4 Out-Of-This-World Hits From 1981 That Are Perfect for Escaping Reality

Sometimes the only way to get out of a funk is to listen to a funky song. Here are four quirky hits from 1981 that are ideal when you need to escape your current reality.

“One In Ten” by UB40

This title definitely catches the eye when you come across it at first. “One In Ten” is actually in reference to unemployment, specifically in the West Midlands at the time this song was released. The song itself is actually kind of dark if you’re reading the lyrics down. The narrator of the song describes himself as being a part of “the one in ten” and presents his harsh reality to the listener over a silly pop backdrop.

My arms enfold the dole queue, malnutrition dulls my hair
My eyes are black and lifeless with an underprivileged stare
I’m the beggar on the corner, will no-one spare a dime?
I’m the child that never learns to read ’cause no-one spared the time.

“21st Century Man” by Electric Light Orchestra

“21st Century Man” tells a story of time travel, from the years 1981 to 2095. Like other songs before it on Electric Light Orchestra‘s album Time, “21st Century Man” presents the dark side of travelling to a distant future.

“22,000 Days” by Moody Blues

Apparently, in the 70s, the life expectancy for people was only 60 years or so. “22,000” days is about the amount of time that this adds up to be. In this weird pop song, the whole theme is that time is your only true enemy. Honestly, this one’s a little on the existential side for my taste, but I think it’s just different enough to distract you from daily life.

22,000 days, 22,000 days, it’s not a lot
It’s all you got, 22,000 days
22,000 nights, 22,000 nights, it’s all you know
So start the show
22,000 ways.

“Bang Bang” Iggy Pop

“Bang Bang”, which appears on Iggy Pop’s Pop album, was actually covered by David Bowie in 1987. I’m not entirely sure what the premise of this song is, but Pop apparently got the idea for the song from a book called The Right Stuff.

“Iggy’s done so many good songs that people never get to hear … I think it’s one of his best songs, ‘Bang Bang’, and it hasn’t been heard, and now it might be,” Bowie said in an interview during the Glass Spider tour.

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