8. Maneater by Hall & Oates- I love Hall and Oates and
am eternally jealous that my mom got to see them in concert. Lucky. J Hall and Oates are an
essential eighties band. They have a smooth, layered sound, familiar saxophone
line, synthesizers, and no editing, save for a cute echoing effect that many
bands used. Great song.
7. Tainted Love by Soft Cell- And the award for weirdest
music video goes to Soft Cell. I swear, the music video makes little to no sense,
but it’s still a great song. If my future relationships ever fail, I’m just
going to say we broke up because of tainted love. No one my age will get it,
but I’ll feel cool for 15 seconds. Anyways, the song is a cover of Gloria
Jonses’ song and I think this a definite case of “the cover is better than the
original” that we love to pin on songs. J
This song deserves it. Those synthesizers really made this song special. Add in
the cover of “Where Did Our Love Go” at the end, and you’ve got a perfect
example of the eighties.
6. One Thing Leads to Another by The Fixx- I put this song
on one of my favorite music video lists before, but I figured the actual song
deserved a few seconds of recognition. The lyrics are simple but at least I
think they have a point; I’m not completely sure. J I love the effects, the
backing vocals, strong guitar lines, and the infectious melody. Such great
songwriting.
5. Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles- I realize
that everybody who has any knowledge of the eighties will say “Everybody knows
that song. It was the first song on VH1. Gah, Bella, choose something
interesting.” Oh, hush. This song is legendary. It’s one of the best one hit
wonders to come out the eighties, probably because of the originality,
unforgettable intro, and a distinctive sound. When this comes on, most people—I’m
excluding stupid people—know what song it is.
4. Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood- A wild card, yes,
yes, yes…I know. This song is just so eighties
I feel I would be minimizing its importance if I chose not to include it. Between
the envelope-pushing music video, sexual lyrics, and dance-pop elements, this
song was a big milestone of the eighties. It’s not necessarily the best song
and the lyrics are mediocre, but it’s very memorable. J
3. Shattered Dreams by Johnny Hates Jazz- Oh, my goodness. I
remember the first time I heard this song. I had that chorus stuck in my head
all weekend. This song is a perfect example of how to create a good song. All
the parts beautifully merge together, creating one of my favorite, and often
overlooked, singles of the 1980’s.
2. View To a Kill by Duran Duran- yes, this is the song from
the James Bond movie. J
Any band that uses a 60-piece orchestra automatically gets my respect. The
lyrics seem silly unless one remembers that the song is supposed to be the
theme for the James Bond movie of the same name. I love the horns and how the
lead singer’s voice just soars over all the creative instrumentation. Can I say
that this may be the best James Bond theme yet? No? Oh, well. I will anyways. J
1. That’s All by genesis- Phil Collins…enough said. But I’ll
say more anyways. I love that electric piano at the beginning, that organ solo
in the middle, the way the drumming intensifies, and distorted guitar near the
end. Beautiful.
I hope you enjoyed my top 8 songs of the eighties, though I
realize I could have included 20 other tracks on there, but it’s a nice start.
Who knows? I might add to it later.
Until next week.
Bella
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