Featuring the best 80s music videos, TV shows, 80s celebrities and more!
Garren Lazar on Youtube put this together, and it’s brilliantly done! He put this together as a tribute to AC/DC’s late guitarist Malcolm Young. If you were a fan of the Peanuts gang back in the day, you’ll love this, and Charlie Brown with the megaphone is perfect for this song. You’ll see what we mean after watching it. Enjoy the Peanuts gang singing Back in Black from AC/DC!
In 1983, The Romantics released their fourth studio album titled In Heat. The first single, Talking In Your Sleep, would go on to be their most successful single of their career. It peaked at number three on the Hot 100 charts, number two on the Rock charts, and number one on the Dance charts.
They would scored one more top 40 single on the Hot 100 charts with 1984’s One in a Million. Enjoy this look back at The Romantics music video for Talking In Your Sleep as well as a couple other versions we know you’ll love!
You’ll also love The Romantics’ music video for One in a Million!
Nostalgia Hit on YouTube put together this awesome video of 100 of the biggest ’80s music stars showcasing what they looked like then and what they look like now. This definitely brings back some great memories from the ’80s!
Here’s all the music stars listed in this video:
In 1988, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians released their debut album called Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, and promptly scored a hit single with What I Am. What I Am was the debut single from the album, and it was a top ten hit on the Hot 100 charts (#7), the Modern Rock charts (#4), and the Mainstream Rock charts (#9). This would be their only top 40 hit though on the Hot 100 charts although they scored four more top ten hits on the Rock charts.
Lead singer Brickell married Paul Simon on May 30, 1992. They first met when Brickell & New Bohemians were performing on Saturday Night Live in November 1988 and she and Simon locked eyes.
Even though I’d performed the song “What I Am” hundreds of times in clubs, he made me forget how the song went when I looked at him. We can show the kids the tape and say, ‘Look, that’s when we first laid eyes on each other.
via Wikipedia
Enjoy this look back at the music video for What I Am from Edie Brickell & New Bohemians as well as their performance of the song on Letterman back in ’88!
The Ramones released a music video for I Wanna Be Sedated almost ten years after the song was originally released back in 1978. The video features the band sitting at a table nonchalantly reading and eating corn flakes while chaos erupts in the hallway behind them. An interesting tidbit about the video is a young Courtney Love is one of the characters in the video.
The song was originally released in the UK in September, 1978 and eventually released in the United States in 1980. Joey Ramone wrote the song and said this about it:
It’s a road song. I wrote it in 1977, through the 78. Well, Danny Fields was our first manager and he would work us to death. We would be on the road 360 days a year, and we went over to England, and we were there at Christmas time, and in Christmas time, London shuts down. There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go. Here we were in London for the first time in our lives, and me and Dee Dee Ramone were sharing a room in the hotel, and we were watching The Guns of Navarone. So there was nothing to do, I mean, here we are in London finally, and this is what we are doing, watching American movies in the hotel room.
via Wikipedia
Enjoy this look back at the music video from 1988 as well as a live performance from 1982!
In 1984, Loverboy’s Mike Reno and Ann Wilson from Heart recorded one of the best loves songs of the ’80s. Almost Paradise… Love Theme from Footloose was a top ten hit on the Hot 100 charts, and a number one song on the AC charts. Almost Paradise was one of three hits from the Footloose soundtrack. Footloose by Kenny Loggins and Let’s Hear it For the Boy by Deniece Williams was the other. Both of these songs went to number one on the Hot 100 charts.
Enjoy this look back at all three songs from the Footloose soundtrack!
In 1981, Duran Duran released their second studio album titled Rio. It was their first album to achieve massive success in the United States with two top 20 singles on the Hot 100 charts. The first was Hungry Like the Wolf, which peaked at number three on the charts, and the second was this song, Rio, which peaked at number 14 on the Hot 100 charts in 1982. They would follow Rio up with eight top ten singles in a row on the Hot 100 charts between 1983-1986.
Enjoy this look back at Duran Duran’s music video for Rio as well as an awesome live performance from New Year’s Eve in 1982!
In 1980, Neil Diamond wrote and recorded America for The Jazz Singer movie soundtrack. The song was a top ten hit on the Hot 100 charts where it peaked at number eight, and it was a number one hit on the AC charts.
The Jazz Singer starred Diamond and tells the story of a young singer who is torn between his tradition and pursuing his dreams as a pop singer. While the movie didn’t do very well at the box office, the soundtrack became Diamond’s most successful album of his career selling over $5 million copies.
Enjoy this look back at Diamond performing America live in the movie The Jazz Singer from 1980 as well as a live version from 2012!
