by 6 people |
The best of times - Band Aid, Live Aid, the fall of the Berlin Wall, MTV
The worst of times - Chernobyl, Mt Saint Helens eruption, Challenger explosion, Lockerbie disaster.
Age of wisdom - first artificial heart transplant, CNN launched, compact discs and IBM PCs both released to the public.
Age of foolishness - Milli Vanilli.....need I say more! Reaganisms such as "My fellow Americans, I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."
Women in the 80s
The British landscape was changed forever as the Iron Lady wielded her power.
Still in the political arena porn star Cicciolina won a seat in the Italian parliament in 1987 as the rest of the world shook their heads in amazement.
In 1988 Benazir Bhutto became the first woman to head an Islamic nation when she became Pakistan's Prime Minister.
In the world of entertainment the Queen of Chat, Oprah Winfrey burst onto our screens in the 80s with The Oprah Winfrey Show airing for the first time in 1986.
The title of Ms came to the fore in the eighties as opposed to Miss and Mrs. Ms could be used regardless of marital status. The eighties also saw the rise of women continuing to use their maiden name after marriage. As more and more women continued into higher education and gained qualifications in their maiden names it was only a matter of time before they would keep them in their working lives at least.
As women embraced the corporate world they also embraced suits. Women threw away the florals and wore suits with shoulder pads to appear more powerful. They also teamed their suits with big hair and big jewelry.
Shootings in the 80s
Then in December we were shocked as news came that the peace loving ex-Beatle John Lennon had been shot outside of his New York apartment. A candlelight vigil was held by fans and the entertainment world was in morning.
-
Imagine, the Song
-
"Imagine all the people, living life in peace, youhoohoooo, you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one....." John Winston Lennon This song appears on John Lennon's 1971 album of the same name, but has remained an anthem ever since. It's act...
On May 13th 1981 an assassination attempt was made on Pope John Paul II by a mentally disturbed Turk.
In 1985 Swedish premier Olaf Palme was assassinated.
1989 saw the decade end with some shocking shootings - Menendez brothers shooting, Tiannamen Square carnage and the Montreal Massacre.
Heath Scares
AIDS hit the headlines when Rock Hudson died. I can remember it being on the front page of the papers and all of a sudden everyone was talking about this disease that homosexuals were passing around. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - AIDS. Of course we soon learnt that it could be spread by any unsafe sex, but initially gays in the 80s were treated very much like the blacks of the 50s.
I remember a friend of my father's refusing to drink out of cans any more, because anyone could have touched the can at some point and could have left AIDS germs on it! It seems totally pathetic now, but people were really paranoid because of lack of information. AIDS was the stuff of nightmares.
People were also shocked when Karen Carpenter died. Her death brought with it an awareness of Anorexia Nervosa and the senseless waste of a beautiful singer's life.
Music of the eighties
One of the most dramatic changes that would shape the music of the eighties was a new television channel that came into being on August 1st 1981. MTV, the 24 hour music channel that would encourage bands to produce fantastic music videos. The first song played on MTV? It just had to be the Buggles with Video Killed the Radio Star.
Trevor Horn (the man behind the Buggles) continued to be influencial throughout the eighties as a producer. Another influence in the music industry was Malcolm McLaren, most famous for being the manager of the Sex Pistols in the 70s, Malcolm sensed that change was coming.
After advising Adam Ant, he stole his band away and formed Bow Wow Wow. He also gave George O'Dowd his first shot at singing on stage under the name Captain Lush......George O'Dowd would become better known as Boy George the lead singer of Culture Club.
-
What is 80s Music?
-
Being a teenager in the 80s I love 80s music, but what exactly is it? It is so hard to define as diverse as it was. In the post punk aftermath you had the likes of Spandau Ballet in London and Duran Duran in Birmingham leading a new era called the N...
-
Adam and the Ants
-
Adam and the Ants and their flamboyant frontman Adam Ant were a huge influence in the early 80s and are often thought of as a New Romantic group. It comes as a surprise to many, then, that Adam Ant started off as a punk, in fact the Sex P...
