My '80s Road Trip
Published March 23, 2006
My husband and I love music. Who doesn't, right? I know we're late to the game, because we haven't really gotten into downloading yet, but we do have an extensive collection of CDs and records. Our collection includes everything from Oscar Peterson and Miles Davis to Simon and Garfunkel, the Eagles and Doobie Brothers; from the Village People to Stevie Wonder, to DeBarge, to Prince and Madonna; from INXS and U2 to Hoobastank and Kelly Clarkson.
There isn't a genre we don't like: jazz, hip hop, R&B, gospel, rock, pop, and some country. Although we have some similar tastes in music, in my car right now you'll find Howie Day, and in his I think he's actually just been listening to a lot of NPR. Our overall preferences are just a bit different.
So when we started planning a road trip from Ohio to Georgia this summer, aside from hotel arrangements and minivan rentals, the thing at the top of the list was "What are we going to listen to?" What can we both listen to at length without driving each other crazy? It has to be something good and something with longevity because, with three kids in the car and my penchant for stopping at every blade of grass to take a photo, a 12-hour trip will quickly become 18-hours.
Solution? '80s music. Not just the poppy, bubble-gummy '80s sweet tooth candy music that drove us crazy when we were 13, but also the hot '80s classics that will endure for decades to come.
We've been compiling our favorite songs from the '80s, gathering the old CDs and even borrowing from the local library and burning the best songs on to iTunes. This process alone has become a sort of road trip in and of itself; sort of homecoming, a trip down memory lane. The songs we are gathering all bring me right back to where I was the first time I heard them, and it's this reunion with my pre-teen and teenaged self that has proven to be a welcome trip on its own.
For the most part, my husband and I agree upon what songs to save and compile, and which ones to ditch. So far we have about four hours of music saved, and we still have a ways to go. He has his favorites, and I have mine. In the spirit of Sadi Ranson-Polizzotti's "List of the Moment", I've put together a list of my favorites so far. This is MY ultimate '80s collection:
"Holding Back the Years," Simply Red: Simply a great song, one that transcends decade or genre. It was great when I was in high school, it's still great now.
"Always Something There to Remind Me," Naked Eyes: I liked this one when it first came out, but now I think I love it even more when it's played on the "Friday Night 80s" show on our local radio station.
"Missing You," John Waite: Another great song in any decade, all in all, though 1984 was just a great year for music.
"I Ran," Flock of Seagulls: What's not to love? For me, this song encompasses all that was '80's New Wave, with the crazy hair (yes, I did try to sport a similar hairstyle) and all the jelly bracelets and neon socks. This song IS the '80s.
- My '80s Road Trip
- Published: March 23, 2006
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: New Wave, Music: Pop, Music: Rock
- Writer: Chantal Stone
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Sounds groovy.... now you KNOW you left Hall and Oates off of the list. LIST. LIST! Kiss Is On My List! OH, and an interpretation to Africa by Toto would be nice! *wink*
Trinket......yes, '84-85 were the years that i really started to develop my own tastes in music and started to build quite a tape and album collection. up to that point, i just listened to whatever was on the radio or what my older brothers had.
VH-1 did a "Behind the Music" just on the year 1984....it was great, have you seen it?
son of Jor-El...got nothing but love for ya ;)
Wow, Chantal, we must be close in age, the REO tune was #1 just before I entered my first year in high school! It was a few months later that I got more into the music scene, but a few years before I could afford to buy my own music.
We have similar tastes judging by your List, I'm familiar with all of those songs (except the Squeeze one, though I might remember it if I heard it). All but 2 are 4 or 5 star somgs in my collection. Thanks for sharing.
