# Were the 80s a lost decade for music, or am I full of it **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 12, 2016, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716 "2016-03-12T04:23:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/21 "2016-03-12T11:50:56Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Rio, by Duran Duran For the win!!! It actually is correct here! Yeah, not sure about the OP. Wonderful music from the 80’s. I remember MTV/VH1 whomever had one of those Behind the Music type shows on different years in music. 1984 was just abundant. Yes, it was a show to pimp MTV’s own influence, but there was good music going on. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/22 "2016-03-12T12:09:58Z")
Agree with all of the above. Some excellent pop doing writing went on in the 80s – think of New Zealand’s Finn brothers (Split Enz, Crowded House), just as a typical example. One reason 80s music tends to _sound_ cheap and dated is, of course, the synthesizers and drum machines. It’s just bad luck that these technologies happened to become widely available then, forever coloring so many great songs with the awful noise of metal garbage can lids being smashed together (for example). The 90s were obviously a reaction against this…and by the 2000s, hip-hop, R+B, and pop in general had perfected ways of combining electronic sounds with human warmth (there were 90s precedents for this, from jazz-rap like Digable Planets to proggy mood rock like Radiohead). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/23 "2016-03-12T12:17:31Z")
That should be “pop _song_writing” in the first paragraph of the previous post. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/24 "2016-03-12T12:19:00Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Odd choice. I can see that being the case for, say, A Flock Of Seagulls or some other haircut¶chute pants band. But Prefab Sprout are [f’ing timeless](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZkLV3ZjeI) and I have no shame enjoying them completely unironically. Respect. (Nods head) > [@JKellyMap](#): > > The 90s were obviously a reaction against this…and by the 2000s, hip-hop, R+B, and pop in general had perfected ways of combining electronic sounds with human warmth (there were 90s precedents for this, from jazz-rap like Digable Planets to proggy mood rock like Radiohead). Yep. In a few years this whole “brostep” sounds invading the mainstream will become a joke and many songs will be forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/25 "2016-03-12T12:32:03Z")
The obvious test: play an acoustic version of the song. I remember when folks started doing acoustic versions of **New Order** songs - they hold up really well. Not sure that would happen with a Skrillex track. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/26 "2016-03-12T12:42:19Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > The obvious test: play an acoustic version of the song. I remember when folks started doing acoustic versions of **New Order** songs - they hold up really well. > > Not sure that would happen with a Skrillex track. 😉 It becomes [surprisingly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSeNSzJ2-Jw) [enjoyable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH8hTZ9Y4-4), if a tad repetitive. But a good acoustic version of anything will always sound nice, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/27 "2016-03-12T12:51:38Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > It becomes [surprisingly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSeNSzJ2-Jw) [enjoyable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH8hTZ9Y4-4), if a tad repetitive. > > But a good acoustic version of anything will always sound nice, I guess. That’s not a _song_, it is a fingerpicking practice drill. I agree, pleasant sounding, but not a song. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/28 "2016-03-12T13:03:59Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > The obvious test: play an acoustic version of the song. I remember when folks started doing acoustic versions of **New Order** songs - they hold up really well. Right. There’s an interesting example of this _from_ the 80s: In 1984, Jethro Tull released an album, _Under Wraps_, marred by horrendous synthesizers and drum machines – including the title track. Luckily, they were smart enough to include an acoustic version of that same title track on the album – and it’s a delightful little song that holds up well today. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/29 "2016-03-12T14:11:15Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > I mean, let’s face it, if you want to enjoy your Prefab Sprout in this time and age, you have to pretend that you are doing it ironically, like a hipster. Whoah! Prefab Sprout were a quality band and much respected at the time and throughout the decades since. “Steve McQueen” was a great, great album. “From Langley Park to Memphis” not too far behind and “Jordan: the comeback” tops both of them in my book. “when love breaks down” is one of the great songs of _any_ era. Great band, superb songs, no irony needed. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/30 "2016-03-12T14:20:32Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > For the win!!! It actually is correct here! > > Yeah, not sure about the OP. Wonderful music from the 80’s. I remember MTV/VH1 whomever had one of those Behind the Music type shows on different years in music. 1984 was just abundant. Yes, it was a show to pimp MTV’s own influence, but there was good music going on. And that’s really just it. All times produce good music of many and varied styles. Whether any individual thinks that period was ‘good’ is really dependent on whether they like those styles or not. Good music is where you find it. There’s no simpler statement than that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/31 "2016-03-12T14:31:43Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Depeche Mode. Cure. Smith’s. Guns n Roses. Run DMC. Public Enemy. U2. > > The 80s saw several new genres explode. IMO the 80s were a great decade for music. I agree. It’s probably my favorite decade for music. I was born in '75, and didn’t really start digging into '80s music until much later (at least non-Top 40 '80s music–but I liked the charts this decade, too.) While the '90s hit me when I was a teenager, overall, I think the '90s were kind of a shitty decade for music, at least as far as my tastes are concerned. There’s actually not all that much that I still listen to from that decade or, when I do, it’s from the very early part of the decade. The main exception to that is Sleater-Kinney. (Although I’m sure there’s more if I think about it for more than a couple of seconds.) ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/32 "2016-03-12T14:56:48Z")