-
New Romantics Video Showcase
-
The 80s music genre - New Romantics sprouted out of the UK's winter of discontent. The New Romantic movement, like punk, had it's roots in working class backgrounds. Where New Romantics were different was that they wrapped themselves up in the glamo...
-
Spandau Ballet
-
Spandau Ballet were a fantastic British group of the 80s. Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran were Britain's two supergroups, although Spandau Ballet were not as successful overseas as they were in their homeland. As a hot boy band they drove the girls c...
-
The New Romantics
-
The New Romantics were a music genre in the 1980s generally considered to be a sub genre of the New Wave movement. Duran Duran were probably the biggest New Romantic band on an international level. The New Romantic movement began in the UK right at...
-
Bow Wow Wow
-
Bow Wow Wow were formed by former Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren. The line up consisted of Leigh Gorman, Dave Barbarossa, Matthew Ashman and Annabella Lwin. Bow Wow Wow were heavily influenced by tribal beats. Groups such as Red Hot Chilli Pep...
-
Heaven 17
-
Consisting of 3 school friends from Sheffield Heaven 17 were one of the 1980s New Romantic bands. The classic 80s song "Temptation" is my favorite of their singles and was actually their biggest UK hit. Heaven 17 consisted of Glenn Gregory, Martyn W...
-
Culture Club
-
Culture Club were a popular 80s band that was fronted by the very flamboyant Boy George (one of the Blitz Kids). Formed in 1981 Culture Club's members were Boy George (singer), Mickey Craig (bassist), Jon Moss (drummer) and Roy Hay (guitarist). Cult...
-
Soft Cell
-
Many years ago I went to school with David Ball, for two years we sat in the same classroom..........okay, okay it was a different David Ball and NOT one half of the duo known as Soft Cell, but it would've made for a great story! Soft Cell were form...
Also making her mark in the eighties was the Queen of Pop - Madonna.
-
Madonna's 80s Collection
-
Madonna found fame in the 1980s producing 4 chart topping albums. Madonna seemed able to tune into the winds of change just before they occured and reinvented herself several times. Songs such as Holiday and Lucky Star from her first album the self-...
-
Top Ten Michael Jackson Songs
-
Since starting his singing career with his brothers in the group the Jackson Five Michael Jackson has continued to entertain with his singing and dancing. In the eighties Michael Jackson was crowned the King of Pop it's a title that he never relinqui...
-
Power Ballads Video Showcase
-
Power Ballads came into being in the 1980s. Was it a deathnail in metal's coffin or was it a natural progression? The music industry was changing in the 80s - why shouldn't metal change? Punk had evolved into the New Romantic movement and metal band...
The biggest musical scandal had to be Milli Vanilli, after being awarded a Grammy it was revealed that the duo were just lipsyncing!!
Gimme More 80s Music
-
Stevie Wonder: I Just Called To Say I Love You Song Lyrics
-
Born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in 1950, Stevie Wonder has been blind since birth. He was signed to Motown at the tender age of 11 and was given the stage name Little Stevie Wonder. The 1984 song I Just Called To Say I Love You was written, produced...
-
Jennifer Rush: The Power of Love Song Lyrics
-
Jennifer Rush was born Heidi Stern, daughter of Maurice Stern (the opera singer). With her single The Power of Love Jennifer Rush became the first female soloist to sell a million singles in the UK. She held the record of the largest-selling record b...
-
Best Songs of the 80s
-
This is the top 10 best selling singles in the UK for the whole of the eighties. I was quite surprised to find that a few of my favorites didn't make the list - how about yours? Be sure to let me know. Whatever we think of the following songs, these...
-
Band Aid, 1984
-
The story of Band Aid is legendary, a sick musician (Bob Geldof) watching television in bed gets moved into action when watching a documentary about the famine in Ethiopia. He gets together with a fello muso (Midge Ure), they write a song (Do They Kn...
-
The Top Ten Songs of 1986
-
Like most of the 1980s, 1986 also had a mixed bag of singles making the top 40s across the world. The top selling singles of 1986 in the UK included the unlikely pairing of King of Clean - Cliff Richard with the anarchic comedians from the cult hit s...
-
Bruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A.
