From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89

For a history of music in all times, go to Timeline of musical events.

1980s in music is music created and performed in the 1980s. This decade saw the emergence of teen pop, new wave and glam metal and is associated with electronic music and the use of the synthesizer in synthpop. The music of the 1980s continued the trends of the 1970s pop culture, just as the 2000s continued those of the 1990s.

The U.S. and North America

Rock

U2, 1983

R.E.M., 1985

Alternative rock begins to enter the mainstream, with New Wave music and bands like U2 and R.E.M. popular long before the Grunge movement of the early 1990s.

In the years 1980 and 1981, the original New Romantic scene, with a David Bowie-influenced camp look and a punk rock sound influenced and interacted with the late 1970s punk scene at CBGB's, creating the New Wave scene that would define the 1980s. Outside of New Wave, rock continued the arena rock trend of the 1970s - bands like Styx, Rush, Journey, REO Speedwagon, ZZ Top, and Aerosmith were popular into the early 1980s, with hair metal taking their place later.

Beginning in 1983 and peaking in success at the end of the decade, the resurgence of hard rock music and the emergence of pop metal with bands such as Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake, and Cinderella.

The emergence of wildly popular hard rock band Guns N' Roses and the successful comeback of Aerosmith in the late 1980s. The success of hard rock act Van Halen throughout the entire decade, with both singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. Heavy metal artists like Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne were also very popular during the Eighties.

Various older rock bands make a comeback. The Beach Boys have a hit with Kokomo. The Kinks have hits with Come Dancing and Do It Again. The Steve Miller Band have a hit with Abracadabra. Steely Dan have a hit with Hey Nineteen. Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood spark a revival of blues. Led Zeppelin disbanded after John Bonham's 1980 death. Country rock sees a decline after Lynyrd Skynyrd's tragic 1977 plane crash.

Pop

The decade of 1980's saw the reinvention of Michael Jackson and the emergence of Madonna, which arguably were the most powerful musicians during the time. Their videos became a permanent fixture on MTV and gained a worldwide mass audience.

Michael Jackson, 1984

By 1980, the disco production of the 1970s, largely dependent on orchestras, is replaced by a lighter synthpop production. Duran Duran gains fame with their hit Girls on Film, which had a Godley & Creme-directed video, which was banned by MTV for it's sexual nature. They continued throughout the 80s with a string of hits, including Planet Earth, Hungry Like the Wolf, The Reflex, and Rio. In the second half of the 1980s teen pop has its first wave. Bands and artists include New Kids on the Block, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Tommy Page, New Edition, Stacey Q, The Bangles, Madonna and others. Urban pop acts of the 1980s include Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Deniece Williams. Artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince, The Pet Shop Boys and Janet Jackson ruled the charts throughout the decade and achieved tremendous success worldwide. Their fame and commercial success lasts up to date. Michael Jackson releases Thriller in 1982, which becomes the best selling album of all time.

Hip hop

N.W.A, circa 1989

Hip hop, a genre of music and culture that began in 1970s Bronx in New York City, became mainstream and a strong influence on pop music in the late 1980s and continues to be in the present day. Popular hip hop artists of the 1980s include Run D.M.C., Beastie Boys, NWA, Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Boogie Down Productions, and Ice T, among others.

Country music

As the 1980s dawned, pop-influenced country music was the dominant style, through such acts as Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Milsap, T.G. Sheppard, Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Anne Murray and Dolly Parton. The 1980 movie Urban Cowboy, a romantic comedy starring John Travolta and Debra Winger, spawned a successful soundtrack album featuring pop-styled country songs, including "Lookin' for Love" by Johnny Lee, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band, "Could I Have This Dance" by Murray and "Love the World Away" by Rogers. The songs, and the movie itself, resulted in an early 1980s boom in pop-styled country music, and the era is sometimes known as the "Urban Cowboy Movement."

By the mid-1980s, country music audiences were beginning to tire of country pop. Although some pop-country artists continued to record and release successful songs and albums, the genre in general was beginning to suffer. By 1985, a New York Times article declared country music "dead." However, by this time, several newcomers were working behind the scenes to reverse this perception.

