In the year 1980, music was about to undergo a pretty significant transformation, although it’s likely that hardly anyone knew it at the time. So many great songs came out at the start of the decade, including these three Top 40 hits from 1980, which every 80s kid almost certainly still knows by heart today.
“Hurt So Bad” by Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt only released one song in 1980, and it’s “Hurt So Bad”. Written by Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein, and Bobby Hart, it was Little Anthony & The Imperials who first released this song in 1965. 15 years later, Ronstadt put out her own version of “Hurt So Bad”, as part of her Mad Love album.
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A song of pleading for someone to stay, “Hurt So Bad” says in part, “Well, let me tell you that it hurts so bad / It makes me feel so sad / It’s gonna hurt so bad if you walk away.”
Mad Love also includes “How Do I Make You”, another Top 10 hit. Numerous other artists later put their own spin on “Hurt So Bad”, including David Cassidy, Nancy Wilson, and Alicia Keys, among others.
“I’m Alright” by Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins’ first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart is “I’m Alright”. Written by Loggins, “I’m Alright” is part of the soundtrack for Caddyshack, a hit film starring Chevy Chase.
“I’m Alright” starts with, “I’m alright / Nobody worry ’bout me / Why you got to gimme a fight / Can’t you just let it be.”
“I’m Alright” is one of four songs Loggins wrote and sang for the soundtrack. Four years after the release of “I’m Alright”, Loggins scored his first No. 1 single with “Footloose”. That song was also part of a soundtrack for a movie of the same name, likely in part because of how much Loggins liked writing for Caddyshack.
“It was such a good experience for me,” Loggins tells American Songwriter. “I’ve talked to other artists who have written for movies, and they have not had good experiences.”
“More Love” by Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes includes “More Love” on her Romance Dance record. “More Love” was written by Smokey Robinson. It was first released in 1967 by his group, The Miracles.
The song says in part, “More love and more joy / Than age or time could ever destroy / Oh honey now my love will be so sound.”
“More Love” is Carnes’s first single to reach the Top 10. One year later, Carnes had her first No. 1 single, with “Bette Davis Eyes”.
Photo by Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
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UNITED STATES – JANUARY 01: Billy Joel performs live on stage during his 1980 US tour (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns) -
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UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Biff Rose Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 01: WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of Johnny DUNCAN and Janie FRICKE, w/Johnny Duncan (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 11: Debbie Harry of Blondie performs on stage at Hammersmith Odeon on January 11th, 1980 in London United Kingdom. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns) -
NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 1958: Pianist Bob Gaudio, drummer Tom Austin, tenor sax Larry Qualiano, singer Dianne Costello and guitarist Billy Dalton of the rock and roll band "The Royal Teens" pose for a portrait in September or October of 1958 at the Brooklyn Paramount in New York, New York. (Photo by PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
