The 80s was one of the most diverse and also divisive decades in popular music. We saw massive pop hits, the rising influence of a new genre and of course, industry- (and dare we say culture) altering MTV. It can be described as a decade of excess, with the big hair and those HUGE shoulder pads!
Songs That Last
As with any decade, the 80s had some classics. Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna and other were sitting happy atop the pop world. The Smiths, Echo And The Bunnymen, New Order, Talking Heads, and more were finessing the post-punk sound. Rock, punk and metal were being pushed to new extremes by the likes of Metallica, Black Flag, Guns N’ Roses , among others. Meanwhile hip hop was being born in the Bronx and the seeds of grunge were being planted in Seattle. Any way you look at it, the 80s was an era rife with creativity. Yet it was also a divisive time for, er, musical naturalists shall we say… who weren’t too keen on the whole synthesizer thing.
“This music isn’t real, man”
It’s common to be nostalgic about the past – at Bynx we’re big fans of the 60s, partly due to how music was intertwined into the counterculture movement of that important period of our history. The 70s had a are romanticized as high points of rock, soul and funk. The 90s gets credit for grunge and alt-rock’s credibility. By contrast, the ‘80s sometimes gets unfairly caricatured as shallow and materialistic.
However, as we’ve just mentioned, such rash judgement would be a gross misrepresentation of the entire 80s musical landscape. Sure, synths came into vogue in the 80s, but in our opinion it’s pretty myopic to label them as “artificial.” They changed music forever. One might say much of the 80s was overproduced, but new tools gave artists and producers another avenue to explore their creativity. Synths brought in the “space age” of music. Of course, it also led some established artists down very… different paths from the ones they’d trod in the past (to the chagrin of many a fan). Nevertheless, the introduction of new instruments that challenged the norm was a net positive. So much of our music today can be traced back to those early days with synths.
Something For Everyone
As music lovers, each of us will probably have a favorite decade. Maybe it’s this one we’re living in right now. In any case, music has certainly evolved over the years. Each new musical era has elements we take and those we leave behind. The 80s was an interesting time in pop culture. Call it cheesy, call it artificial, but look at the charts (um, Chappell Roan?) and you’ll see it’s lasting influence.
In our music ephemera and book collection, you’ll discover plenty of goodies from the 80s. Check it out!
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