The 80s were the decade of the Walkman, a portable cassette player that came with headphones attached. Before everything was accessible through streaming, teenagers got much of their listening from that little roll of tape. Here are some 80s songs they were likely listening to then.
“Purple Rain” by Prince
“Purple Rain” came with a movie and an album attached in 1984, and it still didn’t go No. 1. The song actually peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks near the end of the year. Regardless, the track is often regarded as one of Prince‘s most famous and most iconic.
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“Thriller” by Michael Jackson
The Thriller album was Michael Jackson’s magnum opus, featuring several No. 1 singles, including “Billie Jean” and “Beat It”, of course. The project also won eight Grammy awards and was the best-selling album for two years. If this wasn’t in your cassette collection, I don’t know what was.
“Born In The U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen
“Born In The U.S.A.” is not only one of Springsteen’s best-known songs, but it also has political messages. It was written and directed towards Vietnam veterans, who received a different response when they came home from the war than previous veterans had.
“The verses are just an accounting of events,” Springsteen explained about the song during a residency, per Songfacts. “The chorus is a declaration of your birthplace, and the right to all the pride and confusion and shame and grace that comes with it.”
“Every Breath You Take” by The Police
The Police’s Synchronicity album might’ve been their last, but it’s also arguably the group’s best. Featuring the hit single “Every Breath You Take”, the project reached No. 1 on charts in the UK and the US.
As noted by Sting in his book, Lyrics By Sting, “Every Breath You Take” was obviously an 80s hit, but its stalker vibe also culturally fit the times, with the Cold War going on and all.
“…I thought I was just writing a hit song, and indeed it became one of the songs that defined the ’80s, and by accident the perfect soundtrack for Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ fantasy of control and seduction,” he shared.
Photo by: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
More The List
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Stevie Nicks, who wrote one of the biggest hit songs of 1977 -
George Harrison in Birmingham City Centre before performing at the Town Hall. 3 December 1969. (Photo by Birmingham Post and Mail Archive/Birmingham Post and Mail Archive/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) -
Michael Mike Score von "A Flock of Seagulls", britische New Wave Band, in Deutschland, 1983. Michael Mike Score of British New Wave band "A Flock of Seagulls" at Germany, 1983 (Photo by Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images) -
Photo by CBS via Getty Images -
MEMPHIS – OCTOBER 7: Loretta Lynn performs on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW at the State Fair in Memphis, Tenn. October 7, 1970 (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) -
Paul McCartney and his wife Linda of pop group Wings enjoy a pint of ale as they make a film to promote their new single 'With A Little Luck' in London. Left is Denny Laine Middle is Linda McCartney Right is Paul McCartney, picture taken 22nd March 1978. (Photo by Doreen Spooner/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) -
American Rock musician Tom Petty (1950 – 2017) plays guitar as he performs, with his band the Heartbreakers, onstage during the 'Long After Dark' tour at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, March 31, 1983. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
