Category Archives: Uncategorized

1984 had a whole lot going for it, and especially since the decade is pretty much all downhill from here, I’ll again try to keep things as positive as possible here. ’84 is the point where “sounding ’80s” starts to become something a song has to overcome rather than something it can boast. In theContinue reading “The Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 1984”

As 1967 defined the 60s, and 1976 and 77 jointly defined the 70s, 1984 defines the 80s. However, where ‘67 and ‘76 represent two apexes of one of the most creatively fertile periods in pop music history, ‘84 is more like the last triumphant celebration before everything began falling apart. This is, honestly and truly,Continue reading “The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1984”

Honestly, there’s not much in particular I want to say about the worst pop of ‘83- it largely continued along the trajectories set by ‘81 and ‘82, and the bad synths won’t really start setting in until ‘84 or ‘85. Frankly, ‘83 was a pretty damn great year for pop, and even if these 10Continue reading “The Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 1983”

1982 was the first year of the full-on proper 80s, but ‘83 still represented a turning point in the decade. This year saw the final, and arguably most important, major development in the musical technology of the decade: The debut of the Yamaha DX-7 digital synthesizer. The DX-7 did for synthesizers what the Fender StratocasterContinue reading “The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1983”

The shift from bad 70s music to bad 80s music was a gradual but nonetheless palpable one. This was a decade characterized by game-changing advances in the technology used by the biggest names in the industry to create the music that populated culture at large. It saw the advent of digital drum machines, the popularizationContinue reading “The Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 1982”

Here we are, folks. After only two years, we’ve arrived at the true, honest-to-god NINETEEN EIGHTIES, in all its hairsprayed, sweatbanded, pink-and-blue glory. Though pop would hardly cease evolving over the next decade, and some key innovations hadn’t hit the scene just yet, the pop music of 1982 is nonetheless instantly recognizable as 80s music-Continue reading “The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1982”

1981 was a pretty big shake-up for the music world. As I said in my best list intro, it was an interesting year for pop, but for the first time in a while I would be hard-pressed to call it a “good” one. Sure, there were enough forgotten micro-trends and unexpected triumphs to make myContinue reading “The Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 1981”

Much like the 70s, the 80s set in quickly across the cultural landscape. 1981 brought about three seismic shifts in American life. The first was the election of one Ronald Wilson Reagan, a strong contender for the single most malignant force in the history of modern politics and the public face of the hyper-capitalist deregulationContinue reading “The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1981”

First, just another quick reminder there’s a NEW Spotify playlist compiling every worst-list entry! Hit the link here and give it a follow if you want to listen along! As I alluded to in the best list intro, 1980 is not the “real” 80s, both in the annoyingly pedantic literal sense (which I do notContinue reading “The Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 1980”

Alright, we’re a week late but nonetheless raring to go! As per usual, there are TWO new Spotify playlists compiling the best-list and worst-list entrants. Hit those links and give ’em a follow to listen along as we journey through the greatest and least pop music of the 1980s! Though my feelings on the decadeContinue reading “The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1980”