Band or singer that best represents the music of the 80s

[stargazer01]

What band or singer best represents the music of the 80s for you?

I've been thinking about it, and this is no easy task because that decade had amazing music all around, but I feel that the sounds of the band TEARS FOR FEARS takes me back to the 80s more than any other artist. Songs like "Head Over Heels", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Shout" are best examples.

It's not even my fave band ever, but some of their songs and sound is very nostalgic and awesome to me.

[Moon Ronin]

What band or singer best represents the music of the 80s for you?

I've been thinking about it, and this is no easy task because that decade had amazing music all around, but I feel that the sounds of the band TEARS FOR FEARS takes me back to the 80s more than any other artist. Songs like "Head Over Heels", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Shout" are best examples.

It's not even my fave band ever, but some of their songs and sound is very nostalgic and awesome to me.

it would depend on the mood I was in or what part of the 80s But If I had to go to one that said "this is the 80's" maybe Billy Idol Dancing with myself, Mony Mony, White Wedding, Rebel Yell, Eyes With out a Face, and more.

[Surf]

Prince Rogers Nelson.

[Moon Ronin]

Prince Rogers Nelson.

To me (so my opinion) Prince is one that covered more than one decade. Like Michel Jackson and Madonna he still had huge success through the 90s and even in the 2000s. I mean the man was still asked to play the Super Bowl in 2007 and was rocking it at Coachella the year after. He didn't represents the music of the 80s he redefined music for decades. He was never gonna be that guy that played in casinos in towns that you never heard of.

[Ragged Maw]

Duran Duran.

[Riv86672]

I’d say Billy Idol is a good choice.
Just his look alone is iconic, and what many homages/spoofs of the 80s default to when creating an 80s rock star.

And of course his music was The Awesome.

[Surf]

To me (so my opinion) Prince is one that covered more than one decade. Like Michel Jackson and Madonna he still had huge success through the 90s and even in the 2000s. I mean the man was still asked to play the Super Bowl in 2007 and was rocking it at Coachella the year after. He didn't represents the music of the 80s he redefined music for decades. He was never gonna be that guy that played in casinos in towns that you never heard of.

Yea but that sound, that sound got polished in the 80s and reverberated through many groups and begat influences throughout and it all can come back to a guy.

He redefined the color Purple, when you think of the 80's in terms of colors. Pastels and prints, that has a little to do with the man no?

A Huge Movie and a huge soundtrack doesn't happen every summer. In the 70s it was Saturday Night Fever and in the 80s it was Purple Rain, 90s Titanic I guess. That's a big pull.

There were a few cultural convergences happening at the time but none as big as what Prince fans had going. He was much more than a black act and did his part to prop up music as a visual medium as well.

Michael Jackson and Madonna's music output in the 80s probably represents THEM quite well but I wouldn't quite quantify their efforts on multiple fronts as a marker. Close, but not like Prince I don't think.

[Riv86672]

You can’t really compare Saturday Night Fever (The soundtrack) to Purple Rain and Titanic.

SNF literally WAS the sound of its decade.
Purple Rain and Titanic were huge soundtracks IN their decades, but didn’t define those decades musically. The 70s were The Disco Era, w. SNF as the music. The 80s/90s aren’t known as definitively; those decades had a lot of music contending for dominance/coming into its own.
Hard Rock, Metal, Hair Bands, Pop, Grunge, Country etc.

A lot of different genres existed in the 70s but Disco was King.
The 80s/90s don’t have that.

[Moon Ronin]

You can’t really compare Saturday Night Fever (The soundtrack) to Purple Rain and Titanic.

SNF literally WAS the sound of its decade.
Purple Rain and Titanic were huge soundtracks IN their decades, but didn’t define those decades musically. The 70s were The Disco Era, w. SNF as the music. The 80s/90s aren’t known as definitively; those decades had a lot of music contending for dominance/coming into its own.
Hard Rock, Metal, Hair Bands, Pop, Grunge, Country etc.

A lot of different genres existed in the 70s but Disco was King.
The 80s/90s don’t have that.

In the 80's it wasn't one type of music that was king, Video was it thanks to MTV. Surf was right in color was a huge part of the decade as now you had visuals when you listen to the music, Lots of damn day glow.

[numberthirty]

To me (so my opinion) Prince is one that covered more than one decade. Like Michel Jackson and Madonna he still had huge success through the 90s and even in the 2000s. I mean the man was still asked to play the Super Bowl in 2007 and was rocking it at Coachella the year after. He didn't represents the music of the 80s he redefined music for decades. He was never gonna be that guy that played in casinos in towns that you never heard of.

Agreed.

I usually feel the same way about David Bowie. While his eighties records were pretty darn "Eighties" in all caps, he was also doing the same thing in the decade before and after.

[WillieMorgan]

The 1980's were a very happy decade for me. It was a great time to be growing up. Hard rock and metal ruled. The decade is just a string of classic bands and albums. Guns N' Roses 'Appetite For Destruction' alone should give people an idea of just how awesome the metal scene was back then.

In terms of more mainstream pop and 80's production and 'feel' I'd have to nominate one of my all-time favourite bands, the Norwegian trio a-ha. They are regarded as a one-hit wonder in the States but that is definitely not true for the rest of the world. The band continued to record albums and have hits into the 1990's and beyond. They are genuine musicians and songwriters too, unlike a lot of the more vapid pop acts.

Then there's the Trevor Horn produced 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome' album by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Genius production and you can't get much more 80's than 'Two Tribes'. Good times.

[numberthirty]

One other "Black Sheep" contender(well, at least for me)...

King Diamond.

That run of albums from Fatal Portrait through Conspiracy is very textbook "Eighties", to me. So many things that were done by stretching the recording technology of that time that would be accomplished rather easily in the here and now. Never mind all of the shredding.

So, so "Eighties".

[Samurai32]

Songs from the Big Chair and Seeds of Love are two of my favorite albums ever. Both top 5 for me.

Edit: I was responding to the first post. Forgot the quote.

[SquirrelMan]

[SquirrelMan]

Iconic 80s to me will always be: