College Rock Music of the 80s: My Top 200 Songs

Now, back when I began my two-week excursion into the New Wave music of the late-70s and early-80s, I really got to thinking about the whole big genre that was labeled by baby boomers who were running radio stations in the late-80s and early-90s. Much like the great pop music of the early-60s gave way to what is now known as classic rock music, a similar action happened to new wave. As many young people, mainly the early members of Generation X (those born after 1960), began to realize how the trickle down economics of the 80s wasn’t trickling down to all of us, the music began to reflect that. Then you throw in the AIDS epidemic, the crack epidemic and the social ills depicted in rap and hardcore musics, and a majority of people wanted a music to reflect this. Unfortunately, a large portion of those who came of age in the late 80s turned to hair metal in the States. Hair metal was fine, but it was the musical equivalent of burying one’s head in the sand to escape all the social ills around them. Others began to turn to a form of music called college rock.

Now, this music was ran in many directions. It went from the icy-dance numbers of New Order to the industrial goth-metal of Ministry to the jangle pop R.E.M. and The Smiths to the power pop of Game Theory. The music was rich and varied, but it all shared one common characteristic. The music was played mainly on college radio stations or independent family-run radio stations that dotted college towns throughout the States. If it wasn’t played on commercial radio, then these stations picked up the music and played it. That moment was very similar to when free-form FM radio began to play album cuts instead of the pop hits played on AM radio stations. Many times, these college radio stations were quick to pick up on a song or an artist that would go on to great success. Much of the music I continue to listen to this day is from this genre.

Although the music was diverse, the lyrical content ran from surrealistic musings of Robyn Hitchcock to the overtly political statements of Bad Brains, from the alienation on a dance floor of New Order to just plain alienation of Echo & the Bunnymen, to the flat out anger of Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. Whatever your personal taste was, alternative music could deliver a new bent on that music. Heck, even folk music was thrown in this music, where you could find the works of Billy Bragg, Suzanne Vega and Tracey Chapman. And guess what? You could even hear rap artists like Run-DMC and Beastie Boys, as well as future metal stalwarts Metallica. It was a great time.

Today, I would like to begin My 200 Favorite College Rock Songs. If you don’t know the song, look it up and listen to it. The song might still change your world!

166. The Replacements – “Bastards of Young” (1985)

167. Marshall Crenshaw – “Whenever You’re on My Mind” (1983)

168. The Psychedelic Furs – “Heartbreak Beat” (1987)

169. Arcadia – “Election Day” (1985)

170. Peter Gabriel – “In Your Eyes” (1986)

171. The Plimsouls – “A Million Miles Away” (1982)

172. Trio – “Da Da Da (I Don’t Love You You Don’t Love Me Aha Aha Aha)” (1983)

173. UB40 with Chrissie Hynde – “I Got You Babe” (1985)

174. Eurythmics – “Sexcrime” (1984)

175. Marshall Crenshaw – “Mary Anne” (1982)

176. Violent Femmes – “Blister in the Sun” (1983)

177. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – “Deanna” (1988)

178. Pretenders – “Precious” (1980)

179. Erasure – “A Little Respect” (1988)

180. The Stone Roses – “Waterfall” (1989)

181. The Style Council – “My Ever Changing Moods” (1984)

182. David Bowie – “Ashes to Ashes” (1980)

183. Fear – “More Beer” (1985)

184. R.E.M. – “Stand” (1988)

185. Husker Du – “Celebrated Summer” (1985)

186. Tears for Fears – “Mad World” (1983)

187. The Cure – “Fascination Street” (1989)

188. Siouxsie & the Banshees – “Spellbound” (1981)

189. The Raincoats – “Fairytale in the Supermarket” (1984)

190. The Psychedelic Furs – “Love My Way” (1982)

191. They Might Be Giants – “Ana Ng” (1988)

192. The Police – “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (1981)

193. Thomas Dolby – “Hyperactive”(1984)

194. Eurythmics – “Love Is a Stranger” (1983)

195. U2 – “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (1983)

196. XTC – “Senses Working Overtime” (1982)

197. Pet Shop Boys – “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” (1986)

198. The Long Ryders – “Looking for Lewis and Clark” (1985)

199. R.E.M. – “Orange Crush” (1988)

200. The Lords of the New Church – “Like a Virgin” (1985)

That’s 35 down and 165 to go! See you tomorrow!