Featuring the best 80s music videos, TV shows, 80s celebrities and more!
The pilot episode of Miami Vice was called Brother’s Keeper. It premiered on NBC on September 16, 1984. The episode won two of three Emmy Awards for which it was nominated.
One of the most memorable scenes from the episode featured Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. I remember watching this as a teenager in the ’80s, and I was hooked on the show from this point forward. Here’s the In the Air Tonight scene in its entirety!
In 1983, the Thompson Twins released their most successful album of the ’80s with Into the Gap, which spawned two top 20 songs on the Hot 100 charts as well as a number one song on the Dance charts. The first single from the album was Hold Me Now, which went to number one on the Dance charts and number three on the Hot 100 charts. The follow up single was Doctor! Doctor!, which peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100 charts and number 18 on the Dance charts.
Enjoy this look back at the Thompson Twins’ music video for Doctor! Doctor! from 1984 as well as their video for their number one Dance song Hold Me Now!
Heart have been releasing awesome music since the mid ’70s when they scored a top ten hit for Magic Man in 1975! In 1985, they released one of the greatest albums of their career simply titled Heart. They released five singles from the album, and four of the five were top ten singles on both the Hot 100 and the Mainstream Rock charts.
The first single released from the album was What About Love? It peaked at number ten on the Hot 100 charts and number three on the Rock charts. It was their first top ten song on the Hot 100 charts since 1980’s Tell It Like It Is from their Bebe le Strange album.
Enjoy a look back at Heart’s music video for What About Love?, and for nostalgia’s sake, a look at Magic Man and Tell It Like It Is!
Any Which Way You Can was the 1980 sequel to 1978’s hit comedy Every Which Way But Loose. It starred Clint Eastwood, with Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith, and Ruth Gordon in supporting roles. The Black Widows, a biker gang with a long-standing feud with Philo, return in this movie and there are some hilarious exchanges between Philo, Clyde, and the Black Widows.
Enjoy this look at the best of The Black Widows Biker Gang from Any Which Way You Can!
In 1985, Dee Snider appeared before the Senate to address accusations that Twisted Sister’s music contained lyrics promoting sexism, rape, and violence among other things. Dee Snider’s entrance to the court room was met with jeers and humor, but after this historic speech, everyone in attendance realized that under the sunglasses and long hair was a very intelligent man who happened to be a father as well. Well done Dee! You made us all proud!
Before I get into that, I would like to tell the committee a little bit about myself. I am 30 years old, I am married, I have a 3-year-old son. I was born and raised a Christian and I still adhere to those principles. Believe it or not, I do not smoke, I do not drink, and I do not do drugs.
I do play in and write the songs for a rock and roll band named Twisted Sister that is classified as heavy metal, and I pride myself on writing songs that are consistent with my above-mentioned beliefs.
Dee Snider
Pretty in Pink was released in theaters across the United States on February 28, 1986 and was the top-grossing film for the week of March 12, 1986. During it’s theatrical run it grossed $40.5 million, which was the 22nd highest-grossing film of 1986.
The movie has since become one of the most popular “brat pack” movies of all time. And, the final scene is one of the greatest endings to any ’80s film. It features Duckie escorting Andie to the dance, but then Blane and Andie end up kissing in the parking lot at the end of the film. This wasn’t the original ending. The original ending showed Duckie and Andie ending up together, but test audiences booed that ending, so John Hughes wrote a new five-page ending where Andie and Blane get together instead.
And, if you think that Blane, aka Andrew McCarthy, looks a little different in the last scene, you’re correct. Since this wasn’t the original ending, McCarthy had already shaved his head for a Broadway play. So, Blane donned an awful wig, and the new ending was filmed in one day.
So, without further ado, here’s one of our favorite final scenes from any ’80s movie where Blane tells Steph:
“”Steph…that’s it, Steph. She thinks you’re sh*t. And deep down, you know she’s right.”
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band have had a ton of hits over the years. They scored their first top ten hit on the Hot 100 charts back in 1976 with Night Moves. Ten years later, they scored another huge hit in 1986 with Like A Rock, a number one hit on the Mainstream Rock charts.
Seger told the New York Times that the song “was inspired partly by the end of a relationship that had lasted for 11 years. You wonder where all that time went. But beyond that, it expresses my feeling that the best years of your life are in your late teens when you have no special commitments and no career. It’s your last blast of fun before heading into the cruel world.”
Unfortunately, or fortunately, the song is most famous though for appearing in Chevrolet truck commercials from 1991 until 2004. Chevy’s Like A Rock ad campaign was one of their longest running ad campaigns, and the song helped sell millions of trucks over the years. I can only imagine how many millions of dollars the song has made Seger over the years as well!
Here’s a look at the official music video for Like A Rock as well as one of Chevrolet’s early Like A Rock TV commercials!
In 1988, When in Rome released their self-titled debut album. It’s the only studio album that the original lineup has released to date. Their debut single was The Promise, and it was a huge hit on the Dance charts hitting number one in 1988. It also peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100 charts.
The song was prominently featured in the 2004 movie Napoleon Dynamite, and was track number 43 on the movie soundtrack… yep, there were 43 songs on the soundtrack! If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s actually pretty funny. It’s quirky as hell, but a good movie nonetheless.
Enjoy this look back at When in Rome’s music video for The Promise as well as a clip from Napoleon Dynamite featuring The Promise!
Journey released their album Raised on the Radio in 1986 and released six songs as singles from the album. The most successful single from the album was the first single released, Be Good To Yourself, which peaked at number nine on the Hot 100 charts, and number two on the Mainstream Rock charts. The third single released was this tune, Girl Can’t Help It, which was also a top ten rock hit peaking at number nine on the Mainstream Rock charts and at number 17 on the Hot 100 charts.
Enjoy this look back at the official music video for Journey’s Girl Can’t Help It from their 1986 Raised on the Radio album!
In 1986, The Cars co-founder and bassist Benjamin Orr released his first and only solo album, The Lace. Orr sang lead vocals on a number of The Cars best-known songs, including Drive, Let’s Go, and Just What I Needed. Stay the Night was the first single released from The Lace, and it was a moderate hit on the Hot 100 charts, peaking at number 24. The song faired much better on the Mainstream Rock charts where it peaked at number six and on the AC charts where it peaked at number two.
Sadly, Orr died at home in Atlanta on October 3, 2000 at the age of 53 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The Cars’ Ric Ocasek wrote and recorded the song “Silver”, as a musical tribute to Orr. It appeared on Ocasek’s 2005 solo album, Nexterday. The Cars reunited ten years after Orr’s death and released their seventh studio album, Move Like This, in May 2011. Orr was given special thanks in the liner notes: “Ben, your spirit was with us on this one.”
Foreigner released their sixth studio album, Inside Information, on December 8, 1987. They released five singles from the album, and scored two number one hits with this song Say You Will reaching number one on the Mainstream Rock charts in 1987 and I Don’t Want to Live Without You, which hit number one on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1988.
Say You Will was written by Mick Jones and Lou Gramm and reached number six on the Hot 100 charts. It was their fourth number one song on the Mainstream Rock charts, and it held the number one spot for four weeks, beginning on December 19, 1987.
Enjoy this look back at Foreigner’s official music video for Say You Will as well as a live version from 2007 with current lead singer Kelly Hansen at the helm.
Space Age Love Song was A Flock of Seagulls’ follow up single to their breakthrough hit I Ran (So Far Away), which was their first top ten single on the Hot 100 charts.
Space Age Love Song didn’t chart as high, but it was still a top 40 hit for the band, peaking at number 30 on the Hot 100 charts in 1982. According to lead guitarist Paul Reynolds, “the band couldn’t come up with a title for the track, so he suggested “Space Age Love Song” because he thought it sounded like a space age love song.”
The video below is from the 1991 movie Career Opportunities featuring Frank Whaley and Jennifer Connelly. If you ask us, Target should use this video clip as a commercial!
The ’80s and the early ’90s was arguably the greatest time in musical history for hard rock ballads. Every album/cassette/CD released from some of our favorite rock bands of the day contained at least one, if not two rock ballads. Thankfully, YouTube user MayDayS V.4 put together an incredible video playlist of some of the best of the best rock ballads from the ’80s and early ’90s.
Complete playlist:
Extreme – More than words 13:36
Heart – Alone 19:00
Guns n’ Roses – Patience 22:22
Bon Jovi – I’ll be there for you 27:57
Skid Row – I remember you 33:17
Motley Crue – Home Sweet Home 38:15
Poison – Something To Believe In 41:56
White Snake – Is This Love 47:09
Aerosmith – Angel 51:37
Cinderella – Don’t know what you got 56:19
Bon Jovi – Never say goodbye 1:01:38
Kiss – Forever 1:06:12
Tesla – Love Song 1:09:56
Mr. Big – To Be with You 1:15:01
Bad English – When I See You Smile 1:18:17
Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn 1:22:25
REO Speedwagon – Keep on Loving You 1:26:25
Firehouse – When I Look Into Your Eyes 1:29:35
Def Leppard – Love Bites 1:33:29
Cheap Trick – The Flame 1:38:48
In 1985, Duran Duran scored one of the biggest hits of their career with A View to a Kill, which was written for the James Bond movie of the same name. The song hit number one on the Hot 100 charts, and it remains the only theme song from a James Bond movie to hit number one on the Hot 100 charts.
A View to a Kill was the last track recorded by the most famous five-member lineup of Duran Duran until their reunion in 2001. It was performed by the band at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance together before their first split. Here’s Duran Duran with their official music video for A View to a Kill as well as their live performance at Live Aid.
1988 was arguably one of the greatest years in music history! Def Leppard were on tour supporting their 1987 Hysteria album, Motley Crue were on tour supporting their 1987 Girls, Girls, Girls album, Poison were on tour supporting their 1988 album Open Up and Say… Ahh!, and almost every other ’80s rock band that we love were on tour supporting their latest album.
Def Leppard’s concert in the round was one-of-a-kind at the time and a blast to see live! Here’s Def Leppard live in concert at McNichols Arena in Denver, CO on December 2, 1988. In this set, you’ll here:
In 1982, country music legend George Strait released his second studio album called Strait from the Heart. All four singles released from the album were top ten hits on the Hot Country charts in the U.S. as well as the Canadian Country charts.
Surprisingly, this song, Amarillo By Morning, which has become one of George Strait’s signature songs and considered one of the greatest country music songs of the last 40 years didn’t reach number one, but rather peaked at number four on the US country charts while hitting number one in Canada. No matter though. It’s a number one ’80s country hit to us! Here’s one of the all time greats, George Strait with his music video for Amarillo By Morning!
Tears For Fears’ 1984 Songs from the Big Chair album was one of the most successful albums from any band in the ’80s. It produced two number one songs on the Hot 100 charts with Shout and Everybody Wants To Rule the World. And, Head Over Heels, the last single released from the album was also a huge success peaking at number three on the Hot 100 charts in 1985.
Roland Orzabel, co-founder of the band said, “Head Over Heels is basically a romantic love song and one of the most simple tracks that Tears for Fears have ever recorded. It is a romance song that goes a bit perverse at the end.”
In 1981, Loverboy released their second studio album Get Lucky, which produced two of Loverboy’s greatest hits. Working for the Weekend was released as the first single, and it became their second top 40 hit on the Hot 100 charts when it peaked at number 29. Working for the Weekend just missed hitting number one on the Mainstream Rock charts when it peaked at number two.
The second single from the album, When It’s Over, was released in 1982, and it peaked at number 26 on the Hot 100 charts and number 21 on the Mainstream Rock charts. The video below for When It’s Over was their fifth official music video. Here’s Loverboy with their top 40 classic rock hit When It’s Over!
Call Corey & Corey
Can you believe how many 900# infomercials there were in the ’80s? This one from 1987 featured the late Corey Haim and Corey Feldman capitalizing on their Lost Boys fame.
