25 Songs From the 80s that I Think Everyone Should Listen To

If there was a decade that could encompass the foundation of music and scenes that I am heavily inspired by, it would probably be the 80’s. There is so much diversity to come out of the 80’s regarding the music and scenes it’s unreal. Throughout the past year, I discovered and rediscovered so many different artists/bands and scenes, that it made me realize how much the 80s really had to offer. When someone would ask me the age old question of, “What decade had the best music?” I would automatically say the 60s. However, I think that the 80s is the best decade for music because of everything that it created from that point on. In the 80s you had the rise of new wave, the creation of grunge, alternative music was just becoming popular, hard-core punk was popular yet somewhat underground, the sound of jangle guitars were creating the “indie” sound as we know it today, and many big time artists were reinventing themselves. With that being said, here are 25 songs that I believe everyone should listen to, to understand why I think the 80s was the best decade for music.

First on the list we have “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash. “Rock the Casbah” was released in 1982 on The Clash’s album, Combat Rock. This is a song that I always heard throughout my life, however, I wasn’t aware of The Clash’s impact until my senior year of high school when I was given the infamous, London Calling, on vinyl. It was a very big “holy shit what is this” moment. Discovering The Clash made me look at punk differently. Before that, when I would think of “punk,” I would think of those whiny angsty songs that came from bands like Green Day and Blink-182. However, The Clash introduced me to the 70s punk scene with all of these artists who I had already known about but had no idea that they were considered “punk.” “Rock the Casbah” kept the classic “The Clash” sound that they discovered in the 70s, but also incorporated this new style of music that was going on in the 80s during this time.

The next track is an absolute classic that almost everyone has heard at least once in their life. “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac was released on their 1987 album, Tango in the Night. This era of Fleetwood Mac is just so special because it sounds so different from their 60s/70s stuff, however, you can still tell it's them. Coming from a sonic aspect, the song is just absolutely wonderful; I’d consider it to be near perfect. It’s super synthy (in a good way) and the rhythm section really helps elevate and compliment Christine McVie’s voice.

The next track is off of the Grateful Dead’s 1980 album, Go To Heaven. This track just happens to be “Althea.” One thing about the Dead is that all of their albums are sonic experiences; they all sound different. However, this track in particular still keeps the traditional sound of the Dead on an album that consists of 80s inspired Dead jams. Listening to this track is an experience. Jerry Garcia’s vocals guide you on the 6 minute and 53 second trip that is ethereal.

Yes, believe it or not, this next track comes from a band that many people don’t associate the 80s with. “About a Girl” by Nirvana comes from their debut album, Bleach, that was released in 1989 on Subpop. In my opinion, Bleach, is their only album that sounds super “grungy” but that’s besides the point. In an album full of crunchy, distorted guitars with harsh vocals, “About A Girl” brings a softer, more melodic and jangly feel to the album.

One of the most underrated grunge bands that made its way to Europe in the late 80s would be none other than Mudhoney. Mudhoney sprung from the fall of Green River, which one of the first, if not the first, grunge band(s) to ever exist. “Touch Me I’m Sick” comes from their debut album, Superfuzz Bigmuff which was released in 1988 on Subpop. When I think of grunge, I think of this album, and in particular I think of this band as a whole. When getting into grunge, one must listen to this song because it totally encapsulates the sound.

Going back to the Grateful Dead, “Touch of Grey” is a track that truly defines the Dead and is an essential track in their catalogue. The track was released in 1987 on their album In The Dark. During the 80s, the Dead was a band that wasn’t at their height anymore. However, with the release of “Touch of Grey,” it skyrocketed the group back to popularity and the Dead were everywhere all of sudden, especially Jerry.

When discussing bands that had major influence on major artists who broke into the mainstream, Pixies should always come up in the discussion. The Pixies were huge pioneers when it comes to the beginnings of alternative music. The Pixies inspired many artists, including Nirvana. This next track is a track that Kurt Cobain said was one of the Pixies best songs. This track would be “Gigantic” which is on their infamous 1988 album, Surfer Rosa. Something about this song that I particularly enjoy is that bassist, Kim Deal, is on lead vocals and guitarist, Black Francis is on backup. This song may be one of the few or even perhaps the only song where Kim Deal is on lead vocals.

