I gotta admit that I was excited about the Eighties. Everything about the Eighties seemed exciting with possibilities: wrapping up high school, the whole college thing and becoming an “adult.” Plus, the music of the decade was going to be sweet, especially after how exciting 1979 was.
You gotta love it when artists that you loved as relative unknowns become huge, as if it were some validation of your tastes in music. Blondie really hit the big time in 1980 behind three number one songs, led by “Call Me.” The Clash and Pink Floyd reaped critical and public acclaim during this year. Bruce Springsteen really broke through on both the album and singles charts here in the U.S. AC/DC and Queen peaked in 1980, and The Police continued to gain momentum. Disco was mutating into dance music. New wave was the “it” music of the moment, and heavy metal was bubbling underneath it all.
On the other hand, we got the last gasps of big time cultural significance of Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand. And, in one of the most shocking moments in rock history, the final nail was put in the coffin of the Baby Boomers’ dominance of rock music when John Lennon’s voice was silenced by an assassin. I have to admit that I went to bed before the news broke about Lennon. The game on Monday Night Football was boring, and I was tired. Yet, when I heard the radio broadcast of the news at six in the morning, I was stunned. I had just purchased his new album and was playing it the night before. And, much as Roberto Clemente’s death did eight years earlier, I was moved to learn as much as I could about the man. Even though my grandfather had passed away in early 1975, the deaths of two men who were both cut down in their primes affected nearly as much, though it was nowhere near how the death of two of my high school friends did.
Still, after Lennon’s death, you kinda got the sense that the torch was being passed on to a new generation. And ultimately, this what 1980 represents to me. And, these are the songs that generally constituted the soundtrack to my life back then.
100. “Give Me the Night” – George Benson
99. “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” – S.O.S. Band
98. “Don’t Stop the Music” – Yarbrough & Peoples
97. “I’m Alright” – Kenny Loggins
96. “Antmusic” – Adam & the Ants
95. “Magic” – Olivia Newton-John
94. “Longer” – Dan Fogelberg
93. “Enola Gay” – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
92. “Lady” – Kenny Rogers
91. “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)” – Squeeze
90. “Echo Beach” – Martha & the Muffins
89. “I Love a Rainy Night” – Eddie Rabbitt
88. “One in a Million You” – Larry Graham
87. “A Forest” – The Cure
86. “Shining Star” – The Manhattans
85. “He Stopped Loving Her Today” – George Jones
84. “Just the Two of Us” – Grover Washington Jr. with Bill Withers
83. “The Tide Is High” – Blondie
82. “He’s So Shy” – The Pointer Sisters
81. “Keep on Loving You” – REO Speedwagon
80. “Fame” – Irene Cara
79. “Sailing” – Christopher Cross
78. “Upside Down” – Diana Ross
77. “On the Road Again” – Willie Nelson
76. “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” – The Police
75. “Hey Nineteen” – Steely Dan
74. “Late in the Evening” – Paul Simon
73. “Turn It On Again” – Genesis
72. “I Will Follow” – U2
71. “Cool Change” – Little River Band
70. “Private Idaho” – The B-52’s
69. “Steal Away” – Robbie Dupree
68. “The Wanderer” – Donna Summer
67. “People Who Died” – Jim Carroll Band
66. “Theme from ‘New York, New York'” – Frank Sinatra
65. “Heartbreak Hotel” – Michael Jackson
64. “How Do I Make You” – Linda Ronstadt
63. “Breakdown Dead Ahead” – Boz Scaggs
62. “I Got You” – Split Enz
61. “Coming Up (live)” – Paul McCartney
60. “Precious” – The Pretenders
59. “Everybody Wants Some!!” – Van Halen
58. “Stop This Game” – Cheap Trick
57. “Into the Night” – Benny Mardones
56. “Don’t Let Go” – Isaac Hayes
55. “I Can’t Tell You” – Eagles
54. “Tired of Toein’ the Line” – Rocky Burnette
53. “Romeo’s Tune” – Steve Forbert
52. “Holiday in Cambodia” – Dead Kennedys
51. “She’s So Cold” – The Rolling Stones
50. “Everything Works If You Let It” – Cheap Trick
49. “Love Stinks” – The J. Geils Band
48. “Breaking the Law” – Judas Priest
47. “(Just Like) Starting Over” – John Lennon
46. “Emotional Rescue” – The Rolling Stones
45. “Geno” – Dexys Midnight Runners
44. “Fantastic Voyager” – Lakeside
43. “Special Lady” – Ray, Goodman & Brown
42. “The Second Time Around” – Shalamar
41. “Flirtin’ with Disaster” – Molly Hatchet
40. “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” – Pat Benatar
39. “Never Knew Love like This Before” – Stephanie Mills
38. “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” – Billy Joel
37. “Vienna” – Ultravox
36. “Ace of Spades” – Motörhead
35. “Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me?)” – Gap Band
34. “Anyway You Want It” – Journey
33. “Atomic” – Blondie
32. “Let My Love Open the Door” – Pete Townshend
31. “Stomp!” – The Brothers Johnson
30. “Fashion” – David Bowie
29. “You May Be Right” – Billy Joel
28. “That’s Entertainment” – The Jam
27. “More Bounce to the Ounce, Part 1” – Zapp
26. “Watching the Wheels” – John Lennon
25. “Biko” – Peter Gabriel
24. “Ah! Leah!” – Donnie Iris
23. “The Spirit of the Radio” – Rush
22. “Switchin’ to Glide” – The Kings
21. “Brass in Pocket” – The Pretenders
20. “Turning Japanese” – The Vapors
19. “Hungry Heart” – Bruce Springsteen
18. “Yes, I’m Ready” – Terri DeSario & KC
17. “Whip It” – Devo
16. “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” – Stevie Wonder
15. “I’m Coming Out” – Diana Ross
14. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” – The Police
13. “Funkytown” – Lipps Inc.
12. “Ashes to Ashes” – David Bowie
11. “What I Like About You” – The Romantics
10. “Cars” – Gary Numan
9. “The Breaks” – Kurtis Blow
8. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – Joy Division
7. “You Shook Me All Night Long” – AC/DC
6. “Call Me” – Blondie
5. “Another One Bites the Dust” – Queen
4. “Going Underground” – The Jam
3. “Games Without Frontiers” – Peter Gabriel
2. “Rapture” – Blondie
1. “Once in a Lifetime” – Talking Heads
If My Records Could Talk 