Music in the 80s

THE 80S

There are a lot of things to say about the 80s, I have tried to summarise this huge decade the best I could. It was a great surprise the fact that I know something about almost all the songs I have mentioned here. It’s maybe because the 80s were full of amazing artists and songs which are also known nowadays.

MTV

Music in the 1980s was all about image and with the advent and popularity of MTV, the images that accompanied artists became more important than ever.

Arguably the most important event to influence music during the 1980s was the creation of the cable network

MTV (Music Television). MTV was the first network to exclusively showcase music videos, making its debut on August 1st, 1981. The first music video to be played on the channel was, appropriately, the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," as music would forever change and the focus would shift from music and lyrics to fashion and theatrics, at least in the world of pop music. The original concept of the network was to play music videos twenty-four hours a day, every day. And, while this has obviously changed since then, the innovative concept created a whole new breed of pop star.

The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star"

POP: New Pop Superstars

Pop stars and their music changed in the 1980s with the help of MTV and a greater focus on image. A new breed of mega-stars emerged, becoming iconic mascots for the genre and defining the decade through fashion, talent and persona. Some of the superstars to emerge were Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Prince. They experienced a level of fame and success not seen since Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Later, I am going to talk about Michael Jackson in detail.

           

These stars influenced fashion through their music videos, giving fans a first-hand glimpse into emerging trends. Their songs set the gold standard for what pop music should be, and through constant reinvention they were able to navigate the pop culture world and keep themselves relevant. Thirty years on, they are still the standard that today's pop stars get compared to. There are several reasons they these pop mega-stars emerged, the main one being they were genuinely talented artists. Other reasons include a greater public interest in celebrity gossip, fashion and increased obsession with pop culture. It also was related to the public having an increased disposable income and a want to imitate celebrity affluence. Changes in technology also contributed to the availability of music (MTV), better ways to listen (CDs and cassettes), and portability of music (the Walkman and boom-boxes). Lastly, a lot of these superstars' success can be accounted for through smart marketed by record companies and the artists' ability to look at themselves as brands.

Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody ( HQ Stereo) (1988 30th GRAMMY Awards)

Old Pop Stars and Their New Solo Careers

One trend in pop music during the decade was the re-emergence of older musicians who had once been

Tina Turner

popular as a part of a group or duo into their own solo careers. Some examples include Diana Ross, Cher, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney. These artists had already experienced success during the 1960s and 1970s and a few of them had even tried becoming actors during that time. They also came into successful solo careers after adapting to the new musical landscape. Cher, Tina Turner and Diana Ross all updated their looks to keep up with fashion, Lionel Richie made memorable music videos and adapted his soulful sound into the new style of pop music and Paul McCartney collaborated with other successful musicians to keep himself relevant.


Part of the reason these artists were successful had to do with the fact that the Baby Boom generation was

Diana Ross

coming into adulthood and had an influx of disposable income to spend on the records of artists they had grown up listening to. They brought a sense of nostalgia for the good old days of music and yet their songs and styles were updated, combining the best of both worlds.

All night long - Lionel Richie

Hip Hop & Rap

Hip Hop/Rap music originated in African American communities in New York City in the 1970s and

became more mainstream and part of popular culture in the mid to late 1980s. Hip hop music originally had a difficult time breaking into the mainstream due to MTV's reluctance to show music videos of black artists. After much criticism, the network started to embrace black musicians like Michael Jackson, whose videos were amongst the most popular, paving the way for hip hop artists like Run DMC and LL Cool J to usher in the era of commercialized rap music. As the genre gained traction on MTV, it gave the white middle class a glimpse into inner city culture and many conservative parents of the time were disapproving of the genre that had been called the "new rock n' roll." Key elements of the genre include sampling old records, rapping lyrics, fun sounds with an underlying message, beat-boxing and electronic sounds.


