the 80sMy 100 favourite songs of the 80's. Since this list has a lot fewer singles than the 60's and 70's list I've dispensed with the Billboard chart position business.
1. The Cure "I think it's odd that this is your favourite song, although it's a good one; nobody rips off New Order better than the Cure."--Stars "1.one of my most favorite bands...loved em when i was a kid...one of the best bands you can see live...played em as soon as we got a band together and we even did a very festive "ASCIENTO DOES PORNOGRAPHY show" we covered the whole freaking record...cellos...barely dressed gals..liquid gel projections..dats..drag queens..brownies''.oh man i'm having flashbacks...thanx to the cure i can go on with waking up day after day...and lovesong is exactly what is says...and a beautiful one at that...i know if you write a song like that for a girl she's yours forever...or at least until the nights over...."--Jason Celat, Asciento
2. Crowded House "I'm only writing this because it's my only opportunity to talk about Crowded House on this list. One of my least favorite CH songs, if only because I have so much trouble getting people to listen to other ones because they're so sick of this one. Not the band's fault of course, and thank god Neil had the hit so he'd have money to live on later while he was releasing unnoticed (well, in the US anyway) pop masterpieces with the band and solo."--Paul Melancon "really never liked this song...my friend played it death and that might be why...but never did for it me...like eating darvon when you can have percocet...."--Jason Celat
3. The Pixies ".i'm in boston as we are speaking and well i couldn't be in a band here and not admit that the pixies were another one of the most beautiful bands that boston didn't deserve....theres a bunch...anastasia screamed...galaxie 500...think tree...the list is longer than the lists you sent me...but this song in particular.chilling how f black can say sooo much with so little....i fucking love this band...and it makes me sad... and until they get back together and play with us...theres is no justice in this world..."--Jason Celat
4. Madonna "like a prayer...inspired our song "that praying thing"...well not really but i'm finding this to be an apt way of plugging my band..what can you say...madonna pushed God out of the way and said we ladies live here to...i love here.its becoming painfully clear when i was born in relation to these songs eh.."--Jason Celat "This is a very fine list you've put together, but there's no excuse for including the essence of mediocrity in such rarified company; granted this is her finest single, but that's a bit like saying that the big Mac with cheese is McDonalds finest entrée. Fuck Madonna, forever and ever, Amen; hey that sounds like a prayer as well."--Stars
5. The Church "good band...good song...good timing..."--Jason Celat
6. The Go-Gos
7. M/A/R/R/S "this pumped out of every car and radio and place i went for 6 months... and it reminds me of watching my girl at the time dancing to it...thats a good memory...thanx marrs"--Jason Celat
8. Au Pairs
9. The Elvis Costello "yup...its a goodin...elvis costello is really important to rock and roll and i don't know if rock and roll knows it..."--Jason Celat
10. Kleenex (LiLiPUT)
11. Talking Heads "good song....anything off that record is cool to me...cause it was so uncool..."--Jason Celat
12. Throwing Muses "kristen hearsh makes me fuzzy inside...shes nuts..shes good and shes stunning...and i have cried baby cried."--Jason Celat
13. Siouxsie and the Banshees "i just listened to this yesterday feeling like i missed and old friend...good song but give me cascade..."--Jason Celat
14. Madonna "thank the GOD she pushed out of the way she is a material girl... otherwise i might have questioned her even being human at all..shes awesome and although we are talking about songs...great video."--Jason Celat " Well, I feel in a way helpless before this song, in the sense that it almost doesn't matter if I "like" it or not, because it's the perfect pop song. it's staggering, the sheer "pop single" power that this packs! It demands respect whether or not it does anything for you personally. That said, I was a big Madonna Wannabe at the time this came out, bangles and all. Here was this woman who was totally unapologetic about declaring what she wanted and didnt want, and that was great. The sentiment is specifically kind of awful, though sort of humorous in its awfulness! and the point is that even if you werent a "material girl" it was pretty intoxicating to hear this female voice saying "here's what i like and dont like and wont settle for"... it was like, she went to an extreme, and that example just gave girls a little more room for expression, you know? It's incredibly well produced... bright and shiny and there's so much going on... also they made her voice really high-endy, I think they speeded it up .. (which I read was her idea) and that makes her SO squeaky-girly sounding, it's like she's sort of poking fun at herself or at this character she wrote. i really like that."--Rebecca Hart, The Rebecca Hart Project
