Worst songs of the 80's

[dgtlman]

This certainly came to mind...

Back in the day I despised HL. Now... it's nostalgia & I miss thoze dayz. Go figure!

[ronmac]

I agree, but it was a great song when Slade did it. Maybe because the Quiet Riot version was played to death on the radio and it was note for note the same as Slade's, so why bother.

Wow, I never even knew there was a previous version. Why cover such a lame song that could have been written by someone in high school? I don't get it.

[viukkis]

Why cover such a lame song that could have been written by someone in high school? I don't get it.

It wasn't the band's idea. According to Wikipedia: "Originally, Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali were dead set on not covering the song, because they claimed that they hated it. Instead, they decided to try to cover the song as badly as they could so the label would refuse to release it."

I guess both the band and the label were right: the song sucked, and it became a big hit.

[Scott Bails]

This certainly came to mind...

No way. Great song - great interplay between the male and female singers.

'Don't Worry Be Happy'.

I get that many won't like this, and the song itself is rather insipid, but I think McFerrin's creative use of a capella makes it interesting.

The 'sensitive ballad' from hair metal acts, as mentioned on another thread recently. is also hard to stomach now (it probably was then too). 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn'

DEFINITELY a contender.

But the 80s didn't have a monopoly on bad records...as anyone who's heard 'You're Having My Baby', 'You Light Up My Life' and 'No Charge' can testify. Dirge-paced sappiness isn't better than relentless chirpiness!

Exactly.

[Stevie B]

Cum on Feel the Noize is a great song

[Scott Bails]

Prompted by the Oscars, Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" is pretty disgusting.

[ThomasKDye]

the decision was made for her during the recordings of the second starship album (no escape?), when she showed up to record her vocals and thomas had said they were already done and he no longer needed her. she went home, picked up her paint brush and that was that.

She's still very much on that album, though, and I think she even co-wrote a couple of songs, probably as a concession to her. But yeah, I think she could see the writing on the wall and just wanted to get enough money to leave. Despite Starship's success, there really wasn't a functional "band" to speak of, so there wasn't anything to keep going.

[klothos]

This certainly came to mind...

No way. Great song - great interplay between the male and female singers.

The best thing about the Human League from this time-period is the use of early primitive MTC lock/sync to sync up several arpeggiators to do the music. For those that have no clue what I am talking about, this was a very innovative approach to MIDI Sequencing using the primitive technology that existed at the time

[JJ88]

Back in the day I despised HL. Now... it's nostalgia & I miss thoze dayz. Go figure!

I know what you mean. There were records I loathed about ten years ago- of an 'indie' persuasion that were big in my high school days- that I feel rather differently about now. It's a strange business, nostalgia.

The 'New Romantic' thing isn't always my bag (some is) but I don't think it was necessarily *bad* music, just aesthetically it's not my taste (the programmed drums and keyboard sounds).

RE; Slade. What ronmac says about 'Cum On Feel The Noize' is *exactly* what I felt upon realising Motley Crue's 'Smokin' In The Boys' Room' was a cover version. Their 'Girls Girls Girls' is a contender here too IMHO...both video and song!

[Casey]

Ahhhhh, some of these are my guilty pleasures: Human League, Missing Persons (from another thread), Flock of Seagulls, even Dead or Alive (just that one song, though). Many of the other songs have me reaching for the radio dial faster than a speeding bullet.

There's a very interesting Youtube/BBC video regarding the rise of bands like Human League and their technology. Sorry, I can't remember the name of it.

[ronmac]

It wasn't the band's idea. According to Wikipedia: "Originally, Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali were dead set on not covering the song, because they claimed that they hated it. Instead, they decided to try to cover the song as badly as they could so the label would refuse to release it."

I guess both the band and the label were right: the song sucked, and it became a big hit.

How bad must their own material have been if they had nothing better to offer than a cover of a song even they hated?

[Jimmy Giant]

Hands down, Tony Basil - Micky

[PeterG]

[trurl]

I can't hate on Human League- too much juicy analog goodness. Plus I think the LinnDrum was awesome.

[JKL2000]

I had a real bad reaction to anything by OMD, because when I first heard of OMD it was because someone said "You like Pink Floyd? You should check out OMD, you might like them." Not sure who that idiot was!

I'd love to know which video I saw the most - because I started college in 1981 so it was prime MTV viewing time for years. I think if I had to guess the band I saw the most videos for it would be Duran Duran. Genesis would probably be up there too.

I actually think MOST of those videos were pretty bad, but it made for a seamless zoning out in front of the TV for hours experience. Not that the videos were so bad, really, but it was a pretty lame sort of art form to begin with.

[PeterG]

Shall we just agree that negative threads like these are so subjective as to be pointless and that the counter-balance of "best songs of the 80s" is likely to contain most of the same songs again.

I loved all the new romantics and synth bands of the early 80s, that was my coming of age, clubbing/disco music, I was 19 for most of 1981. By about 83 the good stuff had finished.

I hated most of the proggy stuff of the 80s especially that which borrowed from the post-punk bands and pop bands, King Crimosn trying to sound like Talking Heads. Yes trying to sound like Foreigner. Genesis trying to sound like a 60s soul band.

[trurl]

I like a lot of 80s stuff, like ABC, Scritti Politti, chunks of Duran Duran and more but yeah, OMD makes me hurt in the earhole.

[Scott Bails]

RE; Slade. What ronmac says about 'Cum On Feel The Noize' is *exactly* what I felt upon realising Motley Crue's 'Smokin' In The Boys' Room' was a cover version. Their 'Girls Girls Girls' is a contender here too IMHO...both video and song!

Nah. That song at least has value in strip clubs.

Hands down, Tony Basil - Micky

Good call!

[Trane]

This is Floyd's worse album (by a mile), but I don't see how the video rivals with the decade's worst...

Even iFloyd's worse is better than 75% of 80's garbage

[Rufus]

Cum on Feel the Noize is a great song

^What he said. Holder & Lea wrote some of the best 70's anthems!!!

[Trane]

, even Dead or Alive (just that one song, though)

Y ou mean that they had others??

Actually, I kind of liked that one, because it had us (males) on the dance floor... generally, only reggae did.... but 80's reggae often sucked (Eddie Frant had a few atrovious videoclips in that decade)

[Paulrus]

OK, if we're talking videos I'll just recommend everyone read this from Cracked. Hilarious shit.

...some 80s videos by prog bands...

You, sir, are a troll.

[Facelift]

Shall we just agree that negative threads like these are so subjective as to be pointless and that the counter-balance of "best songs of the 80s" is likely to contain most of the same songs again.

No, because the '80s was popular music's worst decade of the rock era (60s onward). Picking out the worst from the worst is lots of nostalgic fun.

[Jerjo]

Quiet Riot took all the swagger and fun out of Slade's original. Then again, I don't know of any 80s pseudo-metal band that could do cover Slade with any authority. Maybe Cinderella but certainly not any of the rest.

[klothos]

I had a real bad reaction to anything by OMD, because when I first heard of OMD it was because someone said "You like Pink Floyd? You should check out OMD,

Maybe the OMD they were referring to was Ozark Mountain Daredevils