Forgot "Cruel Summer" was in the movie "Karate Kid", been so many years since I saw that movie. I think the guy who played the Kid's Oriental mentor just died a few months back.
yeah Steve...Pat Morita did pass away last year...
and i do think we are about the same age...i'm 33.
if you heard the Squeeze song, you would definitely recognize it. they seem to be one of those bands that everyone has heard their music, but didn't actually KNOW it was a Squeeze song. i guess they have always been a bit below the radar...at least here in the US.
i love all these songs on my list, but i also love the a lot of the alternative music that came out of the '80's...like the Cure, the Smiths, Depeche Mode, New Order. my husband isn't a big fan though, so those bands probably won't make it on our road trip soundtrack.
Well, thanks for sharing, Chantal. I'm 36, no kids or wife yet, alas.
I do like some of The Cure's stuff (post 1984 anyway), Depeche Mode (from '81-'85 anyway), and some New Order, especially later stuff.
oh, forgot to mention, "The Unforgettable Fire" is my fave U2 tune of all-time.
I've got all of Simple Minds albums from 1982 onwards except for their limited release (2000's "Our Secrets Remain The Same") and last year's "Black & White 050505" which I can't find anywhere here in Canada.
I love "The Unforgettable Fire".....but have you ever listened to "Wide Awake in America"? it's a 4-song EP that has live versions of "A Sort of Homecoming" and "Bad"....both are absolutely brilliant live!!
No, I haven't actually, Chantal, thanks for the tip.
Don't You Forget About Me is a great great song and i had forgotten all about it... thanks for reminding me that it exists.... i had entirely slipped my mind.... ; )
nice list... i know everything here.. and "I Ran" is one of my favorite songs.....
cheers, sade
Speaking of genres, Chantal, I did a survey of that for my music collection and here is what I found in mine (rounded off figures) -
Pop = 7,000 songs
Rock = 3,000
Jazz = 250
Blues = 50
Country = 100
Folk = 550
Classical = 25
World = 125
Dance = 1500
Hip Hop = 200
Reggae = 400
Soul & R&B = 1700
Gospel = 700
Electronic = 700
Soundtracks = 500
Contemporary Christian = 1000
Easy Listening = 100
Steve...wow that's quite a catalogue of songs you have there, i'm impressed. i'm curious to know what you are currently listening to. and do you download most of your music or are they from cds and stuff that you already own?
btw....Cyndi Lauper was on VH1 earlier, a recent concert of hers, she performed with the guy from Train, the Hooters were there, Shaggy, and i think the lead guy from Stone Temple Pilots. i didn't see all of it, just bits and pieces, but it sounded pretty good.
Thanks, Chantal.
I don't download as a rule, I like to have the CD (or tape if they were bought in the 80's), partially for the sleeve notes and partially cause I like to have them physically available in case my computer conks out on me or something lol.
Hmm, currently listening to...well...since Sadi started her lists, just been going down memory lane of late, I've got about half of my collection of songs on my computer, and arranged them from 5 to 1 stars, so I've been focusing on the 3 to 5 star tunes (about 5,000 tunes). On a budget at the moment so I'm not looking for stuff to buy right now, very little I'm really looking for actually that I don't have.
So, lately, it's been 80's stuff, Simple Minds, Blancmange, Alison Moyet, Big Audio Dynamite, The Adventures. I grew up in the UK, so my collection is skewed towards British artists even though I'm actually Canadian.
Being in Canada, we don't have VH1 up here, though we do have a few VH1 shows on our national music networks, Much Music and MUch More Music, I guess ("Bands Reunited" springs to mind). Actually, an MTV channel is opening up next week.
that all sounds great Steve...
i'm with you on the downloading thing. i prefer the actual cd for the same reasons...the liner notes, and just having something tangible. i suppose downloading is fine if you're looking for a rare song that you can't find anywhere else, but i still love to browse through old record shops and find those hidden gems.
i guess i'm just old-school that way. i've always been about 3-4 years behind when it comes to technology anyway. c'est la vie!
You forgot "You're the Inpsiration" by Chicago and "Glory of Love" by former member Peter Cetera.
