3 New Wave Songs From the 1980s That Are More Like Poetry Than Pop

When considering the 1980s and its musical landscape, there is a lot to laugh at. Let’s just say the artists from the era were really trying stuff out. Experimenting. From disco to synth-rock to one-hit wonder pop songs, the decade was really doing its own thing.

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But from all that experimentation came some really great songs—tracks that despite the odds will last throughout the decades. And that’s just what we wanted to highlight here below. Indeed, these are three new wave songs from the 80s that are more like poetry than pop.

“Mad World” by Tears For Fears from ‘The Hurting’ (1983)

While music fans may be more familiar with the cover of this song by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules from the Donnie Darko film soundtrack, it was originally written by the great 1980s new wave band Tears For Fears. But no matter who sings it, the poetic lyrics are still the same. The song highlights the at times dreary and mundane nature of life. It also conjures images of dreams and dying. It’s a sublime sonic offering, one that captures that eerie, strange mood in our guts we sometimes get.

“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division (Single, 1980)

Most of the time when a rock band writes a song about love, it’s about wanting to connect with another person. Indeed, the object of the singer’s affection is a common subject. But then there’s Joy Division, which decided to write a heart-wrenching track about the fact that love doesn’t always bind. Sometimes it destroys, sometimes it tears people apart. It’s a bold, poetic take on a track meant to reach a large audience. Love isn’t only good, it can be fraught, too!

“Once In A Lifetime” by Talking Heads from ‘Remain In Light’ (1980)

Talking Heads lead singer David Byrne wrote songs that were true to himself. If they found a wider audience, all the better. But he was just one of those artists you could tell had to be authentic to who he was. Enter: “Once In A Lifetime” from the 1980 LP, Remain In Light. There isn’t another band that could have produced this offering. It’s somehow rooted in 100-year-old tradition and completely unique and strange. That’s also the foundation of a great poem, of course!

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