I totally disagree. The early to mid 80s were, pound for pound, the best that popular music ever got. Look at this [murderer’s row of music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_in_music#Albums_released) that came out in 1984 alone. Check out the list of albums and then the list of singles. It’s amazing how many of them are still instantly recognizable classics today. And that’s just one year. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/33 "2016-03-12T14:57:44Z")
Dire Straits put out some really good music in the 80’s ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/34 "2016-03-12T15:14:25Z")
You ARE full of it. I adored the 80’s. Kate Bush, Adam Ant, Billy Idol, Simple Minds, Michael Jackson, Berlin, Wang Chung…yeah, some of it was all style and no substance, some classics that will never die, just like in every other decade. The 80’s music was great! It was the last hurrah, musically, for me as I kind of let it go due to life changes. ---
**Author:** ![Joools](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6de8d8/32.png) [@Joools](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joools)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/35 "2016-03-12T15:40:24Z")
> [@](#): > > The rise of… hip hop… doesn’t really compare to the impact [of] alternative rock in the 90s or 70s… I love alternative rock as much as the next guy, but let’s not overstate its importance. The rise of hip hop in the 1980s was the development of a new genre of music, which has gone on to dominate pop music in subsequent decades. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/36 "2016-03-12T15:57:53Z")
> [@Joools](#): > > I love alternative rock as much as the next guy, but let’s not overstate its importance. The rise of hip hop in the 1980s was the development of a new genre of music, which has gone on to dominate pop music in subsequent decades. Yeah, I mean, the biggest music revolution of my lifetime is hip-hop, not 90s alternative music. 90s alternative music was just a continuation of what came before. The birth of hip-hop is the closest I’ve come to knowing what it must have felt like to have been there during the birth of rock & roll. I mean, rap and hip hop completely changed the face of pop music much in the way rock did in the 50s and 60s. I don’t see any possible way that 90s alternative can be compared with this. Look at the charts or just popular music today. How much of the music is influenced by rap & hip hop and how much by 90s alternative? You might not like that style of music, but it’s ludicrous to deny how influential it’s been for the last 30 years. For me, the three most important popular music revolutions of the 1900s are jazz, rock, and hip hop. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/37 "2016-03-12T17:27:40Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > The obvious test: play an acoustic version of the song. I remember when folks started doing acoustic versions of **New Order** songs - they hold up really well. [Damn straight!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ1c9ErCn7w) ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/38 "2016-03-12T17:56:22Z")
A lot of the above is garbage too. We can’t get carried away. The 80s were very cold and alienating in a lot of ways. Posing became the default. The recorded sounds were terrible, the drums were on some horrible fad that has never come back, for a good reason. Guitar soloing was way out of style in the early 80s for a while anyway. The Posing was almost unbearable. Did I say that already. The Replacements were the best thing to come out of it. Did you ever listen to American Music Club? Please do: California, Engine… ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/39 "2016-03-12T18:05:35Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > The 80s were one of the best decades for music, right after the 70s. The latter were a golden age for rock and the former for electronic/pop. Lots of new sounds cropped up, music videos were new, exciting and innovative. Several posters have already listed some of the great bands and genres that appeared or hit it big in the 80s. Since I agree with most of them, I won’t repeat what they’ve said. Suffice it to say that there was a lot of exciting things going on. A bit of everything for everyone. > > The 50s and 60s are more of a mixed bag. Some legendary artists and albums next to, well, an awful lot of juvenile, amateurish dreck. > > If I get to save 15 songs from the 90s, I’ll be happy. 20 would be plenty. Whiny grunge, techno and gangsta rap? I’ll pass, thanks. > > As for 2000-2016, half a dozen songs will do. > > IMO (and maybe showing my age), of course. This is a lineup of bands just from the \*\*SF Bay area \*\*in the 60s: The Dead The Airplane Creedence Clearwater Sly and The Family Stone Steve Miller Band Moby Grape Quicksilver Coutry Joe and The Fish The Beau Brummels Sons of Champlin Need I go on to LA or NY? ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716/40 "2016-03-12T18:27:23Z")
It’s always funny when someone tries to claim that some decade or another had crappy music. It’s all what you like. Great music from the 80’s not already mentioned: Blondie Van Halen\* The Cars Madonna NWA Aerosmith\* Metallica - - Had a 70’s presence as well. But really, any decade that produced _Thriller_ has to be considered a great decade. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-80s-a-lost-decade-for-music-or-am-i-full-of-it/748716.md?page=3)