15. The Pixies "this has played at least a 2500 times at my house..well along with the rest of that record..."--Jason Celat
16. The Replacements ".its about time there a replacements song in here... the whole world starting to realize its time to find out who the hell alex chilton is...and thank the heavens they did...its a shame about paul and his solo career...i loved the replacements.."--Jason Celat "When Paul Westerberg told me I was cool for liking Big Star. I'm in love with THIS song."--Paul Melancon
17. Suzanne Vega "I was telling a friend of mine about SV once, not too long ago, and he interrupted me to say& I know who she is! I was into the Bolshoi and all that art shit in college. Funny now, thinking that my little Susie was once so mysterious and arty."--Gerlinda Grimes, Weaklazyliar "this is her biography...but one that i would read."--Jason Celat
18. Hoodoo Gurus
19. Translator "hmmm... i saw these guys by accident lets just leave it at that."--Jason Celat
20. The Alarm "cool band...ok song for me...give me the smithereens any day over these guys......"--Jason Celat
21. Peter Gabriel
22. Fuzzbox
23. Echo and the Bunnymen
24. The Sundays "If I Kicked A Boy had made the chart, Id have had great things to say. But as its this one, nevermind."--Gerlinda Grimes
25. Elvis Costello
26. The Stone Roses
27. Blondie
28. The Jam
29. New Order
30. The Smiths "The second greatest pop single ever released; the greatest lead guitar line ever."--Stars "A song open to so much interpretation (Morrissey's specialty), and just an extremely catchy yet extremely challenging song. Much better than How Soon Is Now (ew)"--Jeff Hayward, Brantford, Ontario
31. The Primitives "Couldn't resist putting in a brief big up to The Primitives massive; remember, this band was so good Morrissey was wearing their t-shirts in 1986. I love this song, especially the bit of silence after she says "shut" and then goes on to say "shut your mouth". I think I had a wank to the cover of this single back in `86; those were the days my friend, those were the days."--Stars
"I'm not going to waste an opportunity to join what should be the chorus of
embarrassed nostalgia... but, oh my god, Tracy Tracy...
32. Gang of Four
33. The Dead Milkmen
34. Suzanne Vega "Suzanne Vega was I think the first ever person I heard who made me think 'oh, ok, that's what I'm going to do/be when i grow up'. I had of course listened to Joni and to the Beatles, and to Paul Simon before her, but it was when I started listening to Suzanne that I started writing songs. Maybe it was because she was from my era, so I felt like there was a possibility I could do this too, instead of all my role models being in the past. I had been a writer from the time I was very small. I wrote a lot of poetry and was really into striking visual images when i was thirteen or whatever when "Small Blue Thing" came out. And that's what she was doing, she wasn't saying "I feel lonely", or "today I feel small and shy", or whatever, she said "Today I am a small blue thing, like a marble or an eye..." and I just knew what she meant! and it was amazing. She didn't stop to explain herself or backpedal, she just went farther and farther into the image and took you with her, and made you 'get it' that way. Also, the music was not "folk" as I'd known it, it was something new, it was like, what she had to say was more important than fitting into a category, so the music told a story and created a mood instead of trying to be 'recognizable'... and I just thought, " this is what i want to do." Now, that being said... "Left of Center" really makes me smile to look back on, because I think it's actually the first Suzanne I ever heard, bc it was on the "Pretty in Pink" soundtrack. It was pop, it was recognizable, (it's almost everything SBT is not), but it stood out anyway... her voice was so different from everything else around.. and it was simple but smart sounding - her (melody) phrasing was still interesting even within this very basic popsong format. I kind of feel about it now that it sort of sneaked her into public consciousness... it was sort of Suzanne saying,'"well, yeah, I can do this kind of thing too.. but you should hear "Small Blue Thing" sometime.'"--Rebecca Hart
35. REM
36. XTC "I remember hearing this on a friend's tape and thinking it was really pretty.. stark and beautiful. The beginning, with the kid's voice singing, is really pure and haunting.. but I think i goes downhill after that.. if I remember correctly, it goes into a different voice and a full band arrangement and the lyrics werent quite strong enough to carry it through. Sung in the first voice it works but once thats gone, it didnt seem quite as interesting."--Rebecca Hart "Would be great if not for the annoying kid singer."--Rob Crow, Optiganally Yours
"I worked at a record store when Skylarking came out, I remember when it was
re-released shortly thereafter with this song included (originally dropped by Rundgren,
but it became a hit as a b-side). The label, in their press releases, tried to cover it's ass
by saying it was the sort of angry questioning song that only a believer could
write.