Ahh I'm older than you- 35. I've seen all of VH1's special's on 84 & 85 more than once. I was in 7th grade and for some reason that year just sticks in my mind. Madge, Cyndi Lauper, can't forget Prince's When Doves Cry, Bananarama, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Tina Turner. Ok I'll stop but here's a listof the top 100 of 1984.
Yeah, I know what you mean about being behind with technology, I didn't start getting CD's until the 1990's, and didn't hook up to the Net until almost 2001, I'm not a techie geek at all either lol.
Hey Trinket,
I'm just a year or so older than you, yes 1984 was an interesting year in the UK too. Single sales reached a peak that year - cause the boomers were in their teens and 20's then - (the year of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Wham and Band Aid).
Apparently, now with the Internet, though single sales are still healthy overall, they are spread out over so many titles that the biggest hits don't sell as much as they used to.
I think the #1 single in the UK last week sold less than 20,000 copies (an all-time low).
Sadi.....i love "I Ran" for its campiness. i have to admit, as much as i LOVE the '80's and its music, i also love to make fun of it! :)
Matthew....i didnt forget those songs...both are good, and we do have them both for our compiliation. my husband is a much bigger Chicago/Peter Cetera fan than i am, but i do appreciate those songs. "Glory of Love" is another "Karate Kid" song too, can't forget that!!
Trinket.....thanks for the link, i'm definitely going to check out that list. and i could NEVER forget PRINCE, my goodness, i think my husband is one of his bigest fans. we saw him in concert a few years ago and it was awesome, he's a great performer.
do you have VH1 Classic? i do not, but today they featured some of the shows from that channel on regular VH1 and it was great....there was an interview with Depeche Mode, that Cyndi Lauper concert i mentioned earlier, they showed a bunch of alternative videos--the Smiths, Cure, Psychedelic Furs, old U2. then they showed some '80's pop videos---Huey Lewis and the News, Robert Palmer, Hall and Oates.
it was great, i was singing and dancing, my kids thought i was nuts!
Steve......Wham!! yes!! i love Wham and George Michael...thanks for reminding me
No, we don't have VH1 as a stand alone channel up here, but Much More Music plays 80's songs on it's "Retro" show.
Re. Flock of Seagulls, I loved "Wishing if I had a Photograph" and "The More You Live" too.
Prince has had some great tunes thru the years, had a bit of a comeback with his "Musicology" album in '04, new album "3121" out this week I think.
I loved all the songs/artists you mentioned except maybe the Smiths and The...Furs, though they did have a couple of songs I liked ("What Difference Does It Make?", "How Soon Is Now?", "Heaven").
I have a double cassette best of Wham called "The Final", perfect fun pop, with hardly a bad track on it.
Chicago had some good tunes, I had their '82-'89 best of album, my mother actually owned the vinyl single "If You Leave Me Now" from 1974 or whatever.
I must confess, I avoid singing and dancing myself, unless I'm trying to get on someone's nerves lol.
Steve, i actually prefer 70's Chicago, rather than 80's Chicago...they had a much better sound back then, IMO.
did you happen to catch Ace Young sing "Father Figure" on American Idol about 2 weeks ago? it was incredible.
Yeah, my sister was a big fan of Chicago old stuff too, it certainly had more energy than their ballads that they are known for, but just a little 70's for me, I have a limited tolerance for music in the 60's and 70's for some reason. Guess I just think of guys with long hair and flared pants, and it really makes me cringe lol.
I have been watching Idol too, yeah, I did, they have some good ones on there this year. I think Chris may take the crown, he seems to be able to add his own touch to a song more easily than the others, though he probably is too rock-oriented for my tastes.
Oh, and yes, I did love that Michael tune "Father Figure", very unique sound, most of that album "Faith" was great actually IMHO.
i really think (and hope!) that Chris wins...aside from the fact that he's totally gorgeous, he has a lot of talent. and i think it's time for a "rocker" Idol...there's been pop, r&b, country......Chris has my vote.
