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  1. #1
    Astonishing Member stargazer01's Avatar
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    Default Band or singer that best represents the music of the 80s

    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.

  2. #2
    Oni of the Ash Moon Ronin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by stargazer01 View Post
    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.
    Surely not everybody was kung fu fighting

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    New old guy Surf's Avatar
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    Prince Rogers Nelson.
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  4. #4
    Oni of the Ash Moon Ronin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Surf View Post
    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.
    Surely not everybody was kung fu fighting

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    Duran Duran.

  6. #6
    Ultimate Member Riv86672's Avatar
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    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.

  7. #7
    New old guy Surf's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moon Ronin View Post
    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.
    Last edited by Surf; 09-05-2019 at 12:39 PM.
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  8. #8
    Ultimate Member Riv86672's Avatar
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    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.

  9. #9
    Oni of the Ash Moon Ronin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Riv86672 View Post
    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.
    Surely not everybody was kung fu fighting

  10. #10
    Ultimate Member Riv86672's Avatar
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    Oh god yes LOTS of day glo!!!

  11. #11
    Astonishing Member SquirrelMan's Avatar
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    How about Nena and her 99 balloons?

  12. #12
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    The Smiths
    Pet Shop Boys
    Boy George and Culture Club
    Bronski Beat

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    Mighty Member TriggerWarning's Avatar
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    When it comes to 80's music there are basically four things you have to cover:

    Pop Music: Michael Child Molester Jackson obviously is #1 which is a shame given what we know about him now. Honorable mentions to Madonna, Hall and Oates, Journey, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, and Prince.

    MTV: The 80's are the era when MTV made music videos a big thing so I give the nod to Duran Duran. They were the band that started the wave of making mini movies out of their videos and its what helped shoot them to superstardom where they were the biggest band in the world for a few years. After them other artists started copying them in how they approached videos. MTV and Duran Duran are also what kickstarted the second British Invasion as MTV made stars out of a many British bands who otherwise never would have been heard of here as the British were much quicker to jump on the video bandwagon than American bands were. Honorable mention: Michael Jackson

    Hair Metal: Def Leppard. Hair metal ruled the metal scene in the 80's and none were bigger than Def Leppard. Honorable Mentions: Van Halen / Van Hagar, Bon Jovi.

    Birth of Rap. While rap technically started in the 70's it was the mid to late 80's where it became huge. I'd give the nod to Run-DMC for their collaboration with Aerosmith on Walk This Way because its what first gave crossover appeal for rap to white America.
    Last edited by TriggerWarning; 09-05-2019 at 04:35 PM.

  14. #14
    Constant in Opal Nine Crocodile's Avatar
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    Tears for Fears is a good shout (pun intended), but if I had to pick one act to rep my '80s it would be Robert Smith and The Cure. Their ability to switch off between dense soundscapes and straight-up (and even silly) pop songs made them favorites.

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    Astonishing Member FluffySheep's Avatar
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    I agree with a lot of those that have already been mentioned, so without repeating them, I'd throw in Wham! and Alison Moyet. When you hear their songs, you know exactly what decade they're from.
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