The message was clear: Turner’s career still had fabulous legs. But its cut-through-the-chaos message still connects with anyone aiming to clear out a polluted stream of consciousness. There’s something to be said for having a boss. On "Push It," all-gal Queens hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa made pop magic via a seemingly simple combination of Casio beats; a few big, dumb keyboard stabs; and a lot of impassioned, steamy cries of "Ooh, baby baby.". Bush was discovered when barely into her teens, knocking out genius tunes on a piano in her cozy Kent, England, home. Fun music. Those unforgettable snare snaps comes courtesy of producer Steve Albini, and it’s one of the many touches the band’s most popular song (one that wasn’t even released as a single in ’88) has going for it: Among the many others, there’s Kim Deal’s haunting, reverb drenched backing vocals that so many indie-rock groups would go on to ape, a cracked-voiced Black Francis spitting out cryptic-cool lyrics, and deceptively simple lead guitar and bass combo that still gives us goosebumps. Gaye already gifted the world arguably the greatest song about sex ever, "Let’s Get It On," in 1973. Thirdly because that’s how good the music from the 80s was. “Keep a place for me,” he sings over classic bare guitar strums. Jones liked it so much he sampled the track a decade later in “The Globe.”. We get so used to the sleek, funky side of Michael Jackson that it's easy to forget how hard "Beat It" actually legitimately rocks. But the hit album Private Dancer and its chart-topping single, “What’s Love Got to Do with It”—her first top-10 song in more than a decade—made the tough soul icon a solo superstar. The ’80s were not a time of subtlety. In 1987, Houston was still very much a fresh-faced siren with the crystal-clear voice and a world of possibilities at her feet. By this point, you know where you stand on this one: You hear Jonathan Cain's piano intro, and you either swell up with joy or wince in pain. Commented Mick Jones, of the recording process: "We did a few takes, and it was good, but it was still a bit tentative. So grab the mic, knock back a drink and prepare to belt out one of these surefire hits. It is. Oh, and there's also the little matter of the greatest drum fill in pop history at the 3:40 mark. Now we’re getting serious. If it doesn’t infect you, you’re dead. With a no-nonsense attitude and some killer dance moves (the video was choreographed by Paula Abdul), Jackson established herself as one of R&B's leading innovators and a woman who wasn't afraid to demand what she deserved. Our sonic roundup of the era that brought us Miami Vice, mall culture and more awesomely cheesy entertainment than any sane person can handle is wonderfully diverse. The Connells were a North Carolina band similar to REM, in the jangle pop mode… they’re still together, but hit their peak in the 80s and early 90s. Written by the Bee Gees, what could possibly be said about the quality of this ballad that has not already been talked about? Listen to it. (Twee, I know, but we were 18, come on). One-hit wonderful, “I Can’t Wait” is Nu Shooz’s only real smash, topping the charts around the world in 1986. was still emerging from the niche of college rock. 12. Pinnacle of New Wave. Unlike its evil twin in 1980s rock, Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” the song was not a huge pop hit; on its 1987 album, Document, R.E.M. Listening to it now—and, we assume, then—that’s a tough pill to swallow. Oh, it’s so easy to mock U2: the bombast, the shades, the pomp… But the band’s 1987 opus, The Joshua Tree, contains three of its mightiest songs in a row, of which “With or Without You” is its most affecting. “Africa” was their contribution to the wave of telethon pop that clogged the Reagan era, another patronizing plea for charity like “We Are the World” and Band Aid. So we chopped and moussed our hair into spikes and slashed shapes, adapted early late 50s/early 60s clothes to our needs, took on a cheesy, the-future-is-neon-bizarro attitude, put on our skinny ties and wayfairers, and went out to mock the world and DANCE. As a cocksure teenager, Prince passed on four major-label record deals, demanding artistic autonomy until Warner Bros. granted it. Listen to the lyric. The perma-coifed Commodores frontman's 1983 single smashes any attempts to resist its groove. And please remember, this is not a list of the BEST songs of the 80s… merely the most beautiful. The sexual innuendo is awesomely over-the-top (did any teen couple in the '80s not make out to this song? This one’s for Jamie, though it’s not a token Kiwi inclusion. Even that sampling by MC Hammer can't diminish its greatness. The trio, a splinter from the English Beat, had its