While thinking about more things to write about and share with you, dear friends, my mind went back to music – such an important part of our lives, especially now that we spend such a lot of time at home and need cheering up.
So, I went back to the eighties, the decade of my teenage years when I listened to the charts every week on TV – and even though back then I thought that the quality of pop music had declined compared to the sixties and seventies, I now realise there was some REALLY good stuff around then as well!
There’s quite a revival of 80s music going on at the moment – my daughter Marianna, too, has become retro and loves it! So, no matter whether you remember them from back then or are just getting into them, you might want to look into some of those good old rock and pop songs that have become classics by now…
10 – Starship: Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now
Eternally uplifting, this great piece has been around almost constantly over the years in ads, movies and all sorts of media. Jefferson Starship, known from the 60s as Jefferson Airplane, were already veterans at the time, but they adapted perfectly to the new sound; and look at the hairstyles and clothes, too – so very 80s!
9 – Aretha Franklin: Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Another veteran from the 60s here, the great soul queen Aretha Franklin, doing a song that was originally written and performed by the Rolling Stones (Keith Richards actually gets a guest appearance in the video!). This wonderful cover version is from the movie of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg – great fun, great rhythm and some fantastic singing by Aretha!
8 – The Communards: Don’t Leave Me This Way
The Communards were one of the new young pop bands of the 80s, and IMHO probably the best. Richard Coles, who plays the piano, has become a reverend and a big star on British TV since!
7 – Bon Jovi: Living On A Prayer
I’ve mentioned this song before in my Top Ten uplifting songs for the lockdown – but it’s just so lovely! 1980s hard rock at its best, with beautiful lyrics and a gripping sound that simply tempts you to sing along…
6 – Status Quo: Dreamin’
This song has got a very special meaning to me: when I was about 16, I went with my Mum to actually SEE Status Quo live back in Bavaria – one of the greatest moments in my whole teenage life! Francis and Rick rocked the night through, and this was, I thought, the best song of them all…
5 – Queen: It’s A Kind Of Magic
Queen were already in their second decade of fame in the 80s, but they had number one hits literally every year. And who can resist a perfect glam rock sound like this? Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest singers of all time, no doubt about that.
4 – Rod Stewart: Every Beat Of My Heart
And here’s another one of the all-time greatest – and sexiest – voices: Rod Stewart, singing here about being homesick for Scotland. I guess everybody who’s ever been to Scotland can understand his pain perfectly well!
3 – Michael Jackson: Bad
You can say what you like about Jacko, but he WAS the icon of all us teens in the 80s all around the world! We all wanted to be ‘bad’ like him, and we had to explain to our parents that that doesn’t really mean bad but – well, just cool and hep…
2 – Bonnie Tyler: I Need A Hero
Lovely Bonnie Tyler has got a voice in a million, and this is maybe the best song she ever did – so passionate and so romantic, it would start every teenage girl in the 80s dreaming about a big, strong hero…
1 – Tina Turner: Simply The Best
And here’s the one and only Tina – she was the idol, the goddess of my teenage days. After a difficult decade, she made a great comeback in the 80s and was in the charts almost all the time; and this is one of the most beautiful, most romantic love songs ever written… (Note: Bonnie Tyler actually did this song first, but Tina’s version became more famous.)
So that’s my personal favourites; what about you, dear friends – what are your favourites from the 80s? I’d love to hear about your top hits from the decade!
Roberta Franklin 