3 Synth-Pop Classics From the 1980s When You Want to Dial up the Nostalgia

Synth-pop from the 1980s makes for the perfect tool when you want (or need) a heavy dose of nostalgia. There’s something about a keyboard and the relentless rhythm of a drum machine that amplifies the dramatic. Synthesizers seem to touch the same emotional centers as a dense and weeping string section. Cinematic, searching, and dripping in melancholy.

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Of course, not every nostalgic memory makes us cry. But many do. And those of us drawn to earnest 1980s synth-pop quite enjoy these darkly romantic and often despairing tunes. Though this music immediately takes us back to the neon decade, it’s equally timeless. And we continue to hear its DNA in modern pop and rock music. Let’s revisit three of my favorite synth-pop classics from the era.

“The Promise” by When In Rome

“I’m sorry, but I’m just thinking of the right words to say (I promise you) / I know they don’t sound the way I planned them to be (I promise you).” Feel you, dude. When In Rome’s debut single also remains the Manchester group’s biggest hit. It’s a perfectly earnest love song with all the romantic drama one could ever want from a synth-pop classic. It’s the reason “I Promise” has been a consistent go-to placement for music supervisors, most recently in HBO’s Industry.

“She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby’s 1982 hit uses a rational subject to explain irrational behavior. The narrator in this angular tune falls in love with his lab assistant. But he becomes frustrated in his ardor as his assistant cleans the lab so well he can’t find anything—his tubes and notes have all vanished! Yet still, he persists in his affection for her, whom he describes as “poetry in motion.” Dolby’s song landed as MTV rose in popularity, and its scientific theme echoes how he created the track with synthesizers and electronic drum programming.

“Dancing With Tears In My Eyes” by Ultravox

Ultravox’s 1984 single appears on Lament, and both the song and album titles would make perfect names for a synth-pop compilation. We tend to dance as an absolute expression of joy. The bodily embodiment of letting go. But here, Midge Ure sings about old memories—crying and dancing all the same. And isn’t that the essence of nostalgia? At least the kind of melancholy roused by 1980s synth-pop.

Dancing with tears in my eyes,
Weeping for the memory of a life gone by.

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