or not, you'll struggle to name many others like it.

I've loved this song since it came out... and I actually went and bought the 12'' vinyl maxi single of it just days after it was released. I went to the biggest record store in my home town one or two times to ask if they already had it, but they just kept telling me "any day now"... for some reason, back then, maxi singles of a song often didn't come out until about a week or ten days after the 7'' single. Anyway, I remember they asked me if maybe they could interest me in just buying the 7'' single instead, but I wanted the maxi single :cool:

I then played it to death on my brother's tired old record player. I've probably still got the record at my parents' house somewhere, but I doubt you'd still get a good sound of it... after months of me playing it to death, and over 30 years of collecting dust since those days  :)

Edited by Daytona74
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

H22 hours ago, ArtieRollins said:

 

Screw the critics, RUSH FOREVER! :radio::thumbsup:

By the way, that must have been some great moments, Stinger. 

Best 3 bucks I eve3r spent on a dance but they played all cover tunes all night long and many of them were undanceable. Great place to be a wall hugger when your 15 years old! History in the making!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Daytona74 said:

 

This is hands down one of the BEST ballads of the entire 1980s. Whether you like this song or not, you'll struggle to name many others like it.

I've loved this song since it came out... and I actually went and bought the 12'' vinyl maxi single of it just days after it was released. I went to the biggest record store in my home town one or two times to ask if they already had it, but they just kept telling me "any day now"... for some reason, back then, maxi singles of a song often didn't come out until about a week or ten days after the 7'' single. Anyway, I remember they asked me if maybe they could interest me in just buying the 7'' single instead, but I wanted the maxi single :cool:

I then played it to death on my brother's tired old record player. I've probably still got the record at my parents' house somewhere, but I doubt you'd still get a good sound of it... after months of me playing it to death, and over 30 years of collecting dust since those days  :)

Nice and it is one of my favorites also...I've been a huge fan of Lou Gramm and Foreigner for a long time now, and I was fortunate this past December to see Lou perform some of his hits at House of Guitars in NY, where he did a small session at a book signing event. Met him afterward to get a book and poster signed, and made small talk. I told him I came all the way from Chicago to meet him and he said "Get outta here!" as he smiled.

The man had one of the greatest voices in rock history IMO, though later beset by career altering medical issues, but I'm still a big fan. :radio:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I always liked the Cyndi Lauper version of this song better. Roy Orbison was a great musician, but somehow, this version is just more "moving".

Also, reminds me of actually driving a long time at night a few times to see a girl I was dating... she pretty much lived at the other end of the country (Germany, not the U.S.), and I kinda sorta had this song on repeat play everytime I was driving there... who says romance is dead... :)

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Daytona74 said:

 

I always liked the Cyndi Lauper version of this song better. Roy Orbison was a great musician, but somehow, this version is just more "moving".

Also, reminds me of actually driving a long time at night a few times to see a girl I was dating... she pretty much lived at the other end of the country (Germany, not the U.S.), and I kinda sorta had this song on repeat play everytime I was driving there... who says romance is dead... :)

 

 

Nice version - I love Orbinson's voice though but this version is edgier 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

:thumbsup:

Trevor Horn had more to do with shaping the sound of mainstream pop music in the 80s than most people realize...

 

Here's another great 80s song... George Michael may be known today chiefly as a drugged out middle-aged burnout who likes to crash his SUVs into things while he's high on cocaine, but there was a time when he really actually made some decent pop music:

 

 

Edited by Daytona74
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A great and surprisingly "overlooked" 80s gem by The Blow Monkeys.

I only knew the band from my favorite Police Academy movie, Citizens on Patrol (1987) were their 1987 hit song, It Doesen't Have To Be This Way, was featured in a love scene between Zed (Bobcat Goldtwait) and his love interest Laura played by the lovely Corrine Bohrer. Anyway, The Day After You featuring the legend Curtis Mayfield is their funky "tribute" to Maggie Thatcher.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From Live Aid, 1985, Phil Collins in a song with much meaning... excerpts of what Paul Stanley of KISS said " It's all emotion, and it's all vulnerability and in that track he ..eviscerates himself. It's pretty stunning in how he just tears himself open...sometimes the most difficult thing is to reveal the self".

 

Edited by Sonny-Burnett
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.