Secret Love Album Collection
Music collections were the kings of late night infomercials and commercials, and one of the cheesiest was this one for the Secret Love Album collection.
Freedom Rock
Who doesn’t remember Freedom Rock? And, this classic scene:
“Hey, man! Is that Freedom Rock?”
“Yeah, man!”
“Well, turn it up, man!”
Flowbee
What? You can give yourself a haircut? Yes please! Guess who has been using a Flowbee to cut his hair since the ’80s? None other than George Clooney!
The Ginsu Knife
I never ordered a Ginsu knife, but I can’t tell you how many times I watched this infomercial as a kid and wanted one! Who wouldn’t want a knife that could cut through a tin can, and then still slice a tomato? Or, you could take it on your next camping trip and chip wood with it! LOL
Normally, when a song goes mainstream, it also does really well on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and ends up in the top 40. But, in the ’80s many of the most popular songs of the decade never even made it into the top 40. Whether it was poor album sales, lack of radio airplay, or the song became popular years after its release, these 10 songs never made it into the top 40 on the Hot 100 charts, but they’re all considered huge hits from the ’80s.
R.E.M. are considered one of the greatest alternative rock bands of all time, and in the ’80s, they released some of the greatest alt rock songs of the decade. One of those songs, ‘It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’ never made it past #69 on the Hot 100 charts in 1988.
2. Home Sweet Home from Motley Crue
This has always baffled me. In 1985, due to the video’s popularity on MTV, Motley Crue’s ‘Smokin’ in the Boys Room’ received a lot of radio airplay, and the song became their first top 20 hit on the Hot 100 charts when it peaked at #16. So, it makes no sense that their next single ‘Home Sweet Home’ never even came close to the top 40 peaking at #89 on the Hot 100 charts in ’85. It’s even more perplexing considering the music video below for ‘Home Sweet Home’ is considered one of the most popular music videos of all time.
3. Gypsy Road from Cinderella
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know how much we love Cinderella. They are definitely one of the most underrated rock bands of the ’80s. I mean, ‘Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)’ is considered one of the greatest rock ballads of the ’80s, and it didn’t even make it into the top 10 on the Hot 100 charts. It peaked at #12, which is just insane.
Gypsy Road was released as the first single from Cinderella’s 1988 Long Cold Winter album. The video received heavy airplay on MTV, and there was no way it wasn’t going to be a huge hit… Well, I guess there was a way because it peaked at #51 on the Hot 100 charts, and even more surprisingly, it only made it to #20 on the Billboard Rock charts. What?
4. Solsbury Hill from Peter Gabriel
‘Solsbury Hill’ is one of Peter Gabriel’s greatest songs, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at the charts. He first released it as his debut single back in 1977, and it peaked at #68 on the Hot 100 charts. He then re-released it as a single in the ’80s in 1983 with the live version, but it did even worse on the charts only making it to #84 on the Hot 100 charts. One year later, he would scored one of the biggest hits of the ’80s with Sledgehammer.
5. Goodbye to You from Scandal
To us, Goodbye to You is a better song than The Warrior, and helped pave the way for The Warrior’s success on the charts (#7 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Rock charts), but it’s still surprising to us that Goodbye to You from Scandal only made it to #65 on the Hot 100 charts. It was a top five rock song, but it certainly deserved to be in the top 40 on the Hot 100 charts as well.
6. I Want Candy from Bow Wow Wow
I would have never guessed that I Want Candy from Bow Wow Wow wasn’t a top 40 hit. It’s Bow Wow Wow’s biggest and most remembered song, but in the U.S. it peaked at #62 on the Hot 100 charts in 1982. Wow, Wow, Wow!
7. Centerfield from John Fogerty
This one probably surprises me the most. For decades this song has been synonymous with baseball games, and it’s still played at one time or another in every major leagues baseball stadium. But, in 1985, it wasn’t that popular, and it struck out at #44 on the Hot 100 charts. This one would be a great trivia question as almost no one would think this song wasn’t a hit back in the ’80s.
