In 1980, music was right on the brink of some pretty big changes. Before the MTV takeover and the rise of new wave, we were still jamming out to disco, rock, and soul classics. Here are some songs from that year that you definitely knew, especially if you were a teen.
“Call Me” by Blondie
In 1980, “Call Me” gave Blondie one of their best-known tracks. Even though the thought might not come to mind when you listen, this one was actually written about a prostitute. Italian composer Giorgio Moroder, the “Father of Disco,” wrote this song and had Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks in mind. She wasn’t able to do it because of a contract, so it went to Debbie Harry, who wrote the lyrics.
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“Super Trouper” by ABBA
What exactly is a “Super Trouper?” Even though at first glance it might sound like some kind of weird space medium, a super trouper is actually just a really bright spotlight. The song is meant to reflect the feeling of being underneath that spotlight, something that the members of ABBA would have certainly resonated with at the time. When this song was written, the group had been touring quite a bit, which wasn’t their favorite thing to do.
“No one who has experienced facing a hysterical audience can avoid feeling the shivers in their spine,” ABBA member Agnetha Faltskog told her biographer, per The Guardian. “It’s a thin line between celebration and menace.”
“Upside Down” by Diana Ross
Whether you know this one because it appeared in the latest season of Stranger Things or simply because it’s a disco classic, “Upside Down” by Diana Ross is a gem. This song is about feeling so strongly for someone that they turn you and your world “upside down.”
Upside down
Boy, you turn me inside, out
And ’round and ’round
Upside down
Boy, you turn me inside, out
And ’round and ’round.
“You know that song is a hit all over again,” Ross said to a Las Vegas crowd in early 2026, per Daily Mail. “‘With that movie, that television show. What is it, a movie? ‘Stranger Things’?’”
Photo by: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
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1975: Singer and songwriter C.W. McCall (William Dale Fries, Jr.) poses for an MGM Records publicity still in 1975. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
American singer-songwriter Paul Simon performing at the Palladium Theatre, London, December 1975. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
NEW YORK – CIRCA 1965: The Shangri-Las pose for a portrait circa 1965 in New York City, New York. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
CHICAGO – CIRCA 1958: Rock and roll musician Chuck Berry poses for a portrait session in circa 1958 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
