# 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:** 11
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/203 "2020-09-10T05:48:26Z")
And no love for early INXS? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nnnq-Ce6CiY/maxresdefault.jpg "Black and White") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnnq-Ce6CiY) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PTULqzrhBWA/maxresdefault.jpg "INXS - Original Sin") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTULqzrhBWA) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sLm3Khusq_8/maxresdefault.jpg "INXS - Don't Change (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLm3Khusq_8) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/204 "2020-09-10T07:41:04Z")
a friend said Bobby McFerrin’s dont worry be happy picked up the late 80s "the worlds burin so lets party "vibe ---
**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:** [September 10, 2020, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/205 "2020-09-10T11:59:43Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > So, just asking, are we gonna vote on these or what? I’ve thought about that-- mostly I’ve just been enjoying the heck out of the memories this thread has stirred up. It’s funny, I was not into 80s-style music at all when I was a teen-to-young adult in the 80s, I was much more into 60s-70s rock: Stones, Floyd, Beatles, Zep, etc. But I did watch a lot of MTV, and many of those 80s songs wormed their way into my unconscious and have become my internal soundtrack for memories of that decade. If I find the time and motivation maybe I’ll do a poll from songs that have been mentioned a few times here. Haven’t done a Discourse poll yet. Can I add a poll to this preexisting thread? Thought I read somewhere you could do that in Discourse. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/206 "2020-09-10T12:01:47Z")
In honor of Cali right now [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZCM4_5uB1ww/maxresdefault.jpg "The Fixx - Red Skies") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCM4_5uB1ww) ---
**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:** [September 10, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/207 "2020-09-10T12:13:47Z")
I’ll see your “Red Skies” and raise with “Red Rain” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FkLTwX0duY4/maxresdefault.jpg "Peter Gabriel - Red Rain") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkLTwX0duY4) ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/208 "2020-09-10T12:17:51Z")
Both “Red Rain” and The Fixx’s ‘Stand or Fall’…belong in the aforementioned 'We all gonna die!!!" genre. Just thought of Fishbone’s “Party at Ground Zero” too. ---
**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:** [September 10, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/209 "2020-09-10T12:29:28Z")
> Both “Red Rain” and The Fixx’s ‘Stand or Fall’…belong in the aforementioned 'We all gonna die!!!" genre. > > Just thought of Fishbone’s “Party at Ground Zero” too. I remember the days pre-Gorbachev when the Soviets were propping up their ideology with ancient old-guard leaders like Yuri Andropov. There was a sense that Soviet Communism was collapsing, but what would a dying Soviet Union be capable of in its death throes? It wasn’t like I lived in constant anxiety, but there was definitely a strong background sense of “what kind of future world am I going to live in? Am I going to be able to raise a family? Probably won’t be practical in a nuclear-war scarred hellscape.” ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/210 "2020-09-10T12:42:53Z")
What kind of monster mentions INXS without having _The One Thing_? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XJyKTNdPL5s/maxresdefault.jpg "INXS - The One Thing (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJyKTNdPL5s) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/211 "2020-09-10T12:49:49Z")
Back in high school, a friend and I used to go for pizza late on Saturday nights and would always play _Mexican Radio_ on the jukebox [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eyCEexG9xjw/maxresdefault.jpg "Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw) And lastly, that Level 42 song always makes me think of China Crisis and the song _Arizona Sky_ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_vYeX16EFO0/hqdefault.jpg "China Crisis - Arizona Sky") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vYeX16EFO0) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/212 "2020-09-10T23:59:34Z")
For the vertically challenged, https://www.youtube.com/embed/lrRmgbchiGY?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PLyORuHPuMClL330qjOpKmrLWy3bDvVILS ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/213 "2020-09-11T01:10:11Z")
I almost forgot about the Purple one, and what was more 80s than the Batman Movie of 1989? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ulOLYnOthIw/hqdefault.jpg "Prince - Batdance (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulOLYnOthIw) ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/214 "2020-09-11T12:53:03Z")
The album “The Final Cut” is the ‘80est’ in a meta way. Its basically a slice of history of 80’s England. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/215 "2020-09-25T01:50:47Z")
West End Girls Pet Shop Boys [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/p3j2NYZ8FKs/maxresdefault.jpg "Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3j2NYZ8FKs) Lovecats The Cure [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_sKoL304VZs/maxresdefault.jpg "The Cure - The Love Cats (TOTP 1983)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sKoL304VZs) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/216 "2020-09-25T01:55:42Z")
Bronski Beat Smalltown Boy [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/88sARuFu-tc/hqdefault.jpg "Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88sARuFu-tc) Bronski Beat It Aint Necessarily So [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/v-szBDby1Zg/hqdefault.jpg "Bronski Beat - It Ain´t Necessarily So (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-szBDby1Zg) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/217 "2020-09-25T02:04:04Z")
Burning House of Love X [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pm6Z05bYj2Y/hqdefault.jpg "X the band-Burning House Of Love") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm6Z05bYj2Y) The Blasters Troublebound [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQaoNRi3o3A) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/218 "2020-09-25T02:05:04Z")
Well, according to their 1980 movie, The Village People were going to be “the voice of the 80s.” So, there’s ONE enthusiastic vote from the period. For me? “The Touch” by Stan Bush. Top 15 at least. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qDAoJIJ2ljU/maxresdefault.jpg "The Touch") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDAoJIJ2ljU) ---
**Author:** ![razordance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e47774/32.png) [@razordance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/razordance)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/219 "2020-09-25T03:53:30Z")
“I Want Candy” will always define '80s music to me. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/220 "2020-09-25T04:34:04Z")
Guess I’ll throw out there a bit of XTC: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/p-JeQduJ0f8/maxresdefault.jpg "XTC - Generals And Majors") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-JeQduJ0f8) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nYui2Z-12WI/hqdefault.jpg "XTC - Towers Of London") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYui2Z-12WI) ---
**Author:** ![Skunkdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@Skunkdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skunkdog)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/221 "2020-09-25T13:10:55Z")
Could a case be made for Land of Confusion? It’s Genesis (with Phil Collins), the Spitting Image puppets, and Ronald Reagan. Can’t get much more 80’s than that. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Yq7FKO5DlV0/maxresdefault.jpg "Genesis - Land of Confusion (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq7FKO5DlV0) ---
**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:** [September 25, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247/222 "2020-09-25T13:25:07Z")
Thanks guys, this is the thread that keeps on giving! I don’t have time to watch these new video posts right now, but I see myself going down an 80s video rabbit hole tonight (again… 🙄) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-eighties-est-song/919247.md?page=12)