On the outside looking in

I'm glad to see that the 80's revival still seems to be going strong. It all seems to have started with the Wedding Singer which was set in the 80s. It was a kick to those of us who actually remember the era, with all the references to Miami Vice, a pre-Hagar Van-Halen and De Loreans among others. 50 First Dates, although not set in the 80s, featured music from that era covered by today's artists. There was even a short-lived (read as 'crappy') show by the makers of 'That 70's show' called, you guessed it, 'That 80's Show." Even arcade games from the era are being reissued. I won't bother analyzing it, but will instead revel in it. It's our turn, baby!

One about the 80's that everyone remembers is the music. Its a pity then that the record companies seem to churn out the same old songs in one compilation after the other. They all seem to contain Wishful Thinking (China Crisis), More to Lose (Seona Dancing), Gold (Spandau Ballet) and Melt with You (Modern English). Don't get me wrong, these are fine (even great) songs, but surely there are other songs that from that time that are just as good? And wWhy do they just feature New Wave songs?

I've therefore decided to come up with an alternative 80's playlist. There are only 2 criteria: anyone who listens will go 'I remember that!' when they hear (or in this case, read) and that they wouldn't normally appear on an 80s compilation.

Here' my list so far (in no particular order):

* Hunting High and Low (A-Ha) - yes, they did more than just Take on Me
* Dance Hall Days (Wang Chung)- 'Take your baby by the hand...'
* Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (Ultravox) - 'Waiting for a memory of a love that died...'
* Let Her Go (Strawberry Switchblade) - featuring Jane Weidlin of the Go-Go's!
* She Blinded Me With Science (Thomas Dolby)
* A Girl In Trouble (Romeo Void) - 'A girl in trouble is a temporary thing...'
* Major Tom (Peter Schilling) - '4, 3, 2, 1... earth below us, drifting falling...'
* The Safety Dance (Men Without Hats) - 'We can dance if we want to..'
* Drive (The Cars) - 'Who's gonna drive you home, tonight?'
* Legal Tender or Planet Claire (The B-52s)
* Talking in Your Sleep (The Romantics) - 'I hear the secrets that you tell..'
* I'll Fly for You (Spandau Ballet)
* What Kind of Fool am I? (Rick Springfield)

Does anyone have any songs to add?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 6:13 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.