-
Bruce Springsteen or 'The Boss' as we like to call him had already established himself as a rocker before he released his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. The album, Born in the U.S.A. raised him up from rock singer to superstar and everywhere you turn...
-
Wham!
-
Wham! was a fantastic group made up of a couple of Young Guns by the name of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley who wanted to make it big. These bad boys got together to record Wham Rap, the first of their many singles. While staying at Club Tropican...
-
Pepsi & Shirlie
-
Pepsi and Shirlie were Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque and Shirlie Holliman. They found fame as the back up singers for Wham! They appeared in the Wham! videos and when Wham! disbanded they formed a duo. Their first single was a big club hit in the UK, althou...
-
Best Selling Singles of 1980
-
Here you will find the best selling singles in the UK for the year 1980. From the Police to Abba, Kenny Rogers to John Lennon these are the songs Britons were buying in 1980.
-
Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Relax Song Lyrics
-
Not only did Liverpool give us the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers the city also gave us Frankie Goes To Hollywood. The five members of the band are Holly Johnson (vocals),Paul Rutherford (vocals, keyboards), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark...
-
Wham!: Fantastic Album
-
Fantastic was the name of Wham!'s first album. The successful 1980s pop duo was made up of old school friends George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Fantastic! was a number one hit album on the UK charts and the songs were part satirist and part social...
-
Paul McCartney: Pipes of Peace
-
Pipes of Peace is a really lovely song written by Paul McCartney which, although not a Christmas song in the 'normal' sense, does tell of a time of peace on earth.....for a day anyway. It held the number one spot in the UK's Top 40 for only 2 weeks....
-
Wham!: Last Christmas Song Lyrics
-
First released by Wham! in 1984 Last Christmas is now a classic Christmas song. Last Christmas actually peaked at the number 2 slot in the UK charts because of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? single. Far from being bitter about missing out on...
-
Best Selling Albums of the 80s
-
I love 80s music and here I have compiled the top ten best selling albums of the 80s in the UK. From Madonna and MIchael Jackson to Dire Straits and U2 the 80s were a fantastic decade for music and I hope that you find one of your favorite 80s albums...
-
Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Two Tribes Song Lyrics
-
Two Tribes was the second single released off of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's album Welcome to the Pleasuredome. The Two Tribes in question were Russia and America as when this song was written and released we were still in the throes of the cold war....
-
Best Selling Singles of 1981
-
The Top Selling Singles of the UK in 1981 included the electro-pop of Soft Cell and the 'Elvis' inspired rockabilly style of Shakin' Stevens. 1981 also saw Adam and the Ants emerge into their post punk, new romantic style which would be what they wer...
Politics
In 1985 Mikhail Gorbochov became the leader of the USSR and with his leadership change came to the Soviet Union - by the end of the decade the first McDonalds was even opened in Moscow!
-
Reaganisms
-
Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States of America on January 20th 1981 and remained in office until 20th January 1989. The former actor turned California Governor had a huge influence on the political landscape of the 1980s. Wh...
Language
-
80s Acronyms
-
During the 80s people loved to throw acronyms around. It can make the eighties language a little confusing for the uninitiated! If you grew up in the 80s, however it can be fun to look back and remember what they were. If I've missed out any that yo...
Games
There were some great games during the 80s - who can forget the Rubik's Cube (technically released in the 70s), it's an icon of the 80s.-
The Rubik's Cube
-
When you think of the Rubik's Cube you get transported back to the 1980s when that horrible cube sucked you in. Hours upon hours were wasted trying to conquer a silly plastic puzzle! I do love the Rubik's cube though, even if I have never managed to...
Then the world was introduced to Trivial Pursuit. (Photo courtesy of Olivander.)The Cabbage Patch dolls, complete with their own birth certificates, were first born in the 80s and Barbie dolls were still popular. There were also Sindy dolls which were a poorer version of Barbies, but they still came with their own houses, horses and a huge range of clothes.
Who can forget the 80s video games?
Space Invaders (technically 1979) was a game I used to be able to play when the carnival came to town - I wasn't allowed into the Games Arcades that were starting to spring up around the country. Pac-Man was also huge during the 80s (we had a cheaper version at home on our personal gaming system - way cool!).