You could be right, guess we'll find out in 8 or 9 weeks.
Thinking about 80's bands, did you like ones like ABC, Scritti Politti or A-ha, Chantal??
i don't really remember anything by ABC or Scritti Politti, although they sound familiar, what did they sing??
but A-hA...yes! loved them...."Take on Me"---remember that video? it was such a great song and video. lol i can't believe i almost forgot that one.
ABC did tunes like "THe Look Of Love" (1982), "Be Near Me" (1985) and "When Smokey Sings" (1987).
Scritti Politti's only US hit was "Perfect Way" though they had other hits in the UK too ("Wood Beez", "Absolute", "The Word Girl" [1984-1985]).
A-ha have had two best of's over the years, 1991's "Headlines & Deadlines" and 2004's "Definitive Collection", you may want to look for those, they had alot of UK hits after "Take On Me" ("The Sun Always Shines On TV", "Cry Wolf", "Stay On These Roads", "The Living Daylights" - from the 1987 James Bond film of the same name, and other hits too). Yes, I remember that video, the one for a later single called "Train Of Thought" was quite similar.
Their latest album is called "Analogue" and the title track was their first UK Top 10 hit a few weeks ago since 1988.
yw, Chantal.
Chantel...
Spring Session M, Missing Persons.
Another group split out of the Zappa school of performing artists.
I had forgotten about the Toto Africa cuts.
L8tr
J
Joey....
how could you forget "Africa" by Toto?!?!?! SUCH a great song! and i didn't even realize how many great songs (Georgy Porgy, I Won't Hold you Back, Rosanna)....they had until my husband got their greatest hits cd...they're such an awesome band.
we looked up the lyrics for "Africa" because i never understood what the heck the guy was singing....kind if weird song...SOUNDS cool, but the words are a bit "out there"!
Yeah, I have Toto's greatest hits album, too, they had some good tunes back in tha day.
"Africa" was definitely in my top 5 faves of 1983, I would say.
What really tripped me out back in 2001 was a dance artist called Roger Sanchez using a sample of Toto's "I Wont Hold You Back" in a dance tune called "Another Chance"...went to #1 in the UK!!! Amazing.
Keep us up to date on how your 80's music search goes for your trip, Chantal. Be interesting to see if you come up with more gems you'd forgotten about.
you bet Steve.....
right now we're looking for some Christopher Cross.....trying to get "stuck between the moon and New York City" i suppose! lol
lol, Chantal, I don't have any originals of him, but I do have a dance cover of his "Ride Like The Wind" by an Italian one album wonder called Undercover from 1992.
yikes!! a dance version of "Ride Like the Wind"??? i bet its funny! LOL
Actually, it's not too different from the original (as far as I can recall), so fairly serious...for lack of a better word!!...lol.
why, oh why would someone want to put a dance beat to that song, I have no idea. but I'm sure there's even worse out there.
today we got a double-disk set of Hall and Oates....it's a great listen.
Really, Chantal?? I got a three disc 'best of' of theirs last year or so, they had some really good tunes back in the day, if you like 'blue eyed soul' anyway. "Say It Isn't So", "Maneater", "Private Eyes", "Kiss On My List", "Out of Touch" (actually a dance tune using the same melody and title came out last year too!), all good tunes IMHO.
Sounds like a fun road trip. Good music. My husband and I have seperate MP3 players so he listens to headphones while I drive and I listen through the stereo and then we switch. But we don't like the same kind of music.
How do your music preferences differ between the two of you, A.L.?
Steve -
My husband and I just like different stuff. He likes the Chemical Brothers and Orbital and I like White stripes and KT Tunstall. Just different tastes in music.
I see, A.L.
I love the songs.Bali bootlegs were 80c a cassette in the early 80's.Ah, the memories.
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Oh the warm & fuzzies that list just inspired. You & I must be exactly the same age because you hit many of my favorites. 1984 was such a fantastic year for music!