The hits we remember from the 1980s can be split into two categories: the ones we continue to love, and those we continue to hate.
Sure, there was a lot of fluff produced in the decade (as is the case in any other), but the eighties was when quite a few artists tried to defy the fictive borders between genres and create some substantive music that remains to have value to this day.
Even though some were solid hits at the time or gained a serious fan following, quite a few of them faded into the memory of the wider audience, always searching for something else. This is the case with another 18 great songs here, that surely deserve a serious revival today.
These 1980s songs deserve a better fate
Talking Heads – “Once in a Lifetime” (1980)
One of the alternative favorites in the early days of MTV, this exquisite song introduced many to the sounds of world music, coming from Remain In Light, one of the albums that (deservedly) found its way on almost every best of all times lists. Brilliant concept, arrangement, performance, everything.
Tom Tom Club – “Genius of Love” (1981)
Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz went solo here, introducing disco, funk, and fledgling hip-hop to the ears of indie rock fans. No wonder it made it to number one. While it served as inspiration for many, quite a few fans forgot where this trend started in the first (or close to first) place.
A Flock of Seagulls – “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” (1982)
Forget the schmaltzy hairstyles (after all, Score brothers started out as hairdressers) and the fact that these guys produced more electro-cheese than high-quality stuff - this one of their high-scoring songs was one of the good ones and presents all that was actually good about early electro-pop.
Violent Femmes – “Blister in the Sun” (1983)
You can note down Gordon Gano and the Violent Femmes as one of the bands that started the folk punk sub-genre - producing high energy music with mostly acoustic instruments and feel, inspiring many who took up the same route. This song from their debut album and one of the band’s live staples shows what this sound was all about.
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - "Rattlesnakes" (1984)
This Scottish band took the indie/alternative land of the eighties by storm with their first album with their first album with the same title as this, possibly their signature song. Cole strikes an almost perfect balance between a great melody and lyrics, with excellent folky touches to boot.
R.E.M. - “So. Central Rain” (1984)
Quite a few R.E.M. fans prefer the band’s latter output to that they came up with in the eighties, but this song from Reckoning presents the band’s quintessential sound, whether it is the case of their earlier or later output. They played it on David Letterman’s show even before the song had a title, and it presents R.E.M. in all of the band’s glory.
Prefab Sprout - “Faron Young” (1985)
Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout was always a big fan of Americana music, but he also always had a unique approach to it, including astute probing lyrics. as is the case with this song from one of the band’s best albums (take your pick of the U.K. or U.S. title - Steve McQueen or Two Wheels Good). Thomas Dolby’s tomfoolery bleeps and bloops aside, it is a brilliant song that didn’t make a great indent as a single.
The Waterboys – “The Whole of the Moon” (1985)
Throughout their career, Mike Scott and The Waterboys had many musical (and lyrical faces, but in their earlier days with the late Karl Wallinger at the side, Scott was able to come up with some lush, intricate, even delicate songs, this one possibly being the prime one. It did reach the charts on the lower levels, making it to number 15 in Australia, and it deserved and still deserves more.
The Jesus and Mary Chain – “Just Like Honey” (1985)
Many connect The Jesus and Mary Chain, and particularly this song to the true beginning of the shoegaze, and those fuzzy guitars and echoing vocals may prove them right. There was no big indent in the charts at the time, but since then, quite a number of critics have included it in their ‘best of’ singles lists.
Husker Du - “Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely” (1986)
Moving away from their pure hardcore days into the more melody-oriented territory, Husker Du prime movers Bob Mould and the late Grant Hart had a great personal synergy to come up with some brilliant alt-rock, of which this song is one of the prime examples. Equal elements of a moving melody and high energy.
The Replacements - “Can’t Hardly Wait” (1987)
The Replacements took a similar route from ramshackle (but great) hardcore to shades of power pop and quite a few other things by the time they got to Pleased To Meet Me, possibly their best work, which included this song with its excellent brass arrangement.
The Sisters of Mercy – “This Corrosion” (1987)
Some critics and fans include The Sisters of Mercy among the kings of goth, one of the key reasons being this longish (yet quite brilliant) song that didn’t prevent it from reaching number seven on the U.K. charts. Try and compare this original with a sublime cover by Lambchop.
Suzanne Vega – “Luka” (1987)
You can think whatever you want about Suzanne Vega and most of her output, but this song is quite close to a stroke of brilliance with its serious, probing (and still very relevant) lyrics and the light airy melody and arrangement she foils these lyrics with. No wonder it got her to #3 in the charts, and it might get her there again.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – “The Mercy Seat” (1988)
Nick Cave at his Gothic Americana best with all the gory stuff - from murder to electric chairs, but with true passion and excellent presentation that was always something he excelled with. It got a serious revival with the cover by the legend Johnny Cash and certainly deserves another run.
Dinosaur Jr. - "Freak Scene" (1988)
Throughout his career, either as a solo artist or as a prime mover of Dinosaur Jr., J. Mascis presented himself as the maters of striking a balance between a great melody and some loud (extremely loud) guitar sounds, and it is here, on this song from the band's Bug album when that balance comes through the best.
The Go-Betweens – “Streets of Your Town” (1988)
There was a certain magic when Robert Forster and the late Grant McLennan got down to songwriting, with some critics comparing their partnership to that of Lennon and McCartney. While the band still has a large group of fans, The Go-Betweens never got the wide audience acceptance the band deserved, and this song shows why.
Les Negresses Vertes - "Zobie La mouche" (1989)
You may or may not understand the French language, but you cannot miss the high exuberance, energy, and overall wild atmosphere. Yes, it did make it big in France, but also elsewhere, and is still a sort of a staple across the dance floors in Europe.
Pixies – “Monkey Gone to Heaven” (1989)
This is one of the key Pixies songs, presenting the band at its most focused and probably the best, with its thumping bass and cryptic lyrics. It did not make much impact as a single, but it remains the favorite among devoted fans of the band, and there are many of those around.