roots in ska, but over two albums chiseled a new pop sound that would echo onward from Massive Attack to TV on the Radio. Touching, sad, emotional without being manipulative—I think this song is absolutely perfect and I have never heard a cover version that matches up to Cyndi’s original. We defy your feet to stay on the floor as that cyclical, cynical, irresistible chorus hurtles on. Hard rockers, synth-poppers and soul singers all released ballads and meditations that accompanied their deep feelings with dramatic musical gestures—sparkling pianos, weepy guitar solos, slick saxophones, vocals that went the extra octave. If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. All of that changed with "What Have You Done for Me Lately," the lead single from her third effort, Control. Those synthesized strings, that thumping boots-and-pants beat, Astley's weirdly robust croon and his romantic-wooing-as-used-car-salesman-pitch come-on ("You wouldn't get this from any other guy")… It all adds up to three and a half of the most effervescent minutes in the ’80s canon. It also boasts perhaps the most fitting last line in a sex song to date: “Please don't procrastinate / It's not good to masturbate.”. , pack a ton of punch. Eventually, he had the shit sued out of him, and hip-hop was forever changed. Fantastic vocal, great synths… like the background music to a dream… riding and flowing along in a way that reminds you of being half-awake on a long journey. Toto was a collection of studio ringers with credits on Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs records. And it seemed to inspire them, because after that they did it on one take. Editors’ Notes The ‘80s maximalist ideal helped make its softer songs a little more grandiose. Known for their big college radio hit “74/75.” But this song… whoa. Complexity, be damned! Not convinced? Sadly, this song seems to be unavailable on YouTube or any place similar. The Purple Rain soundtrack was thought to be complete, but the director needed a power ballad to lay over a montage of domestic discord. the best harmonies you might hear While the duo achieved its greatest success on home turf, this 1985 ode to London street life was written and recorded in New York, as the pair recalls in our interview, and bristles with urban seediness (note: It’s partly inspired by T.S. There’s also an album version of this without the trumpets, but why would you even want that? Listen to "How Deep is Your Love" here. Wrapped in chest hair, sunglasses and terry cloth, these feathery dudes were too anonymous to be deserving of the term supergroup. Emotional 80s. This song just can’t help making you smile. The song’s masterfully infectious synth riff, sampled back to glory by Pitbull and Christina Aguilera in 2013’s “Feel This Moment,” would be enough to secure it a spot on any list of ’80s classics. Listen out for "drifter" in the chorus, which replaced an earlier recording using the word "hobo," after lead singer David Coverdale worried that it sounded too much like "homo." “Nineteen eighty-nine…” The first five syllables of Public Enemy’s most zeitgeisty hit, made at the request of Spike Lee for his groundbreaking film. Roxy Music’s most played song on Spotify by a country mile (the runner up, “Avalon,” draws about half the audience) didn’t even crack, Has a drum introduction ever sounded this. And yet, the sharp crack of a proverbial whip yielded some stunning results in 1984. The famously cantankerous Lou Reed loved it, as did Tom Cruise’s go-get-’em titular character in. Ditching the original's energy for Marc Almond's cut-glass tones and unashamedly machine-driven melodies, Soft Cell's version soon became huge, paving the way for the ’80s synth-pop explosion that followed. Robert Smith’s un-merry men spent roughly half of the ’80s making desperately sad goth rock, and the other half writing some of the best pop songs of all time. Love how she breaks free at the end. Eliot’s The Wasteland). The third single from Guns N' Roses' shining debut, 1987's Appetite for Destruction, it was the band's first and only number one single. We'll still pass on that Vegemite sandwich, though, thanks. From one of my absolute most favorite groups from the 80s, a song that made my jaw drop the first time I heard it. By the middle of the decade, the band was mining house music heavily enough to join a union in Chicago though always balancing disco ecstasy with melancholy in true Mancunian fashion. As the 1970s turned in the 1980s, punks and rockers (and there was a difference then) both became enamored with the sounds coming out of New York City. More than three decades on, it never fails to make us sing our fool hearts out on the dance floor. 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