8. Tempted from Squeeze
How in the world could Hall & Oates score hit after hit in the early ’80s, but Tempted by Squeeze, which to us sounds very much like a Hall & Oates classic, didn’t even crack the top 40 peaking at #49 on the Hot 100 charts in 1981. However, I’m sure Squeeze aren’t complaining since Tempted has been played in so many movies, TV shows, video games, and commercials. It’s now one of the most recognizable songs from the early ’80s and their most memorable song.
9. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) from AC/DC
For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) is one of the most memorable rock songs of all time from AC/DC. But for whatever reason, the Hot 100 just didn’t like AC/DC much. In our opinion, their songs were better than almost any other rock band on the charts during the ’80s and ’90s, but the Hot 100 charts never gave them much love. This song didn’t even chart on the Hot 100 charts, but at least it did peak at #4 on the Rock charts. Probably even more surprising than this song not charting at all on the Hot 100 charts is the fact they’ve only had three songs make it into the top 40 on the Hot 100 charts. In 1980, You Shook Me All Night Long peaked at number 35 and Back in Black peaked at number 37. Moneytalks peaked at #23 on the Hot 100 charts in 1990. That my friends is ridiculous considering how many great songs they have!
10. Should I Stay or Should I Go from The Clash
Last, but not least, can you believe that The Clash released Should I Stay or Should I Go twice as a single, and both times it failed to reach the top 40. The first time was in 1982 when it peaked at #45 on the Hot 100 charts and #13 on the Rock charts. The second release was even more surprising. In 1991, they re-released the song, and it went to #1 in the UK and was a top five hit all over the world… except for the U.S., where it failed to reach the top 100 on the Hot 100 charts. Looks like hair bands weren’t the only bands that Kurt Cobain and his flannel-laden minions knocked off the charts in the early ’90s, huh?
In 1986, Randy Travis scored his first number one country song for his re-release of his classic country hit ‘On The Other Hand’ from his debut album ‘Storms of Life’. ‘On the Other Hand’ was written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz.
Randy Travis followed up ‘On the Other Hand’ with another number one single from his ‘Storms of Life’ album. ‘Diggin’ Up Bones’ was released on August 4, 1986 and was written by Paul Overstreet, Nat Stuckey, and Al Gore.
In 1987, Randy Travis released ‘Forever and Ever, Amen’ from his 2nd studio album called ‘Always & Forever’. It became his 3rd number one country single when it spent three weeks atop the charts. This was the first single to spend three weeks on the country charts since Johnny Lee’s ‘Lookin’ for Love’ seven years prior.
The song won a Grammy for Best Country & Western Song at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988. It also claimed Song of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.
Oh, and by the way, ‘Forever and Ever, Amen’ was also written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. Paul Overstreet was on a role as well!
‘I Won’t Need You Anymore (Always and Forever)’ was the 2nd single released from Randy Travis’ ‘Always and Forever’ album, and it became his 4th number one country single. The song was written by Max D. Barnes and Troy Seals, and was first recorded by country music legend George Jones for his 1981 album ‘Still the Same Ole Me’. Travis released it as a single in August 1987 and it hit number one on both the Billboard Hot Country chart and the Canadian RPM Country chart.
In 1987, Randy Travis was on a roll and his 3rd single, ‘Too Gone Too Long’, from his album ‘Always and Forever’ hit number one on the country charts in late ’87 becoming his 5th number one country single. It was written by Gene Pistilli.
‘I Told You So’ became Randy Travis’ 6th number one country single of his career and the 4th in a row from his second studio album, ‘Always and Forever’ when it hit number one in June 1988. Travis also wrote the song, and it won Country Single of the Year at the 1989 American Music Awards.
On July 12, 1988, Randy Travis released his third studio album, ‘Old 8×10’. He released four singles for the album, and the first three singles, ‘Honky Tonk Moon’, ‘Deeper Than The Holler’, and ‘Is It Still Over?’ went to number one on the country charts.