The year 1986 brought forth several new artists who performed in traditional country styles, such as honky-tonk. This sparked the "new traditionalist" movement, or return to traditional country music. The most successful of these artists included Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Ricky Van Shelton and Holly Dunn. Also, artists like Kathy Mattea and Keith Whitley, both who had been performing for a few years prior, had their first major hits during 1986; Mattea was more folk-styled, while Whitley was pure honky-tonk. But the new traditionalist movement had already taken hold as early as 1981, when newcomers such as Ricky Skaggs and George Strait had their first big hits, and Reba McEntire had her first big hit in 1980; in addition, songwriter/guitarist and Chet Atkins prodigy Steve Wariner also emerged as a popular act starting in the early 1980s. Another boom period for newcomers with new traditionalist styles was 1989, when artists such as Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lorrie Morgan and Travis Tritt had their first big hits.

Vocal duos were also popular because of their harmonies, most notably The Bellamy Brothers and The Judds. Several of the Bellamy Brothers' songs included double-entendre' laden hooks, on songs such as "Do You Love as Good As You Look." The Judds, a mother-and-daughter duo, combined elements of contemporary pop and traditional country music on songs such as "Why Not Me" and "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days)."

Country music groups and bands continued to rise in popularity during the 1980s. The most successful of the lot was Alabama, a Fort Payne-based band that blended traditional and pop country sounds with southern rock. Their concerts regularly sold out, while their single releases regularly reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In 1989, Alabama was named the Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music. By the end of the 1980s, the group had sold more than 24 million albums in the United States.

Ranking just behind Alabama in popularity, as far as groups were concerned, were The Oak Ridge Boys and The Statler Brothers, both four-part harmony groups with gospel and country-pop stylings. The popularity of those three groups sparked a boom in new groups and bands, and by the end of the 1980s, fans were listening to such acts as Restless Heart and Exile, the latter which previously enjoyed success with the rock hit "Kiss You All Over."

Despite the prevaling pop country sound, enduring acts from the 1970s and earlier continued to enjoy great success with fans. George Jones, one of the longest-running acts of the time, recorded several successful singles, including the critically acclaimed "He Stopped Loving Her Today." Conway Twitty continued to have a series of No. 1 hits, with 1986's "Desperado Love" becoming his 40th chart-topper on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, a record that stood for nearly 20 years. The movie Coal Miner's Daughter profiled the life of Loretta Lynn (with Sissy Spacek in the lead role), while Willie Nelson also had a series of acting credits. Others who had been around for awhile and continued to have great success were Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Ray Price, Hank Williams Jr. and Tammy Wynette.

Europe

See the main article for more information.

Latin America

The 1980s gives to the rise of teenage groups such as Menudo, Timbiriche, and Los Chicos, as well as child stars such as Luis Miguel. The Rock en Español movement began around the 1980s. Groups such as Los Prisioneros, Soda Stereo, Caifanes, Hombres G, and many others became famous in Latin America. By 1988, however, the aforementioned Luis Miguel would transform into an adult superstar at age 18 with the hit La Incondicional. Not too far behind was former Los Chicos' member Chayanne as he became a leading pop star by the end of the decade. As young stars begin to rise in Latin music, veterans such as Julio Iglesias, Jose Jose, Juan Gabriel, and Jose Luis Rodriguez El Puma continue their dominance in Latin music. After the slow decline of Fania All-Stars, the new romantic genre of salsa romantica would rise beginning in 1984. Younger salseros such as Frankie Ruiz, Luis Enrique, and Pedro Conga would take advantage of this new genre. Merengue music would also hit its golden years during the 1980s with acts such as Wilfrido Vargas, Johnny Ventura, and Fernando Villalona. Their orchestras would also churn future solo acts such as Eddy Herrera and Rubby Perez. By the end of the decade, La Cocoband would reinvent merengue with a more comedic style. Tejano Music starts to give little rise after Mazz crosses over to Mexico after their albums Una Noche Juntos and No Te Olvidare win Grammys.

See also

• 1970s in music
• 1990s in music