37. Beastie Boys "Well... I hate to rain on BB fans' parades.. I know a lot of people who really like them and think they're really interesting and cool.. but I never thought there was anything interesting about this song, lyrically or melodically. I really hate it."--Rebecca Hart
38. Tom Waits
39. Echo and the Bunnymen
40. Elvis Costello
41. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "OH MY GOD. JOAN, my first ever intro to a womans place in rock and roll. So great... there she was in her leather jacket, playing an electric guitar, out in front of a plain old rock and roll band. This was just a great %$(@#ing song. And I stand by that. "--Rebecca Hart
42. Mission of Burma
43. Talking Heads
44. Tom Waits
45. Public Enemy
46. U2
47. The Pixies
48. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark "Was this song on the Breakfast Club soundtrack? If not, it shouldve been."--Gerlinda Grimes
49. The Smiths
50. 10000 Maniacs "I have a love/hate relationship with ms merchants music. It could be because people always tell me I sound like her. here's the thing: she's really good with writing melodies and has some interesting lyrics as well. her melodies are good enough that it sometimes distracts from weaker lyrics... and her voice and phrasing are good enough to sometimes make a really awkward sentence seem like it fits. This song almost works but the lyrics are SO heavy handed, awkward and wordy that it makes me wince and kind of detracts from the serious effect it's supposed to have."--Rebecca Hart
51. Madonna
52. New Order
53. The Cure
54. Cowboy Junkies
55. Camper Van Beethoven
56. The Jam
57. The Pixies
58. The Bangles
59. Bad Brains
"I was never that into this record. I still listen to the rior sessions alot though, so I
listened to this again recently, but it still falls flat for me. I think it might be because
spot maybe recorded this during the same period he was ruining Black Flag records
like loose nut."--Rob Crow
60. Throwing Muses
61. The Waterboys "I liked this song very much (and the EP from which it came), especially since it was one of the first tributes in song to Patti Smith."--Linda Smith
62. Samantha Fox
63. Billy Bragg
"Ah, Billy. *sigh* Love the raw sound of his voice. A really well-written chorus,
simple and sweet."--Rebecca Hart
64. Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians
65. The Cure "I was in love when this song came out. 'Spinning on that dizzy edge&'"--Gerlinda Grimes
66. Suzanne Vega "One of my all time favorite Suzanne songs. Beautiful... beginnings of my interest in jazz and folk coming together. Also love the writing again -- i used to feel cold when listening, like i was on the playground "in the wintertime". And the way she plays with words, its like scatting... think also part of what helped me realize that songwriting isnt just about what the words say, it's how they sound when they're saying it... they have to be music too, not just go along with music."--Rebecca Hart
67. The Sugarcubes "I heard this song for the first time on MTV. I just kept staring at the screen and thinking what an incredible set of pipes this girl had for someone so obviously still in junior high."--Charles Christiansen, Boston, MA
68. Madonna "One of Madonna's best! A great pop recording...wish I could do something like it but I'll just have to dream on."--Linda Smith
69. Squeeze "After all these years I still have NO idea what the hell he's talking about in this song at all. But I love them anyway."--Rebecca Hart
70. Pet Shop Boys "This is the only Pet Shop Boys song I own. Not only is it the best thing I've heard by them, but it is also the last thing that the great Dusty Springfield recorded that was truly worthy of her."--Linda Smith
71. Joy Division "Still never got this band, but I respect the fact that it represents real depression."--Rob Crow
72. Janet Jackson
73. Nine Inch Nails
74. Camper Van Beethoven
75. The Soup Dragons
76. Human League "Bluey, theyre playing our song&"--Gerlinda Grimes "This is a masterpiece of eighties cheese. I defy anyone to listen to this without singing along. Or even hear anyone mention it without singing the chorus. Oh, man. The back-and-forth guy/girl dialogue in the fashionable British accents? Fabulous."--Rebecca Hart
