'80s Music Facts: You Will Love This Melodious Blog!

It's long been said that music is food for the soul!

Popular music in the '80s was hip and happening, and many youngsters today are revisiting the albums recorded in that decade and finding some pretty darn good material. The '80s era was not just famous for popular music, but it also had a stylistic diversity with a great fan following worldwide.

If you are done with Whitney Houston, you can try 'Purple Rain' by Prince or 'Straight Outta Compton' by NWA. Melodies like 'Express Yourself' by Madonna or 'Modern Love' by David Bowie will entrance you and take you back to an era that paved the way for today's music. Hit numbers like 'Beat It' by Michael Jackson, 'Fight the Power' by Public Enemy, or the famous 'The Message' by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five will keep you rocking and rolling.

Large charitable music events in the 1980s included Band Aid (1984) and Live Aid (1985), featuring mainly British artists. These televised and recorded concerts were aimed at raising funds for the famine victims of Ethiopia. Nearly 40% of the world's population watched these musical benefit shows!

As a youth in the '80s, the songs were a fantastic soundtrack to life and friends shared and talked about their favorite bands and artists, a tour by a USA or UK act was a huge event and everyone saved up to try and see the likes of The Police, Stevie Wonder, and ABBA! Old pop stars never die and many pop stars of the '80s are still around, Olivia Newton-John, aged 73, released a new song recently!

Genres In '80s Music

Here are some '80s music facts that you will love. Did you know that hip hop music was initially considered 'music by Black artists', and it took quite some time to make it to mainstream television? As they say, great talent cannot be hidden for long; hip hop music soon gained popularity, and music television soon started playing hip hop artists. The hip hop world of the '80s belonged to The Beastie Boys, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Eric B, and Rakim and Public Enemy. Hip hop, also known as rap music, has its roots in the Black communities of inner-city New York from the '70s. It took its time to take center stage in the music world in the mid to late '80s.

During this decade, dance music also gained huge popularity, and names like Michael Jackson, the Eurythmics and Human League were charting all over the world.

The '80s pop music world was dominated by the re-emergence of well-known musicians from famous bands venturing into their solo career; Diana Ross, lead singer of The Supremes, became a solo artist, and Lionel Richie, Paul McCartney, and Tina Turner are also famous '80s pop music solo artists. Music artists Prince, Madonna and Whitney Houston became famous then too. Solo careers were successful for a range of artists that cut their teeth in bands, like George Michael (Wham) and Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac).

Aussie Olivia Newton-John's hit song from 1981 'Physical' was played everywhere, as everybody loved it and it struck a chord in the '80s gym-going, workout society. Australian rock band Men at Work achieved fame with 'Down Under' around that time too.

Some '80s favorite punk rock hits include 'Blitzkrieg Bop' and 'I Want to be Sedated' by The Ramones. Other punk rock numbers include 'Dancin' by Generation X Billy Idol, and 'I Fought the Law' by The Clash, 'Blister in the Sun' by Violent Femmes, and many more.

Famous new wave bands using electronic sounds included Duran Duran, Blondie, Culture Club, Police and the Cars, to name a few. Technology was changing and so did our relationship with music! Music Television (MTV) attracted a wide audience, and you may remember The Buggles' song that was the first to be played on MTV: 'Video Killed the Radio Star'. New pop superstars emerged from the MTV generation who dictated fashions in pop culture.

People thronged Central Park in New York City and gathered in great numbers to witness the historical reunion show by Simon and Garfunkel in 1981.

Ozzy Osbourne bit off the heads of two doves in Los Angeles at a record label gathering in 1981. And then he moved to bats! Phil Collins released his first solo album in 1981, known as 'Face Value'. Phil Collins also recorded some big-time movie soundtrack hits, like the theme song 'Against All Odds', and also that song that played in the back of our mind: 'A Groovy Kind of Love.'

Hair metal bands were inspired by punk rock, heavy metal, traditional rock music, glam metal and soft rock. Glam rock originated in the 1970s. Guns 'N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard were all big rock acts in the '80s. Queen, Tom Petty, Dire Straits, and rock band Van Halen were all played then too. The songs were lyrically combined with good music, and they also had a certain amount of pop sensibility. Arena rock, or stadium rock, which originated in the '70s, had a significant impact in the '80s.

As the name suggests, country rock is a subgenre of country music, and it was formed in the period of the late '60s and early '70s when rock bands started recording country-flavored music. The rock albums were named after country themes. Various vocal styles, pedal steel guitar, and other instruments symbolize country rock band music. Dwight Yoakem, Todd Rundgren and Elvis Costello are '80s country rock musicians.

Challenges To Mainstream Rock Music

The mainstream music industry of the 1980s faced some hardships as well.

The rock music of the '80s faced challenges with the commercialization of rock music and music-making art. The new version of mainstream (or 'middle of the road') music was characterized by Elton John, who ruled the world of rock music lovers with his edition of soul-stirring rock ballads for over two decades. He became the new sound of global pop music.

Another challenge included the entry of artists outside Anglo-American rock into the mainstream arena. Europop had a significant impact on New York City. Then there was the incredibly famous Swedish ABBA and the American-Italian collaboration of Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder. Digital technology development and other alternatives to adult-oriented rock music also threatened mainstream rock music in the 1980s. Global market and fragmentation also made an impact on rock music.