Kim Wilde first saw success with her debut single Kids in America, which peaked at number 25 on the Hot 100 charts in the US, and was a number two hit in the UK. Throughout the ’80s, she continued to score a ton of top 10 hits in the UK, but she only scored one more top 40 hit on the Hot 100 charts. But, that one hit was a huge one! Wilde’s version of You Keep Me Hanging On hit number one on the Hot 100 charts in 1986. The Supremes had hit number one with the song back in 1966.
Here’s a look at Wilde’s official music video for You Keep Me Hanging On as well as a live performance on the TopPop show back in 1986.
For comparison, we’ve also got the Supremes with their number one version as well as Vanilla Fudge with their version from 1968 that went to number six on the Hot 100 charts. Enjoy!
The Bee Gees’ wrote it, but Kenny and Dolly made it famous! Islands in the Stream was a number one hit in 1983 for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, the Hot Country charts, the AC charts, and numerous country charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, and more!
This was Kenny Rogers second number one hit on the Hot 100 charts after ‘Lady’, and it was Dolly Parton’s second number one on the Hot 100 charts after ‘9 to 5’.
Enjoy this live performance of ‘Islands in the Stream’ from two of the greatest country music singers of all time! RIP Kenny. We miss you…
Chris de Burgh released his first single, ‘Hold On’ back in 1974, but it wasn’t until 1986 that he became a household name in America. In 1986, he released his 8th studio album, Into the Light and scored his first and only top 40 hit on the Hot 100. ‘The Lady In Red’ wasn’t just a top 40 hit, it was a massive hit worldwide topping the charts in Ireland, Norway, and the UK, and it peaked at number three on the Hot 100 charts in America.
He wrote the song in reference to his wife Diane, who used to come and watch him perform at his parents’ hotel. He said the song was inspired by the memory of when he first saw Diane, and how men so often cannot even remember what their wives were wearing when they first met.
Below are some of our favorite videos of the song. Enjoy this look back at one of the ’80s most romantic songs!
When it comes to great bands from the ’80s, Journey are definitely on our top ten list. In 1981, they went out on tour supporting their 1981 Escape album, which produced four top 20 hits on the Hot 100 charts as well as the Mainstream Rock charts. Stone in Love was one of the rock hits that peaked at number 13 on the Mainstream Rock charts.
The two videos below are from their 1981 concert in Houston, Texas. The first video features Journey performing their classic rock hit from 1978, Wheel in the Sky from their Infinity album, and the second video is Stone in Love. Enjoy this look back at one of the early ’80s best live bands, Journey!
Runaway was Bon Jovi’s debut single from their 1984 self-titled debut album Bon Jovi. It was also their first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at number 39. Two years later, they began a streak of eight top ten hits on the Hot 100 charts during the ’80s including four number one singles!
It all started with Runaway though, and here they are performing the song live in 1984. Enjoy!
Shot in the Dark was the first single released from Ozzy Osbourne’s 1986 The Ultimate Sin album. It was also Ozzy’s first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 charts when it peaked at number 68. The song was a hit on the mainstream rock charts where it peaked at number ten.
Enjoy this look back at Ozzy’s music video for Shot in the Dark from 1986!
MTV launched on August 1, 1981 at 12:01 am EST with these words from John Lack, “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll!”. The first music video played on MTV was the Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’.
Enjoy this look back at the first ten music videos ever played on MTV!
In 1985, Autograph released their second studio album ‘That’s the Stuff’. The first single released from the album was Blondes in Black Cars. It became their second and last top 40 hit on the Mainstream Rock charts when it peaked at number 38 in 1986. In 1984, they had scored their first and only top 40 hit on the Hot 100 charts with Turn Up The Radio.
Enjoy this look back at Autograph’s music video for Blondes in Black Cars!
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life was released in 1983. At the time of the release, the Python’s confessed that their aim for this film was to offend “absolutely everyone” and said the movie is “guaranteed to offend.” This was definitely one of the most bizarre and disturbing of all the Monty Python movies, and this sketch about “birth” doesn’t disappoint. It’s also hilariously funny if you’re into dark humor.
Enjoy this look back at the comedic genius of Monty Python!
Lethal Weapon starred Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. It was released in theaters on March 6, 1987 and brought in over $120 million at the box office. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is a former Special Forces soldier whose wife was killed in a car accident about three years prior to him being partnered up with Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover). In this famous scene from the movie, Riggs goes up to talk to a potential suicide jumper, and instead of talking him down, he handcuffs himself to the jumper, and then jumps off the building. It’s classic Riggs!