77. The Stone Roses "Screw this song, buy the CD single so you can hear "Fools' Gold." A band doomed by leaving their best song off their album, being too convinced by the British press of ther worth that they TURNED DOWN the chance to tour the US with the Rolling Stones (because they felt they should headline). The dismal follow up years later was inevitable."--Paul Melancon
78. TPau
79. Neneh Cherry "The first time I ever heard a girl rapper I think..? I think. I learned all the words to the whole song, the whole rap and everything, with a friend at summer camp. I mean, it is not what I would call great music, no. On the other hand, I still think it's produced really well and I still love the melody to the chorus, even though i think the words are ridiculous. I found my Neneh Cherry tape from that summer, like ten years later and still loved listening to it, so I think that says something."--Rebecca Hart
80. Cowboy Junkies
81. Total Cuelo
"Terrible song. Even worse video. I like it alot, though."--Rob Crow
82. The Pretenders "I dont know, i never liked this song. I hate the slide- is it a slide? i think...- guitar part.. I think it makes it sound like a country song which sometimes I love but in this case didnt work. Nothing about the melody ever really captured my attention, don't like the vocals much."--Rebecca Hart
83. Madonna "This is a madonna song I do not like at all. She was/is the master of turning out pop songs that were totally formula and yet sounded like no one else. This one always sounded like anyone could be singing it."--Rebecca Hart
84. David Bowie
85. XTC
86. The Waitresses
87. The Smiths "LOVE the Smiths. Have always loved the Smiths and think they are widely misunderstood. When I was in high school the really depressed kids loved them because they thought Morrissey's lyrics were so miserable and dark. I have never known how anyone could have taken "girlfriend in a coma" or "if a double decker bus crashes into us/to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die" completely seriously. I always thought they were tongue in cheek, sometimes melancholy but often pretty funny at the same time. This is a song that gets away with saying "boot the grime of this world in the crotch, dear" in what is still a really catchy and singable chorus."--Rebecca Hart
88. Shannon
89. Romeo Void
90. REM "I think REM has been on occasion brilliant and groundbreaking... really different, risky writing and beautiful melodies. This is not one of those songs."--Rebecca Hart
91. Richard Thompson
92. Nirvana
93. The Proclaimers "OK, OK. I love this song even though it's, well, this song."--Rebecca Hart
94. The Pixies
95. Salt N Pepa
96. The Replacements
97. Suzanne Vega "Ok, as much as I've praised her, I hate this song. It broke my heart when this was the single that so many people heard as an introduction to her and wrote her off. it lacked subtlety. it might have been touching but the poppy arrangement sort of stomped all over it and made it ridiculous."--Rebecca Hart
98. The Kinks "I decided long ago that my mission on this earthly plane is to make more people aware that Ray Davies is the best songwriter ever (I have a certificate to prove that he is and everything)--into his third decade as a consumate melody maker, Davies manages to put together a tune that is simultaneously affectionate and sardonic and if you have an older sister (as I do), the song rings even truer."--Robi Lyle, Atlanta, GA
99. The Ramones
100. Michael Penn "In general, I love Michael Penn and it is because of this song in particular that I began to buy everything he puts out."--Linda Smith "See my response to #2 and insert Michael's name."--Paul Melancon "OK, I HATE drum machines. I hate them. They NEVER EVER sound good, unless you're doing something creative with them, not just trying to mimic real drums. That being said, this is a great, memorable pop song. Michael Penn always verges on being a little too cute, a little too clever and syrupy in his writing, it sometimes makes me want to kick him. But this one (pretty much) avoids it. The Heathcliff reference - plus "romeo in black jeans" - won me over in the end."--Rebecca Hart |
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