And you will love them too, you will see, trust me. You may have heard some of these before, but I bet you will discover a couple of great songs you didn’t know about. Hello and welcome to my third music post of this 2023.
“I wanted to prove the sustaining power of music.” — David Bowie
It’s been more than 30 years since the great decade of the 1980s ended, yet the impact of its culture is still present in our everyday lives.
Music of the 1980s, the subject of this post, was characterized by the heavy use of digital recording and lots of synthesizers. It was the golden age of pop music and hair metal bands.
The use of the saxophone was also very popular; I remember as a kid you could hear great sax parts everywhere you went (in the number one song on this list you will hear a great sax solo).
I didn’t include on this list big names like Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Prince or Depeche Mode. Instead, I went for more low-key artists that nevertheless produced pop music of good quality.
You will only find two underrated songs from two legends on this list.
So, without further ado, let’s begin:
12 - AC/DC - Nervous Shakedown (1984)
AC/DC - Nervous Shakedown (Official HD Video)
A very underrated song must people don’t know about unless they’re a very hardcore fan. The Flick of the Switch album of 1983 may not have sold as much as the previous ones, but it sure can deliver, and this song is a testament of that. Written by brothers Malcom and Angus together with vocalist Brian Johnson, it was released as the third single of the album. It has a nice intro and a killer guitar solo; the vocals of Johnson are also terrific. I discovered this one by chance in 2015 and since then I haven’t stopped rocking with it and you will too rock from now on, my friend.
11 - David Bowie – China Girl (1983)
David Bowie - China Girl (Official Video)
The trope of fetishizing Asian women has been around since before all of us were born, and it seems that even the great White Duke had a little case of yellow fever back in the day. This song is the second single of Bowie’s most commercially successful album of the 1980s, Let’s Dance, but was originally released in 1977 in an Iggy Pop album. It became a global hit thanks to Bowie’s version. The video features an Asian woman from New Zealand and won the first ever award for Best Male Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards. I discovered it a few years ago, but I’ve been listening to it now more often. I love the calm pace and rhythm; the riff, created by Bowie, complete this great song. RIP David Bowie.
10 - Corey Hart - Eurasian Eyes (1985)
Corey Hart - Eurasian Eyes (Official Music Video)
9 ½ Weeks may be a fiasco of a movie that was only good for showing us a naked Kim Basinger, but it was a sensation back in the 80s and its soundtrack it’s superb, full of pop hits from back in the day. This song is the 5th track of that soundtrack, it was written by Corey Hart himself and released in 1985. Corey Hart is a Canadian singer who, despite having some other hits, is considered a one hit wonder in the US. I remember borrowing the 9 ½ Weeks soundtrack from a classmate when I was in high school, and that’s how I discovered this cool song. It’s kind of mysterious, relaxing and sexy at the same time. Enjoy.
9 - ABBA - The Day Before You Came (1982)
ABBA - The Day Before You Came
By the early 1980s, it seems like the magic of Abba was fading away. Nevertheless they managed to release this wonderful song, the lead single from their compilation album The Singles: The First Ten Years. Written by Benny and Bjorn, it’s kind of sad, but romantic at the same time. A woman recounts a boring typical day before meeting the man of her life. The video has a great and bleak cinematography; I love the part where Agnetha bites her lip when looking at the man she likes, but my favorite part of the video is seeing the grey train crossing a bridge in southern Stockholm; by the end of the video you will see the train going away, that is Abba saying goodbye to one of the most successful careers ever in music history.
8 - Roxette - Listen To Your Heart (1988)
Roxette - Listen To Your Heart (Official Music Video)
I had completely forgotten about this one until last year when, one night, just by chance, I was changing channels just to see what was on, and I found a somewhat cool horror b-movie made in 2015 called Curve; the protagonist of the movie, a very pretty blonde, was listening this song while on a road trip. It brought me some old memories and I immediately rescued it from oblivion.
It was the second single from their second and so successful album Look Sharp!, and it was the band’s second number 1 in the US. The lyrics were written by singer and guitarist Per Gessle, and it goes about a marriage falling apart and following your instincts when it’s about love. The video was recorded at a Swedish castle in the Baltic Sea, built in the 13th century; it was voted Roxette’s Best Video Ever in 2006. RIP Marie Fredriksson.
7 - Poison – Cry Tough (1986)
Poison - Cry Tough
Cry Tough was Poison's first single and probably their most underrated song ever. Although it didn’t chart in the US, it was followed by other three that became successful and established these guys as one of the hair metal powers of the 1980s. You may not believe it, but The Look What The Cat Dragged In album from 1986 is considered one of the best debut albums in rock music history.