It doesn’t get much better than Don Rickles roasting anyone, and in this clip from the 1986 All-Star Party of Clint Eastwood, Rickles doesn’t disappoint. Rickles was a regular in the ’70s on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts specials. In addition to the ’86 roast of Eastwood, we’ve also got one of our all time favorite roasts from Rickles. It’s his roast of the great Frank Sinatra on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.
Enjoy this look back at one of the greatest comedians of all time, Don Rickles!
In 2019, the New Kids on the Block went out on their MixTape Tour, and they were joined by Debbie Gibson, Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, and Naughty By Nature. For ’80s pop fans, this tour was a dream come true, and the concert definitely didn’t disappoint. In this video, Debbie Gibson starts out singing her number one ’80s hit Lost in Your Eyes solo and about 35 seconds into the performance, Joey McIntyre from the NKOTB joins her on stage for one of the hottest duets you’ll ever see.
Enjoy this look at two ’80s pop icons still looking and sounding as good as ever!
The Breakfast Club was released in February, 1985, and is one of our favorite movies of all time. It starred Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy, five members of the “Brat Pack”, a nickname given to a group of Gen X actors who frequently appeared together in ’80s coming-of-age movies. Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, and Demi Moore were also members of the Brat Pack. The movie follows the characters through a Saturday of detention at school.
In this famous scene from the movie, the five detainees talk about why they are in detention. This informal “therapy session” reveals that they all have more in common than they thought even though they are all from separate walks of life. Enjoy and if you’ve never seen the full movie, you owe it to yourself to watch it. Enjoy The Breakfast Club’s therapy scene!
The pilot episode of Miami Vice aired as a two-hour pilot movie on September 16, 1984. In the famous scene below, Crockett (Don Johnson) chases down Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) and jumps off a bridge into the boat that Tubbs was driving. They get into a fist fight and then realize they’re both cops. And so begins the partnership between Miami Vice’s Crockett and Tubbs!
Be sure to check out our other videos from Miami Vice here!
The ’80s was a decade that ushered in so many changes to our culture from politics, music, television and the rise of MTV. And, it all began in 1980 with the rise of Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party, the tragic death of John Lennon, as well as so many other new, different, and to many, weird changes. Here’s a look back at the year 1980 from our friends at Weird History!
Night of the Comet was released in November 1984, and considering it’s budget of only $700,000, it was a mild success at the box office pulling in over $14 million. It has since become a cult classic for ’80s comedy/horror/sci-fi movie fans. It starred Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, and Robert Beltran as survivors of a comet that turned 90% of the earth’s population into either dust or zombies.
If you’ve never seen the movie, we highly recommend you check it out. If you enjoy watching the original Mad Max, then you’ll definitely enjoy this one! In the video below, Minty Comedic Arts shares 10 things about the movie Night of the Comet that you probably didn’t know. We certainly didn’t! And, in case you want to watch the movie one more time, or if you’ve never seen it, we’ve got the full movie below as well.
Enjoy this look back at one of the ’80s best horror/comedy B-movies!
Major League was released to theaters on April 7, 1989, and it grossed $75 million worldwide. It has become a cult favorite for ’80s movie fans, and starred Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes, Bob Uecker, Rene Russo, Corbin Bernsen, and of course, Charlie Sheen as the Wild Thing!
In this famous scene towards the end of the movie, Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) aka the Wild Thing comes in to relieve the pitcher during the top of the 9th inning with the bases loaded and two outs. He has to face his nemesis from the Yankees, Clu Haywood, who had hit a home run off Vaughn earlier in the season. Vaughn strikes Haywood out with three straight fast balls with the last pitch clocking in at 101 mph.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Indians score the go-ahead run and win the game! Here’s a look at the Wild Thing striking out Haywood!
Before Patrick Dempsey was Doctor McDreamy in Grey’s Anatomy, he was Ronald Miller, a high school nerd in the ’80s movie Can’t Buy Me Love who paid a popular cheerleader (Cindy Mancini played by the late Amanda Peterson) $1,000 to “date” him. Ronald was convinced that dating Cindy would make him popular, and it worked for a while. But, Ronald took his newfound popularity a little too far, and Cindy outed him one night at a party.
This time though, not only was Ronald shunned by the popular crowd, but also by his nerdy friends. However, in this scene, Ronald comes to the rescue of his best friend Kenneth when he starts getting bullied by one of the popular kids at school. Ronald’s speech is a perfect anti-bullying speech for any generation, and of course, Ronald eventually gets the girl.
Nerds, jocks. My side, your side. Man, it’s all bullsh*t. It’s hard enough just trying to be yourself. I know cause I messed up. I tried to buy my way in. But Kenneth, he’s not trying to buy anybody, he’s just trying to make friends; being himself.
