With the usual apologies for only showing my face when I want to get … oooh, 11 likes on one of my playlists, I’ve got another for you which I feel could completely divide the Massive.
If you’ve got a spare seven hours, I honestly think this is my best work on Spotify so far. Ever heard an 80s banger and wished they still made them like that? Well, of course, they do. The kids appreciate that era more than we do. Just last week I was one of only two old folk dancing to I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston at a party – we were outnumbered by 11-year-olds who knew every word. So here we have a bunch of 80s favourites, paired with contemporary songs that sound “a bit 80s”. It’s not an exact science: some songs I just chose because I liked them, while others … let’s just say I needed Glasvegas to get Simple Minds in there.
For years I went along with the rock-critic orthodoxy that the 80s was “the decade that taste forgot”. Now I wish that more music would Be More 80s: eccentric crooners, massive snare sounds, exuberant, untutored embrace of new technology – I love it all these days. If you do listen and “like”, I hope you enjoy this as much as I have putting it together.
Well I’ve added it to my library. Thanks, Martin.
Added to mine too. Some great selections and it could fill my working day.
Good title! I’ve also noticed, with approval, a lot of 80s sounds in contemporary pop. I Will give this playlist the attention it deserves when I have the time…
Generally I love the 80s. New Order/Joy Division, Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Smiths, R.E.M., Human League, Talking Heads etc Only the 60s is better
My work here is done. Tears For Fears and Howard Jones in the first 10 songs. I’m in…. “Mothers Talk” by the way. Honestly, when was the last time you heard a song that interesting, exciting and batshit crazy? Always said Orzabal is a genius….
Hey, thanks all of you. I may find myself adding things if more suggestions come along. But the difficulty in adding another pair of songs is matching them to the ones preceding and following. It’s like a DJ set, but with a self-imposed rule of alternating old and new. (I know, I should get out more.)
This playlist looks like a real treat. Opening with the stupendous Midnight City by M 83 had me on board at once, Personally, I think there is a lot to like in the music of the 80s.
I look forward to giving it all a listen. Thanks!
Why are the 80s so influential now? Can we put it down to kids listening to their parents’ record collections?
A friend on Facebook suggested that, as most modern music is made on computers, these are just the factory presets now; in other words, the kids aren’t consciously mimicking the 80s, it’s just what their instruments of choice sound like. Beyond that, old music of all eras appeals to kids but maybe they pick up on the have-a-go flamboyance of 80s vocalists, or simply the fact that the music just sounds current. It’s omnipresent in games, films, ads and on TikTok. I didn’t need to explain to my 15-year-old how Blinding Lights by the Weeknd totally rips off Take on Me, a song from 20 years before he was born; he already knew somehow.