‘Pop Goes the World’ - Men Without Hats
‘Mental Hopscotch’ - Missing Persons
‘This is Not a Love Song’ (among others) - Public Image Ltd.
‘Debaser’ (among others) - The Pixies
‘She Talks in Stereo’ - Gary Myrick & The Figures
‘Only a Lad’ - Oingo Boingo
‘Hyperactive’ - Thomas Dolby
‘Wouldn’t it be Good’ - Nik Kershaw
I listen to a lot of www.radioio.com on their 80’s station and get a lot of great obscure song titles that you’ve probably heard but never knew who did it (as the above when I was but a wee lad). I write them down and then buy them from ITunes whenver I can. Unfortunately I’m at work, and my collection is at home, but the above stand out at the moment.
Erasure - Oh L’amour
Boney M - Young, Free, and Single
Man 2 Man - Male Stripper
Cocteau Twins - Wax and Wane
Ministry - Effigy
Crowded House - Don’t Dream It’s Over
Swing Out Sister - Break Out
Nena - 99 Luft Balloons
A, E, I, O, U sometimes Y - Ebn-Ozen
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax
A-ha - Take On Me
Big Country - Big Country
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
Missing Persons - Destination Unknown
Didn’t see these mentioned, but I did take out Alison Moyet’s Don’t Go, so sorry if there’s repeats.
Elvis Costello-Oliver’s Army, Alison
Spandau Ballet-True
Haircut 100-Love Plus One
Level 42-Something About You
Squeeze-Tempted, Pulling Mussels From the Shell
Split Enz-I Got You
Violent Femmes-Blister In the Sun
Kajagoogoo-Too Shy
Smiths-Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, I Know It’s Over
If you’re including Ministry, Front 242 is a must.
Slight hijack: Do any Chicagoans remember Medusa’s off of Clark and Belmont? Almost every Saturday of my formative years were spent there.
Hey, we haven’t had any Thompson Twins yet. How about “Hold Me Now,” “Doctor, Doctor” and “We Are Detective”?
Also:
“Beat So Lonely” - Charlie Sexton
“Slave to Love” - Bryan Ferry
“More Than This” - Roxy Music
“Wonderland” - Big Country
“No Promises” - Icehouse
“Will You Stay Tonight?” - ComSat Angels (went by “C.S. Angels” in the U.S)
“Indigo Eyes” - Peter Murphy
“Major Tom” - Peter Schilling
“I Want You Back” - Hoodoo Gurus
“Talk Talk” - Talk Talk
“Lawn Chairs” - Our Daughter’s Wedding
RevTim, I poked around and found out that Michael DesBarres’s version of “Obsession” is available from Out of Print Music.com (search under “Michael Des Barres”). I may have to order a copy, myself!
Jeez, had to get to the end of the first page before anyone brought up Elvis Costello or Squeeze! And no mention yet of Nick Lowe/Dave Edmunds/Rockpile, Graham Parker, Joe Jackson or the Pretenders–not to mention such less lights as Wreckless Eric, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, the Motors, the Records, or Bram Tchaikovsky. Back around 1978-79, this was the New Wave.
Yeah, but the OP said he was interested in particular styles of New Wave/New Romantic that lean toward lots of synthesizers. I can think of other good songs too but they don’t quite fit the type.
These are classic '80s songs that people seem to have missed
Duran Duran – Rio / Notorious
Men Without Hats – Safety Dance
Roy Parker J. – Ghostbusters Theme
If you’re looking for the extreme synth-poppy sound that many people associate with the 80’s:
Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough
OMD – Tesla Girls / Electricity / Messages
Soft Cell – Chips On My Shoulder
Kraftwerk – Pocket Calculator
Thomas Dolby – Europa And The Pirate Twins
This is from the late 70s, but the melody is immortal and it kicked off the synth-pop idea:
Hot Butter – Popcorn
Some good songs, if not wholly representative of the movement:
Soft Cell – Torch/Heat/Numbers (The Soft Cell duo ended up despising Tainted Love; do them a favour and listen to some of their other music. Very dark and distinctive.)
Depeche Mode – Never Let Me Down Again
Is This The House? – Eurhythmics
I mentioned 2 songs by Men Without Hats. Don’t just skim other people’s lists. I know mine is somewhat far down on the first page, but I did mention them, as well as correctly attributing another song to the proper artist, another poster didn’t seem to notice that I, too had posted the song, and gave the correct band.
I object to that - I did not skim other people’s lists, I know that posts like this are pointless. But it easy to miss or forget one, especially when there is already so much on the list. I searched the document to make sure but it seems you wrote ‘Safey Dance’.
Just going by sound alone, as opposed to genre or type of instrumentation, how about:
Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen Every Breath You Take by The Police Careless Whisper by Wham! Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder
and maybe even Eye In The Sky by Alan Parsons Project Africa by Toto
These songs have a deep, flowing, almost bassy sound that the list in the OP seems to be focusing on. Also, I’ll second the suggestions of Shout, Take On Me, Moving In Stereo, You Spin Me 'Round, Take My Breath Away, Your Wildest Dreams, and Something About You because those songs also have this particular sound.
You guys are giving me some great suggestions. However, I think the selections are going a little bit too wide. I’m definitely going to look into Depeche Mode, Berlin, the Squeeze, etc.
Sunfish has got it right here. I want to stay away from the guitar rock and I want to stick to the “earnest romantic” theme.
I’m shying away from Duran Duran, Fine Young Cannibals, and the B-52s, because their songs don’t seem to have enough of the “mopey” quality that I’m looking for. On the other hand, the Smiths and the Cure have too much mopiness, bordering on a kind of pathology (plus their sound is more rock and punk to me than New Romantic). The Police is also too far on the rock side and while they do have several synth-based songs, I don’t think the mood is quite the earnest romanticism of New Romantics. I’m wondering whether “Blister in the Sun” fits into the too-punky group.
Peter Gabriel and the Eurythmics are kind of “too good” for this list. They are less easy to fit into this genre. Anyway, isn’t Annie Lennox American? I’m wondering whether Roxy music fits into this group as well.
David Bowie, I want to avoid because his career is too lengthy and diverse to fit into a limited genre. I’m really looking for instantly recognisable archetypes.
Crowded House seems to me to be from a later genre of alternative rock. (And aren’t they Australian?)
Toto, Wham! – too mainstream pop in my view.
I think Tears for Fears’s sound fits, but “Shout” doesn’t seem to have enough of the earnest romantic feel.