Hip hop music sounded like nothing that had been heard before in mainstream music and the late 1980s was thought of as the Golden Age, were everything seemed original and innovative. By the end of the decade MTV started airing the program "Yo! MTV Raps" making the hip hop and rap music a global phenomenon. Important hip hop acts like Run DMC and LL Cool J made the genre commercial and were style icons, the Beastie Boys made the music "white friendly" and added elements of rock music, and Salt-n-Pepa were female pioneers of the genre.

Yo! MTV Raps - Episode 1 (1988)

New Wave

The New Wave genre began in the 1970s and was popular until the mid-1980s. The focus of this music

was on artistic themes and the sound was tied to punk rock, dance music, synthesizers and other electronic instruments. New Wave eventually became tied to pop music as music videos from the genre were heavily promoted on MTV. The term "New Wave" is meant as an all-encompassing term that allows a variety of highly diverse artists to fit into the same category. Some artists had a futuristic sound while others were closer to punk rock. New Wave bands and artists had an impact on fashion with their unique clothing and hairstyles that the youth culture would adopt. Many of the decades one hit wonders fell into this genre. Some of the definitive New Wave bands were Duran Duran, Blondie, Billy Idol, the Talking Heads, and Culture Club.

Blondie - Heart Of Glass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU

Hair Metal

Hair Metal had its roots in the 1970s Glam Rock. Popular bands in the genre often came from the L.A. Sunset Strip music scene and the United Kingdom. Hair metal bands would pull influences from heavy metal, punk rock, and traditional rock music to develop their sound. Lyrically, songs had catchy hooks and a pop sensibility. Songs were often party anthems or power ballads and would focus on themes of being an outlaw, drugs and women. Groups from this genre were called "Hair Bands" because members of these male-dominated bands would often have long and big-styled hair and would wear makeup and spandex clothing, creating an androgynous look. Bands in this genre fell on large spectrum from being almost pop music/soft rock to a heavier and grittier sound and nearly all of them had a flamboyant and outgoing lead singer. Hair metal bands were also associated with a hard-partying lifestyle, groupies and drug-use. Notable hair bands from the decade include Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Guns n' Roses, and Poison.

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE KING OF POP

To finish my publication I am going to talk about Michael Jackson; I think he deserve a special mention for all he has contributed in the music world.

A little bit of biography:

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, record

producer, dancer, and actor. Called the King of pop, his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.

The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the
professional music scene along with his elder brothers as a
member of the Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in
1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure
in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including
those of "Beat it", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with breaking down racial barriers and with transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity of these videos helped to bring the then-relatively-new television channel MTV to fame.


With videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream", he continued to innovate the medium throughout the 1990s, as well as forging a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous hip-hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop, and rock artists.

Michael’s music was released during this decade was a major influence on 80’s music and style. People around the world tried to mimic Michael in every way, from the moon walk in their performances to the gloves and jackets that they wore.

THRILLER RECORDS 

(1) With sales of 29 million, according to the RIAA, "Thriller" is the best-selling studio album in U.S. history. The set is tied with the Eagles' best-of collection, "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975."

(2) "Thriller" has spent the most weeks (37) atop the Billboard 200 of any album by a single artist. Only the "West Side Story" soundtrack (54) has reigned longer.

(3) The "Thriller" No. 1s "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" are two of Jackson's 13 Hot 100 leaders, the most of any solo male artist.

(4) "Thriller" became the first album to generate seven Hot 100 top 10 hits.

Michael Jackson - Thriller (Short Version)

I hope you have enjoyed my publication about the 80s! I have talked about many of the most important artists of the 80s, but there are much more, you can research about them and sure you will find a lot of amazing artists.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/80smusic.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_history_of_the_United_States_in_the_1980s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_in_music#Hip_hop
http://80music.about.com/od/artistsfj/tp/topmjsongs.htm
http://tamumusicofthe80s.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/the-influence-of-michael-jackson_9905.html
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/473949/michael-jacksons-thriller-at-30-how-one-album-changed-the-world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson#Discography