Five songs from the 1980s that have no business being as good as they are

The 1980s were brilliant. The music industry took a turn from disco and straightforward rock bands to subgenres a bit more charismatic. One may love or hate New Wave, but there is no doubt the subgenre has style.

The 1980s also saw the birth of hair metal and the very beginning of grunge. There was simply a lot to love. However, the idea that melody was extremely important never left the creative element of any subgenre.

The following five songs all have extremely strong melodies, and most have a touch of weirdness. There is also a lot of funk involved here. Mostly, these tracks are unabashedly fun.

Five brilliant songs from the 1980s

Roachford - "Cuddly Toy" (1988)

One might not know what is about to happen when the song begins as there is a feeling one is listening to filler music from some sugary sweet 1980s film, but then there is a huge change in the melody, and the track becomes one of pure joy. The song is overproduced, sure, but that is completely the point. After all, the track is called "Cuddly Toy." Did you expect Joy Division-type drama?

This tune is like an arena rock song, but there is no heaviness. The sure energy will force you to jump from your chair and wave your hands in the air as if you are not thinking about work the next day. There is almost a perfect escapism to the track. About three-quarters of the way through, there is even a shout-out to the call and response of a gospel hymn.

Besides shaking your booty, however, you will find yourself singing along to the chorus even if you have never heard the song before. There is something secretly intuitive about the stream of fun, and maybe that is because the band never meant to record the song; the track was an in-joke between the band members. That had to translate to the sound of the tune because it is ridiculously enjoyable.