# What's the "Eighties-est" song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 28, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247 "2020-08-28T14:52:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/1 "2020-08-28T14:52:22Z")
Yes, this is clearly a ripoff of… ummm, I mean an homage to this thread: [‘What’s the “Seventies-est” song?’](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777). I enjoyed but didn’t reply to it, because my choice would have been “Chevy Van” which was already cited about 3 or more times by the time I got there. Anyway, I was watching ‘Tuff Turf’ on Amazon Prime last night, which is one of the eighties-est movies ever, and it had a very 80’s soundtrack, which got me wondering. I won’t require a specific genre for this, unlike the “Seventies-est song” OP, who specified “no disco”. I believe there are 3 main genres to choose from: - **Synth-heavy Alternative / New Wave:** a-ha, Soft Cell, Flock of Seagulls, Human League, etc. - **Hair band rock:** Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Guns 'n Roses, etc. - **R&B:** Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, etc. Radio-friendly pop, like Cyndi Lauper or Bonnie Tyler, might be a fourth category. Personally, I’m not sure, but when I think of the soundtrack of the 80’s I usually imagine something synth-heavy and new-wavish, like Tainted Love, I Ran, or something by Depeche Mode. It’s not the music I liked or listened to in the 80’s, but it’s what I hear in my head when I think of that weird decade. P.S. “Never Gonna Give You Up” is a perfectly legit choice, so RickRoll away if you so choose. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/2 "2020-08-28T14:59:45Z")
I’ll nominate _Whip It_ by **Devo**. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/3 "2020-08-28T15:10:47Z")
Rio, by Duran Duran? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/4 "2020-08-28T15:21:25Z")
In the radio friendly pop category it’s something from Madonna. Hardly matters what. If you want to evoke the 80s play her stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/5 "2020-08-28T15:32:14Z")
I didn’t even have to think twice. “She-Sheila” by The Producers. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/6 "2020-08-28T15:41:41Z")
I was going to say “My Sharona,” but it was released in 1979. Maybe that still counts. How about “Another one bites the dust?" ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/7 "2020-08-28T15:45:15Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I believe there are 3 main genres to choose from: > > - **Synth-heavy Alternative / New Wave:** a-ha, Soft Cell, Flock of Seagulls, Human League, etc. > - **Hair band rock:** Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Guns 'n Roses, etc. > - **R&B:** Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, etc. “Beat It” by Michael Jackson has Eddie Van Halen on guitar, represents one of the unquestioned biggest albums of the 80s, and, as a bonus, gave Weird Al his big breakthrough. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Rio, by Duran Duran Here on the SDMB, this is the obvious correct answer. > [@ZonexandScout](#): > > I didn’t even have to think twice. “She-Sheila” by The Producers. Never heard of it/them. And the 80s were my era. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/8 "2020-08-28T15:49:23Z")
That’s one of the reasons I chose “She-Sheila.” The Producers were moderately successful, appearing in quite a few TV specials. The band and the song are quintessential 80s…you could hardly tune into MTV without seeing the video. But, unlike many other bands of that era, they did not continue to be popular beyond that decade. You hardly ever hear them, even on classic radio and Sirius, and they just evaporated. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/9 "2020-08-28T15:49:47Z")
Great answers so far, though about this one: > [@ZonexandScout](#): > > I didn’t even have to think twice. “She-Sheila” by The Producers. I just watched the video on YouTube since I wasn’t familiar with this song. It does positively exude 80’s vibes (love the shoulder-strap mount keyboard intro), but respectfully, I just don’t think the song was popular enough to define a decade. Though it did get me thinking of a possible 5th genre category, power pop. The Producers reminded me a bit of The Romantics. Though their breakout hit “What I Like About You” was first released in '79, it gota a LOT of play on MTV in the early 80’s. And speaking of power pop songs that straddled the decades, this is another borderline one: > [@beowulff](#): > > I was going to say “My Sharona,” but it was released in 1979. Maybe that still counts. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/10 "2020-08-28T15:51:27Z")
Since it’s pretty easy to pick hundreds of songs from your 3 genres I’ll try to step outside the box and nominate a couple that would be more defined by the 80s than by the genre. Robert Palmer- Addicted to Love Peter Gabriel- Sledgehammer ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/11 "2020-08-28T15:51:29Z")
Again, I deliberately chose the song because it characterized the era, not because it has continued to be popular and omnipresent. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/12 "2020-08-28T15:53:07Z")
I take your point, but I think a song has to be recognizable to a majority of people who remember the 80’s to count. As Thudlow\_Boink said, I came of age in the 80’s and I never heard of that song. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/13 "2020-08-28T15:56:35Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Since it’s pretty easy to pick hundreds of songs from your 3 genres I’ll try to step outside the box and nominate a couple that would be more defined by the 80s than by the genre. > > Robert Palmer- Addicted to Love > Peter Gabriel- Sledgehammer Yeah, “defined by the 80’s” is the main point-- I was just trying to say I didn’t want to confine it to one particular genre. Two great nominations, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/14 "2020-08-28T15:57:14Z")
Honorable mention: “Video Killed The Radio Star.” It was some sort of meta-commentary on the emerging-at-the-time video industry; was the first video played on MTV; and it predicted how music videos would redefine the music industry for a decade. Except it was released in 1979. I nominate “Come On Eileen.” It checks all the right boxes: New Wave-y feel, a one-hit wonder, part of the British Invasion, lyrics that are vaguely sexual yet ambiguous enough to not raise eyebrows. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/15 "2020-08-28T15:57:26Z")
“Video Killed the Radio Star” - even if you didn’t know the song before, if you hear 4 notes you’ll know it’s from the 80s. And then, of course, it’s the song that launched MTV. (And the video is pure 80s-style “we don’t know what we’re doing, but what the hell - let’s add another special effect!”) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/W8r-tXRLazs/maxresdefault.jpg "The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r-tXRLazs) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/16 "2020-08-28T16:02:07Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I’ll nominate _Whip It_ by **Devo**. - _“Dare To Be Stupid”_ by Weird Al was more **Devo** than **Devo** itself according to Motherbaugh himself. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/17 "2020-08-28T16:03:10Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > “Video Killed the Radio Star” - even if you didn’t know the song before, if you hear 4 notes you’ll know it’s from the 80s. And then, of course, it’s the song that launched MTV. (And the video is pure 80s-style “we don’t know what we’re doing, but what the hell - let’s add another special effect!”) Yes, I don’t think “released in '79” necessarily disqualifies a song from defining the 80’s, and VKTRS is definitely a seminal 80’s song. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/18 "2020-08-28T16:09:11Z")
It’s possible to check imdb and other databases for the most common songs found in films and television shows set in the 80s. If it’s not an actual reflection of 80s music it will be in the future because our actual memories of the 80s will fade and be replaced by those examples we are reminded of in current culture. Going back a couple of decades, I don’t even know what the song is, but I can hear the opening notes of it, it’s found in just about any movie set in the 60s during a somewhat poignant moment. It’s probably something from Simon&Garfunkel. I may never have heard that song in the 60s, or not very often, but culture creates history in this way. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/19 "2020-08-28T16:25:36Z")
After giving it some thought, it seems like “Oh Yeah” by Yello was everywhere in the latter half of the 1980s. Funnily enough as a kid I never realized there was a voice in the song saying “oh yeah”; I always thought of it as the “Dooo Bow Bow” song. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/20 "2020-08-28T16:29:39Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cVikZ8Oe_XA/maxresdefault.jpg "Falco - Rock Me Amadeus (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVikZ8Oe_XA) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247.md?page=2)