You may call Poison ludicrous, loud, infantile, ridiculous, and you’re probably right, but these guys really put on the effort and the sweat to gain their place in the extremely competitive rock scene of the Los Angeles of the 1980s. So give them a break, would ya? Not everything has to be a masterpiece. And this is one of the best songs ever written about perseverance. So sing out loud!
6 - Black - Wonderful Life (1987)
Black - Wonderful Life (Official Video)
Colin Vearncombe (1962-2016) was a British singer-songwriter who performed under the pseudonym Black. The song Wonderful Life was the first single from his 1987 album of the same name; it reached the Top 10 in many countries, has been covered several times and it’s his most famous song. Written by Black himself, it deals with themes of gratitude, appreciation, and finding beauty your everyday life, even if things are not working out the way you wanted. It’s also kinda ironic since he wrote the song in a moment of his life where he was struggling financially and almost starving. He once said: “Stop looking for happiness, it’s already here.”
I discovered this one in 2015 when I was watching the New Year’s Eve celebration on the French channel TV5 Monde; I loved it and immediately wrote down the name of the singer and the song. It’s cool ballad, always inspiring. The beautiful video in black and white was shot near Liverpool, I hope you like it. RIP Black.
5 - The Church - Under The Milky Way (1988)
The Church - Under The Milky Way
Sometimes they made great music down under and this song is a testament of that. I discovered this one in the early 2000s on a show about great songs of the 1980s; I remember they said this song was declared the best Australian song of all time. Written by the bass guitarist and lead vocalist of the band and his then girlfriend and released as the first single of The Church’s fifth album, it became the band’s biggest hit. But they couldn’t replicate the success of this great song and, although they have never stopped recording and touring, they’ve been cursed with the one hit wonder label.
This is a haunting, dark, enigmatic and beautiful song, all at the same time. Australian songwriter Steve Kilbey said about it: "It's not about anything," and “it's a blank, abstract canvas for people to lose themselves in”. So, lose yourself in this one and float across the Milky Way.
4 - Tanita Tikaram – Twist in My Sobriety (1988)
Tanita Tikaram - Twist In My Sobriety (Official Video)
A song I discovered this very year while changing channels and I was just amazed by it. Tanita Tikaram is a British pop singer of Malaysian and Indo-Fijian parentage, who released her debut album in 1988 where this song was included. Written by Tikaram herself when she was 19 years old and released as the second single from the Ancient Heart album, it is her most commercially successful song reaching the Top 10 in several countries.
The lyrics apparently deal with the deception of becoming an adult, when everybody is so indifferent to you; also about being too scared to get involved in things. It has the feeling of someone telling you a biblical story while you’re on a road trip, watching the landscape. The instrument of the solo is an oboe. The video, shot in Bolivia, must be one of the best videos ever shot in sepia. It may be somewhat of a one hit wonder, but what a wonder it is… you never get tired of listening to it, it is the perfect road song.
3 - Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face (1984)
Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face
The title of this song makes reference to a 1960 French horror film called Les yeux sans visage. Written by Billy himself with another guy, this song is a cool mixture of new wave with synthesizers and a great guitar solo. It deals with themes of guilt, infidelity and the loss of a once perfect love. I love the whole 1980s vibe of the video, the lightning and set designs; it was filmed in a 30-hour session marathon and it was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Cinematography. Probably the best ballad ever released by the ever rebel Billy Idol.
2 - Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon (1984)
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon (Official Music Video)
Echo & The Bunnymen is an alternative/new wave English rock band that is always cited as a major artistic influence in many articles, lists and so on, but I’ve never had the chance to listening to them until this year. The Killing Moon, the first single from their 4th album, rose into the UK Top 10 and stayed in the chart for six weeks; it is one of their biggest hits and is considered their best song ever.
“No one else has a song like The Killing Moon, not even Bowie”, those are the words of front man Ian McCulloch. The lyrics, dealing with destiny, life and everything else, are mesmerizing; and I love the whole pace of the song, mysterious, dark and inspiring at the same time. A quiet song to listen at night that makes you want to fade away with destiny.
1 - INXS - Never Tear Us Apart (Official Music Video)
INXS - Never Tear Us Apart (Official Music Video)
This is the one I’ve been listening the most lately. Released as a promotional single from their multimillion seller Kick of 1987, this is a beautiful song with great vocals, imaginative lyrics, a nice guitar arpeggio and a superb sax solo. Michael Hutchence is a legend that left us too soon. I had completely forgotten about this song until last November, when it appeared on my YouTube recommendations. This great ballad was also featured recently on a countdown as the number 1 most underrated song of the 1980s. The video, filmed in Prague, is pure timeless beauty. RIP Michael Hutchence.
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Until next time
Take care
Orlando Caine