4 New Wave Songs From the 1980s That Hit as Hard as Classic Rock

New wave artists in the 1980s updated pop music and broke from the rock tradition with the use of bubblegum hooks, drum machines, synthesizers, and off-kilter wit. Yet with the relentless power and groove of dance and electronic music, the punk offshoot was also capable of producing songs that hit as hard as classic rock.

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We’ll begin with the story of a musical legend. A really, really, old legend.

“Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco

With rock in its title and with Mozart as its subject, Falco’s novelty hit certainly can be said to rock. “It was Vienna, where he did everything,” Falco sings about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life as a star virtuoso. A big-city punk, the child prodigy grew up, wowed audiences, and spent his money on booze. And, according to Falco, women loved him, and they especially “loved his punk.” But who wouldn’t?

“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds

Scottish rock band Simple Minds initially declined to record what became their signature tune. Written by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff for the John Hughes coming-of-age staple, The Breakfast Club, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” remains one of the most definitive songs of the 1980s. And I can’t help but think of the anthemic hook each time someone mentions Hughes, his films, or the Brat Pack. “I’m singing, ‘La, la, la, la, la.’” Occasionally, high school detention rocks.

“The Metro” by Berlin

The angular synth riff in Berlin’s breakup song provokes the kind of heightened 80s drama only a keyboard can provide. “I remember searching for the perfect words,” Terri Nunn sings here about riding the Paris Metro, hoping to change her lover’s mind. Whether she’s numb from the breakup or just weary from the train ride, her aloofness and the gaunt rhythm of the track echo the loneliness of a California native’s shattered romance in Europe.

“Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol

Billy Idol’s punk band, Generation X, had disbanded and later reformed with a new sound and a tidier name, Gen X. “Dancing With Myself” arrived in 1980, and though it was a modest hit, it did help launch Idol’s solo career after a remixed version was released under his own name. For Idol’s rework, the above-mentioned producer Keith Forsey emphasized the dance beat over the loud guitars. Idol had a second chance at stardom, and his early smash features a rocking new wave riff. If women loved Mozart’s punk, it’s a good thing Idol wasn’t around in the 1780s.

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