-
Gifts for the 80s Games Lover
-
Before you reach for another box set of 80s music to give to that person you know who is still "....stuck in 1985...." as the song goes. Think about other 80s gifts that they may enjoy, not sure what? Well if they like games you're in the right place...
Forget memory sticks Floppy discs were what you used in these computers!
The first Nintendo home entertainment system was introduced - who could have envisaged the game systems we have now?
80s Movie Magic
The Nightmare on Elm Street Collection
Oliver Stone made his writing and directing debut in the 80s
John Hughes owned the teen movie market in the eighties with movies such as The Breakfast Club & Sixteen Candles.
Wes Craven introduced us to Freddy Kruger which kept audiences awake in his Nightmare on Elm Street series of movies.
There were also the dance movies of the 80s. One of these movies was Fame which also spawned a television series. Other dance movies of the eighties were Flashdance, Footloose and Dirty Dancing.
-
Oscars of the 80s
-
The eighties saw some great movies ranging from John Hughes' teen movies like Sixteen Candles and the Breakfast Club to the introduction of Freddy Kruger in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Top Gun was a huge commercial hit as was the Karate Kid a...
-
Fame
-
Fame was a hit movie from 1980 that spawned a t.v. series, records and leg warmers. It tells the story of a group of students who believe that fame will make them live forever. The movie and television series were both based in the New York High Sch...
-
A Nightmare on Elm Street
-
Anybody that was around in the 80s would know the name Freddy Krueger, in fact this Nightmare on Elm Street villain has become a cult figure since he first appeared on film. Wes Craven's 1984 cult movie Nightmare on Elm Street made Robert Englund a h...
-
Red Dawn
-
Today's children do not remember the Cold War. However, being born in the mid-seventies, the Cold War was an important event of my childhood. No movie ignited my imagination like the 1984 film, Red Dawn. What boy wouldn't want to be a hero in America...
80s Television
There were a lot of great television during the 80s from soaps such as Dynasty, Eastenders and Neighbours to comedies like Different Strokes and The Cosby Show, but one person who was responsible for many hits of the 80s was Aaron Spelling....-
Aaron Spelling's 80s TV
-
Aaron Spelling brought us a number of great television shows from Hart to Hart to Charmed and from Dynasty to Beverley Hills 90210. During the 80s he dominated the small screen. I think it's fair to say that 80s television would not have been the sa...
Have your say here
What was your favorite memory of the 80s? or what do you think of the lens? Talk to me people!
-
Reply
- Jewelsofawe Jewelsofawe Nov 2, 2009 @ 1:08 pm
- I grew up in the eighties (those were my teenage years) so I enjoyed going back in time on your lens.
-
Reply
- Jun 13, 2009 @ 8:25 am
- Thanks for the walk down memory lane! I can't believe I used to like Wham! But yanno, I still like Spandau Ballet.
-
Reply
- ElizabethJeanAllen ElizabethJeanAllen Dec 4, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
- The 80's passed in a blur. I was juggling kids, school, job, and a husband. I finally have time to sit back and listen to the music.
Great lens
Lizzy
-
Reply
- rms rms Oct 20, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
- rolling this onto my 80' lenses. I love the 80's. Wish we could bring 'em back! :)
-
Reply
- poddys poddys Jul 12, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
- Nice lens and a good collection of 80's memories. I have lensrolled this into my 80's song lyrics lenses, Madness, Dire Straits, The Jam, The Clash etc.
by lou16
Explore related pages
Forgotten 80s Treasures
- This site is all about the treasures of the 80s that have long since been forgot...
Starcom: The US Space Force- StarCom: The U.S. Space Force could have been one of the greats among 80s-era to...
Myrna Loy what a beauty- Its official, I just fell in love with Myrna Loy watching Libeled Lady starring...
Best Songs of the 80s- This is the top 10 best selling singles in the UK for the whole of the eighties....
The New Romantics- The New Romantics were a music genre in the 1980s generally considered to be a s...
Oscars of the 80s- The eighties saw some great movies ranging from John Hughes' teen movies like Si...