‘Honky Tonk Moon’ was written by Dennis O’Rourke and was released in June 1988. It became his 7th number one country single overall and his 5th consecutive number one on the Hot Country charts.
‘Deeper Than The Holler’ hit number one on the country charts on January 28, 1989 becoming his 8th number one single overall, and 6th in a row. This was also a number one hit for songwriters Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. Apparently, if you needed a number one song in the ’80s, this was the duo to write it!
The third and last number one single from ‘Old 8×10’ was ‘Is It Still Over?’ This song was co-written by Ken Bell and Larry Henley, and it became Travis’ 7th consecutive number one song and his 9th overall.
On September 26, 1989, Randy Travis released his 4th studio album called ‘No Holdin’ Back’. He released three singles for the album, and the first single, ‘It’s Just A Matter of Time’ became his 10th number one single overall, and his last of the ’80s. As we end our look back at Randy Travis’ 10 number one country songs of the ’80s, here’s Randy Travis’ official music video for ‘It’s Just A Matter of Time’.
In 1989, Digital Underground released their debut album Sex Packets. The second single from the album became one of the most memorable rap songs of all time. The Humpty Dance featured Shock G’s alter ego, “Humpty Hump” on vocals. In 2008, VH1 ranked the song #30 on it’s list of the 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. It hit number one on the rap charts in 1990.
Sadly, Shock G (Gregory Edward Jacobs) was found dead in a hotel room in Tampa, FL on April 22, 2021 from an accidental drug overdose. RIP Gregory…
It’s hard to believe that ‘Dirty Dancing’ was a low-budget movie that was originally supposed to be released for one week in theaters and then to home video, but instead, it became one of the biggest hits of the ’80s earning over $214 million worldwide. It was also the first film to sell more than a million copies for home video.
Nobody puts baby in a corner!
The soundtrack was also a huge hit, and the theme song for the movie was ‘I’ve Had The Time of My Life’ by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes. In the final scene of the movie, Patrick Swayze’s character Johnny Castle enters the ballroom and finds “Baby” played by Jennifer Grey and says his famous line, “Nobody puts baby in a corner”. He takes Baby to the stage and they perform one of the most memorable dance scenes in movie history. Enjoy the final dance from ‘Dirty Dancing’!
The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been around since 1979 and have released numerous albums over the years. That is why it’s so surprising that they only had one top 40 hit on the Hot 100 charts. In 1986, ‘Tough Enuff’ went all the way to number ten on the Hot 100 charts. The song was featured in the movies Gung Ho and Tough Guys, and was played numerous times on the sitcom Married… with Children.
In 1986, Miami Vice star Don Johnson capitalized on his stardom by releasing his first album on November 11, 1986 called ‘Heartbeat’. The first single was the title song, and it peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 charts and was a huge hit worldwide as well peaking in the top ten in numerous countries. Because ‘Heartbeat’ was Johnson’s only top 40 solo hit on the Hot 100 charts of his career, the song has always been remembered as a one-hit wonder. He had another top ten solo song in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in 1989 with ‘Tell It Like It Is’ from his second studio album ‘Let It Roll’.
His one other claim to fame in music was his 1988 top 40 duet, ‘Till I Loved You’ with Barbara Streisand.
Here’s a look at all three of Johnson’s biggest hits!
‘It’s Tricky’ was the fourth single released from Run DMC’s famous ’80s album ‘Raising Hell’, which also included breakthrough hits ‘My Adidas’, ‘Walk This Way w/ Aerosmith’, and ‘You Be Illin’, all of which were top 25 R&B hits.
‘It’s Tricky peaked at #21 on the R&B charts, but was more famous for the music video below featuring comedians Penn & Teller who go from hustling on the streets of Los Angeles to impersonating Run DMC on stage in Japan. Enjoy!
In this clip from the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1980, Rodney Dangerfield was at the top of his game when he appeared on the show just two nights before the premiere of Caddyshack, which as we know became one of the funniest movies of all time. In vintage Rodney Dangerfield style, he brings down the house with his self-deprecating humor and jokes!