Covers can truly make or break the talent of the artist/band that’s covering them. The Red Hot Chili Peppers cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” is too good to not be on this list. I remember I first discovered this song when listening to an rhcp greatest hits album in the car with my mom and was immediately. I had this song on repeat and was immediately blown away when I found out it wasn’t an original. However, it feels like an original because the peppers stuck to their funk-bass oriented sound and the cover turned out to be something that they were known for. This cover is featured on their infamous 1989 album, “Mother’s Milk.”

In the 80s, many world famous artists that had made their mark in the late 60s and 70s were still making music and reinventing themselves. One of these bands that was making album after album was the Rolling Stones. One track in particular that I think of when I think of the Stones discography in the 80s is “Waiting on a friend” that was released on their 1981 album, Tattoo You. One thing I love about this song is that it explores the softer sound of the Stones.

The Smiths are a staple 80s band. If you ask a group of people who listen to The Smiths what their favorite song by The Smith is, you’ll most likely get a different answer from every person; which is funny considering The Smiths only released a total of 4 studio albums. “Girlfriend In a Coma” was released on their last studio album Strangeways, Here We Come in 1987. The playfulness and jangle sound of both Johnny Marr’s guitar and Morrisey’s voice make the song with such a tragic title very playful.

The “no wave/noise rock” genre was slowly starting in the 80s indie underground scene that Sonic Youth just happen to be apart of. “Death Valley ‘69” by Sonic Youth featuring Lydia Lunch was released on their debut full-length album Bad Moon Rising in 1983. One thing about this song in particular that I really enjoy is how heavy the bass is in contrast to Lee Ranoldo and Lydia Lunch’s whiny higher pitched voices. The bass heavy aspect of this song is one thing I like about this Sonic Youth track because normally it seems as if the guitar is at the center of Sonic Youth’s discography.

Whenever I think of the 80s I think of new wave, and whenever I think of new wave, a song like “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” by the Talking Heads always comes to mind. This song was released on their 1983 albums, Speaking In Tongues. There’s nothing else about this song that I can say besides it's absolutely perfect in every aspect possible.

Supergroups are either really good or just really overrated. However, I think that the Travelling Wilburys fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to that spectrum. The Travelling Wilburys consisted of Tom Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. However, one track to come off of the first volume release in 1988 that I believe is not certainly overrated would be, “Handle With Care.” Take this for what you will, but I believe that this track deserves a listen despite how one may feel about a supergroup.

The album that really showcased Sonic Youth and somewhat brought them to the “mainstream” was probably Daydream Nation which was released in 1988. My favorite track from this album is probably “Teen Age Riot.” It may be because of the stage of life that I’m in right now, but I’m really drawn to songs that have that coming of age sound; and “Teen Age Riot” is one of those songs that definitely encapsulates that coming of age sound.

“Blister in the Sun” by Violent Femmes is one of those songs that I feel like everybody has at least heard but they don’t remember when and where they were when they heard it. This song was released in 1983 and really contributed to the scene of “jangly,indie” guitar sounds that were becoming super popular during this time. However, with the contrast of Gordan Gano’s wailing vocals the song is super catchy and will always be one of those happier sounding songs to most people.

To many people, River Phoenix is just known as a famous actor who died incredibly young. However, what most people don’t know about him is that he had a band with his friends and sister, Rain Phoenix, called Aleka’s Attic. In recent years, River’s sister and former bandmate, Rain, have started releasing Aleka’s Attic material. My favorite Aleka’s Attic track is “In the Corner Dunce” which was made in the mid 80s. River Phoenix is an incredible singer-songwriter and guitarist. It absolutely blew my mind when I first listened to these tracks because of the lyrics and how he writes songs as a whole. If you’re interested in watching River Phoenix’s musical abilities live, there’s a video of him and RHCP bassist, Flea (who was also a very good friend of River) just jamming; it’s pretty incredible.

