The Golden Age: The 1980s

       Welcome back to my blog where this week I’m excited to dive into arguably the best decade of music in history: The 1980s. In terms of music, the 1980s not only impacted the style of songs of this era but also impacted the style of people provoking a somewhat cultural revolution of this generation. The 1980s saw the emergence of a style known as “dance-pop” which consisted of an uptempo beat where, you guessed it, was meant to be danced to. With the influence of a new hit TV channel called “MTV” (Music Television), airing in 1981, new songs could easily be reached by simply picking up the remote. Along with this, MTV also introduced a visual aspect for a variety of songs with music videos which became an essential selling point for artists. By having an appealing music video, a song could draw in a number of fans. Although the 1980s brought a plethora of stars to the forefront, I’m only going to discuss two today which I feel are staples of this era: Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen.

       Along with Elvis Presley, who I discussed in the 1950s post, Michael Jackson is easily one of the most well-known music artists of all time. Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 and started his music career early in a group with four of his other brothers known as the Jackson 5, where he was the youngest of the crew. With an initial foundation of stardom, Michael Jackson was able to pilot his own solo career. He was able to produce a number of hits immediately as he capitalized on the upcoming dance craze of the 80s. With his release of his album Thriller in 1982, the “King of Pop” garnered a mammoth amount of copies sold, a spot on the charts for two straight years, eight, yes eight Grammys, and an overwhelming onslaught of fame. A notable song on the album was “Beat It” which featured another 80s icon, Eddie Van Halen (rest in peace) on guitar. This song helped to mend artificial barriers between black and white artists on both the radio and television.

       Bruce Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949 in Freehold, New Jersey. In his later teens and early twenties, Springsteen was a part of bar bands along the Mid-Atlantic coast when he progressed into a solo singer-songwriter in 1972. In this year, he signed with Columbia Records and kickstarted his career in the mid-1970s. Springsteen’s style was not specifically the “dance-pop” sound of the 1980s, yet a unique variation of rock-and-roll. Easily one of his most notable albums, Born in the USA (1984), solidified Springsteen’s reputation amongst popular artists of this time. The album contained seven hit singles, many of which I still listen to to this day, and received a nomination for Album of the Year in 1985.

       When we hear someone talk about music of the 1980s, they rarely associate any specific genre with the era which goes to show its cultural impact as a whole. The 80s is practically its own genre of music, and one that people of all ages seem to readily enjoy. I feel that at some point, we have all gone through an “80s phase” where we construct playlists with catchy songs we’ve heard on the throwback hour of a radio station or simply from our parents who experienced this decade at first hand. Its hard for me to pinpoint exactly one or two songs that are my favorite from this decade because like I mentioned last post, a lot of them hold some sentimental value to memories I’ve made that remind me of those songs. Its important to cherish any special moment you experience with your friends, and I encourage you to take everything around you in during these moments, especially the music. In the grand scheme of it all, music can easily unite our memories, our friendships, and our emotions simultaneously!