8 popular ’80s songs that take us back
It is 1984, and Madonna is coming out of a car radio with a snare hit that lands like a dare. The production on Like a Virgin was engineered to sound new, slightly confrontational, and impossible to ignore, and it worked on all three counts. But what made it register beyond the charts was what it seemed to be announcing. A young woman could own her own narrative on pop radio. Desire could be funny and powerful at the same time. Femininity did not have to choose between innocence and ambition.
The decade that built itself around that sound was something else entirely.
The synthesizers, the shoulder pads, the production, so specific to its era that a two-second clip sends anyone who lived through it straight back to 1985. These eight songs are the evidence.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) — Eurythmics (1983)
Annie Lennox recorded the iconic vocal in a single take, reportedly in tears. Dave Stewart built the synthesizer loop from a drum machine left on overnight. It reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic and became one of the most recognizable opening sequences in pop history.
Livin’ on a Prayer — Bon Jovi (1986)
The song almost did not make the album. Bon Jovi and Sambora shelved it, thinking it was too different from the rest of the record. Their manager played a demo for test audiences, and the reaction brought them back to finish it. Four weeks at number one.
Walking on Sunshine — Katrina and the Waves (1985)
Katrina Leskanich wrote the melody humming in the shower, and the arrangement came together in a single afternoon. The song has been licensed for more advertisements and film trailers than virtually any other record from the decade.
Footloose — Kenny Loggins (1984)
The title track was written by Loggins and Dean Pitchford in response to a brief from the director, who wanted something that felt like a teenager finally getting to run. Three weeks at number one and an Academy Award nomination.
I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll — Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (1981)
Joan Jett did not write this song. She heard it at a Rolling Stones concert in 1976, performed by the Arrows, and spent five years trying to record a definitive version. When she finally did, it held the number one spot for seven consecutive weeks, the longest run of any record that year.
Time After Time — Cyndi Lauper (1984)
Lauper co-wrote the song with Rob Hyman in about an hour after seeing the phrase “time after time” in a TV listing guide. It became her first number one hit and gave the decade one of its most enduring slow songs, regularly appearing on best ballads lists four decades later.
Your Love — The Outfield (1985)
The Outfield was a British band that almost no one recognized as British. Tony Lewis wrote the song in twenty minutes. The opening guitar riff remains one of the most instantly identifiable in 80s rock, and the song peaked at number six despite almost no promotional push behind it.
Broken Wings — Mr. Mister (1985)
Richard Page wrote the song about rebuilding a relationship that seemed beyond repair. Two weeks at number one and the definitive sound of mid-decade adult contemporary radio.
Wrap up
Eight songs from a decade that made pop music feel enormous. Put one on. The rest of your afternoon just changed.
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