Speaking of River Phoenix, someone who was very good friends with Phoenix was Michael Stipe, the lead singer of R.E.M. Many bands don’t always get it right the first time, however, R.E.M. is not one of those bands. R.E.M. was one of those 80s bands that started in the scene where jangle guitar was heavily prevalent and you can definitely hear that in their debut album. R.E.M’s 1983 debut album, Murmur, is absolutely mind blowing. My favorite track off this album is probably “Catapult” and everybody should definitely listen to it.

My all time favorite Sonic Youth album is probably their 1986 release, Evol. I feel like it’s their erased album; no one ever talks about it but I feel as if it stands up there with their other wildly popular albums like Goo and Daydream Nation. “Bubblegum” is a track off this album that I became obsessed with. The almost screeching guitars and fast drum fills are just so entrancing along with all three vocalists on this track.

One of the first ever grunge bands was Green River. The story of this band and their beginnings is really funny and interesting. One thing about this band that’s really funny is that they ended way before the grunge craze of the 90s started. However, the fall of Green River led to bands like Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, and Pearl Jam so things didn’t just stop at Green River. A track like “Swallow My Pride” off of their 1987 album Rehab Doll really showcases the grungy crunchy guitar sound that became a staple in that genre of music. If you’re into the guitar sounds of bands like Mudhoney and early Nirvana, then this track will definitely have your appeal.

A seminal band in the 80s hard-core punk scene would be Black Flag. A track like “TV Party” from their 1981 album Damaged just gets my adrenaline flowing. The opening bass riff of this song is just so addicting and Henry Rollins’ scratchy scream-like vocals on this track just complete the track and make it what it is.

An artist that was constantly reinventing themselves through their career is David Bowie. The dance record that is Bowie’s 1983 release “Let’s Dance” is one of my favorite Bowie eras. This album as a whole and especially the title track are just so timeless and it’s also another look into a part of Bowie’s artistic mind that was yet to be explored prior to this.

Okay, this is the absolute last time I mention Sonic Youth in this entry. Sonic Youth’s 17 minute album, Master-Dik, was released in 1987. This album has absolutely no concept to it whatsoever and is essentially just them messing around in the studio. The track “Ticket To Ride/Master-dik” is their unique cover of the classic Beatles track. The thing I like about this track in particular is that Sonic Youth is a band that always seemed super serious throughout their music, however with this album and especially this track, we get to hear the more playful versions of themselves.

The Pixies debut album, Come On Pilgrim was released in 1987 and when you listen to it you realize that they already have that classic Pixies sound. The track “I’ve Been Tired” differs from the rest of the album due to the screeching guitars and fast-talking vocals.

Throughout the 80s, R.E.M. released a good amount of material and throughout that material, guitarists, Peter Buck, experimented with many different stringed instruments, On their 1986 album, Lifes Rich Pageant the heavy presence of different stringed instruments is very prevalent. The track, “I Believe” opens with this upbeat banjo riff and then immediately dives into a jangly bass-line and guitar riff, a steady but fast drum beat, and Stipe’s long drawn out vocals that are backed by bassist Mike Mills bright vocals. One thing I love about this track in particular is that it feels like each piece is moving in a different time but it for some reason works beautifully together.

The final track that I think everyone should listen to is “Molly Lips” by The Vaselines. The Vaselines are a band that I believe are supremely underrated and feel like everyone should at least give them a listen, especially this track in particular. The softness in Frances Mckee’s voice makes this song so enjoyable.

Although I was born 20 years after the 80s happened, the music of this time period has enabled me to somewhat see what life was like during the time. The music of this period is so diverse and it’s interesting to see how different locations and events affected the way these artists wrote and played their music. With that being said, listen to these songs if you want or even don’t listen to these songs it really doesn’t matter.

https://open.spotify.com/user/pbry602jqr0n5ju62bqg74pcy?si=v5uE6qY6QFqGP9pM7B_Jyg

(the attached link is a link to the Spotify playlist that consists of all of the songs discussed)