The 1980s was a wonderful time for music because of the energy and hope for new subgenres fully forming. New Wave had begun in the late 1970s, for instance, but evolved in the early 1980s. Hair metal became a thing as well, for better or worse.
But because there were so many excellent musical artists finding their own way, some who might have been popular in the decade might be less so now. There are simply too many artists to try to remember. But all the ones on the list that follow are worth your time.
In some cases, a single song might cover up the rest of a very good catalog. In another case, the artist just did not reach the global audience they deserved even during the 1980s. And one artist was a groundbreaking group.
Five forgotten musical artists from the 1980s that one should still be listening to
Thomas Dolby
Dolby was as intelligent as his biggest-selling single, "She Blinded Me with Science," might imply. For the musician, the song was no gimmick using science as a crutch that he knew nothing about. In the 1990s, he founded a software company, and he has been on the faculty of the Peabody Institute at John Hopkins University since the mid-2010s. Plus, Dolby was a fairly underrated songwriter whose big song overshadowed the rest of his work, especially in the United States.
His first album, The Golden Age of Wireless, was initially released without "...Science," which had been released on an EP. But after the song's success, the album was re-issued with the single. In fact, the record was re-packaged and re-issued several times to include other tracks that became popular for Dolby in his native UK and a re-mixed version of "...Science."
Dolby's other singles that are must-listens are "Hyperactive!," "I Scare Myself," and "I Love You Goodbye." If you may have only heard his early tracks which are mostly electronic, his later music changes somewhat and becomes a bit more funk-influenced. (Plus, fun fact, he went to school with the Pogues' Shane MacGowan and the two were great friends.)
The Go-Gos
The Go-Gos were groundbreaking artists. They were the first all-female band to write their own songs, play their own instruments, and have a debut record top the Billboard album charts. The record was called Beauty and the Beat and was worthy of the honor. "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed" were the first two songs released from the album and both sound as vibrant today as they did in 1981.
The band formed in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s and while their sound is not classic punk, there are clear elements of it. The group played with speed and confidence. But few groups could equal the consistent hooks that brought the band fame at the time. Part of the issue might be that lead vocalist Belinda Carlisle became a fairly successful solo artist but her sound was much more saccharine pop and that might overshadow what the Go-Gos' early records were like.
Smithereens
This New Jersey band was most popular beginning in the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, but they still perform live today, although without original lead singer Pat DiNizio who unfortunately passed away in 2017. The group's early records had a heavy garage band sound but without unbelievably catchy hooks. Songs such as "Blood and Roses," "Only a Memory," and "A Girl Like You." But the band's entire catalog is worth exploring because listing all their bangers would take up three articles.
In a connection to Belinda Carlisle, the Smithereens did a single with her called "Blue Period." Don't start with this song, however. This is not a reflection of the best of the Smithereens. Start with their debut album, Especially For You, and go from there.
Joe Jackson
Jackson had a bit of an odd career in that it took him a while to truly catch on. He played clubs in the UK for many years before he finally had a hit with "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" in 1979. Then he changed his style to become much more jazz-influenced and he surprisingly became even more popular. His 1982 album, Night and Day, featured the wonderful earworm "Steppin' Out" and the slower-tempo "Breaking Us in Two."
Jackson's next album, 1984's Body and Soul, was also excellent, but his popularity began to wane after that. Not that Jackson seemed to care much as he was also more focused on being an artist than someone who sold lots of records. This includes making several classical records most of which have been quite well-received.
Adam Ant
Speaking of odd starts to careers, Adam Ant started as a bassist with one band and helped form his own only to have former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren take all the musicians except for Ant and make them into Bow Wow Wow. That would turn out to be McLaren's loss, however, as Ant became a pop star with double-digit top-ten hits in the UK and a couple of top-20 hits in the United States.
That was part of the issue Ant never became a global superstar. The U.S. audience mostly missed out on the cult of Ant. He had a devoted fanbase but it was small. But how can the multitude not love songs such as "Stand and Deliver," "Desperate But Not Serious," and "Strip"? In 1995, his track, "Wonderful," did peak at number 39 on the U.S. charts, but his 1980s music is so much better and completely worth one's time finding and listening to.