MTV, heavy metal, Top 40 hits, country rock music, hip hop, and new wave music dominated the '80s. Most of the musical instruments of the '80s were synthesized using MIDI. Therefore, recording the backing tracks in perfect tempo and rhythm was very important.

In 1983 music lovers worldwide listened to music on cassettes, and Sony Walkmans were prevalent; AM/FM radio innovations, rechargeable batteries, auto-reverse on a Walkman, and bass boost added the extra features and made it convenient for people to listen to music while on the go.

Folk-Rock Music

Folk-rock music is a mix of modern rock and folk music. This type of music originated in the late 1960s and was favored by artists like The Byrds and prolific folk singer Bob Dylan. In 1965 Bob Dylan made folk-rock music a sensation at the Newport Festival with his electric guitar.

Bands such as Cinderella, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Dokken, Def Leppard, Poison, Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Europe, Quiet Riot, Scorpions, and Ratt were popular in the 1980s. The decade was popular for big hair and outrageous fashion, or preppies. Rap music came into existence in the 1980s, and this era also witnessed the advent of breakdancing which is nowadays referred to as old school dance form.

Heavy Metal Music

In the '80s, music lovers around the globe used a cassette deck that played recorded music on a cassette or tape. There were various cassette players, like the ordinary cassette decks and the hi-fi cassette decks with state-of-the-art audio quality. Electronic dance music and the new wave were the most popular types of music amongst young people in the 1980s.

Heavy metal music is aggressive and loud, and the songs are old and powerful and accompanied by solid rhythms. Heavy metal music bands usually carry two guitars, drums, and a bass guitar. Sometimes electronic keyboards, organs, and other instruments are also used in heavy metal music. This type of music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Stylistic origins include blues-rock and acid rock. Derivative forms include grunge, and the parent genres of heavy metal music are rock, hard rock, rock, and roll, to name a few.

Art Rock Music

On August 1, 1981, MTV entertained people with music videos 24 hours a day. With this, a new wave of music videos swept the music world as new artists could appear on MTV. Toni Basil's music video 'Hey Mickey' released in 1982 became very popular, especially with the cheerleaders. Some of the most popular dance moves of the '80s include the Moonwalk, Sprinkler, Prep, Snake, Wop, Biz, Cabbage, and more.

Art rock music emerged in the 1960s and flourished in the 1970s. It is often confused with progressive rock music, but art-rock music is an eclectic branch of rock music, while it is a more intellectual album-oriented rock music. Art rock can be better described as classically influenced rock. British groups like ELP (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer), ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) and The Moody Blues, Frank Zappa's experimental rock music, Velvet Underground, and David Bowie are considered artists in the genre of art-rock music.

Hippie Movement

The pop music of the '80s is seen by many as better than today's as it was original and easy to jam out. The rock 'n' roll music of the '80s used many instruments, and the tunes were arguably better. This is unlike today's music, where autotune is applied, which does not make the artists sound unique. Moreover, many say the lyrics of '80s songs had more meaning, unlike today's songs.

The hippie movement came into existence in the 1960s and 1970s and originated on USA college campuses. It was a counterculture movement that rejected the mores of the mainstream life of the Americans. The hippie movement became very popular and spread its wings to Canada and Britain. The hippie movement also signified many Americans' protests against the country's involvement in the Vietnam War. Writers Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac were precursors of the hippies and their writing is still read today.

The Rock Paradox

Michael Jackson's music video 'Thriller' gained immense popularity; Fred Astaire did a guest cameo as a zombie in the video. It is said that Michael Jackson was the most famous artist of the 1980s. Michael Jackson enthralled music lovers around the globe with unforgettable songs like 'Billie Jean', 'Beat It', 'The Way you Make me Feel', 'Wanna be Starting Something', 'Bad', 'Rock With You' and many more hit songs. When he died on June 25, 2009, he broke the internet as Wikipedia, AOL, and Twitter crashed at 3:15 pm due to the number of people trying to access the news about his untimely end. He had a huge fan following around the globe and was famously known as the King of Pop.

Madonna, a global phenomenon, also made a considerable contribution to the pop stars of '80s music. Her fun sounds, like the song 'Like a Virgin' was considered one of the most popular songs of 1985. From May 11 to May 17, Madonna's 'Crazy For You' song rocked the charts in 1985. Then her 10th straight top 10 single 'Open Your Heart' made the records by being the most extended series of hits since the advent of Beatles. 'Live to Tell'; 'Papa Don't Preach', 'Like a Prayer' are some of her most popular numbers of the 1980s.

The rock paradox happened at the end of the 1960s when rock musicians' disdain for popularity on the charts, due to their commitment to artistic integrity, would deny them unprecedented wealth. Warner Brothers Records in the United States and Island Records in Britain were some of the most well-established companies that made music commercially available to the audience worldwide. Thus, the excellent rock paradox led to the commercialization of the music industry. Thus a new musical ideology was being articulated in the 1980s.

The '80s music also had its share of tragedies, with the killing of John Lennon in New York City and the drummer of Led Zeppelin who died accidentally in September 1980. Another '80s music star Ian Curtis ended his life a day before his band was scheduled to tour. Paul McCartney was arrested while traveling in Tokyo and was jailed by the authorities. Brian Johnson was made the new lead singer of AC/DC after the tragic death of Bon Scott. 'Harlem Shuffle' by the Rolling Stones and 'Sussodio' by Phil Collins were even rated as some of the most hated songs of the '80s.