Ronald Miller
The volleyball scene from Top Gun is one of the most famous (and strange) scenes from the entire movie. It doesn’t really have much to do with the movie, and according to director Tony Scott:
I didn’t have a vision of what I was doing other than just doing soft porn. I knew I had to show off all the guys, but I didn’t have a point of view, so I just shot the sh*t out of it. I got the guys to get all their gear off and their pants and sprayed them in baby oil.
via Cinemablend.com.
So, the famous volleyball scene’s entire purpose was just to show off the bodies of Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Rick Rossovich. Apparently, Anthony Edwards wasn’t part of Scott’s shirtless vision although he was the only smart one wearing shorts on the beach in the sand.
Enjoy this look back at the famous volleyball scene from Top Gun featuring Kenny Loggins’ Playing With The Boys, and now there’s the famous flag football on the beach scene from Top Gun Maverick, which I’m pretty sure was filmed for the exact same reasons as the volleyball scene was back in the ’80s. Enjoy a look at it as well!
The ’80s brought us some of the most iconic movie lines of all time. In this video, CineFix – IGN Movies and TV has put together the 100 Most Iconic Movie Lines of All Time, and luckily for us, they’ve included so many lines from our favorite ’80s movies.
To help you find your favorite quote from the ’80s, here’s a list of every movie quote in the video:
0:20 Citizen Kane
0:21 The Usual Suspects
0:27 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
0:35 Dirty Harry
0:41 Blade Runner
0:58 Good Morning, Vietnam
1:02 Apocalype Now
1:04 Jaws
1:06 Top Gun
1:10 Back to the Future
1:15 Raiders of the Lost Ark
1:19 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1:24 As Good As It Gets
1:27 Dirty Dancing
1:28 Brokeback Mountain
1:30 Love Story
1:32 Casablanca
1:34 A Streetcar Named Desire
1:39 Sunset Boulevard
1:41 Hell’s Angels
1:44 To Have and Have Not
1:50 Who Framed Roger Rabbit
1:53 The Graduate
1:55 When Harry Met Sally
1:57:Goodfellas
2:01 Scarface
2:03 The Godfather
2:05 The Godfather 2
2:09 Psycho
2:11 The Empire Strikes Back
2:14 Batman (1989)
2:16 Spartacus
2:18 Dr. No
2:21 Princess Bride
2:29 The Goonies
2:31 The Sandlot
2:32 Sixth Sense
2:34 The Exorcist
2:38 Frankenstein
2:43 Forrest Gump
2:49 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
2:55 The Shawshank Redemption
2:59 Braveheart
3:05 Fields of Dreams
3:08 Babe
3:13 Apollo 13
3:15 Cool Hand Luke
3:20 Taxi Driver
3:21 Fight Club
3:24 Dr. Strangelove
3:26 Motty Python and the Holy Grail
3:28 The Karate Kid
3:31 The Matrix
3:33 Die Hard
3:34 Poltergeist
3:36 The Warriors (1979)
3:41 Silence of the Lambs
3:46 Wall Street
3:50 Jerry Maguire
3:52 There Will Be Blood
3:55 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
3:57 Good Will Hunting
3:59 Dazed and Confused
4:02 This is Spinal Tap
4:03 The Terminator
4:04 Chinatown
4:06 King Kong
4:10 On the Waterfront
4:13 All About Eve
4:17 Planet of the Apes
4:25 Network
4:29 Gladiator
4:30 300
4:33 The Lord of the Rings
4:37 Star Trek 2
4:39 Dog Day Afternoon
4:41 Midnight Cowboy
4:42 Aliens (1986)
4:44 Predator (1987)
4:46 The Shining
4:48 A Few Good Men
4:50 Toy Story (1995)
4:53 White Heat
4:56 Titanic
4:59 Rocky 2
5:01 A League Of Their Own
5:03 The Naughty Nineties
5:05 Return Of Sherlock Holmes
5:07 Se7en
5:09 2001: A Space Odyssey
5:11 Gone with the Wind
5:13 Zoolander
5:15 The Dark Knight
5:17 Airplane!
5:20 Some Like It Hot
5:21 Sudden Impact
5:25 E.T: The Extra Terrestrial
5:28 The Wizard of Oz
5:31 Terminator 2: Judgement Day
The Buggles’ music video for Video Killed the Radio Star will forever be remembered as the music video that launched MTV. The video was the first MTV aired when it launched at 12:01 AM on August 1, 1981. On February 27, 2000, it made history again when it was the one-millionth video to be aired on MTV.
Enjoy this look back at a little piece of music video history. Here’s The Buggles with their music video for Video Killed the Radio Star!
