Featuring the best 80s music videos, TV shows, 80s celebrities and more!
Lethal Weapon was released on March 6, 1987, and was a huge hit at the box office grossing over $120 million. It’s become one of the greatest action movies of the entire decade and beyond. It’s also one of our favorite movies from the ’80s, and one of our favorite Mel Gibson flicks of all time.
Check out some of our favorite scenes from Lethal Weapon below!
In 1988, I was a senior in high school, and watching music videos on MTV was one of my favorite things to do. 1988 was a great year for music, and the top ten songs on the Hot 100 year end charts contained hits from rock legends Guns N’ Roses, pop icons George Michael and Whitney Houston, and many more ’80s superstars like INXS, Rick Astley, Tiffany, Belinda Carlisle, Breathe, Steve Winwood, and Beatles legend George Harrison!
Without further ado, here are the music videos for the top ten pop songs of 1988!
In 1981, Bill Murray, John Candy, Harold Ramis, Sean Young, John Larroquette, Judge Reinhold, and many more familiar faces from the ’80s starred in Stripes, the story of two buddies (Murray and Ramis) who decide to join the Army. What ensues is one of the funniest movies of the entire decade. Two of our favorite scenes from the movie are the graduation scene, which you can watch here, and the scene below where the drill sergeant is asking the guys about themselves and why they joined the Army.
Bill Murray’s “Chicks dig me!” quote is classic Murray!
In 1982, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy were two of Saturday Night Live’s biggest stars, and in the skit below, they perform ‘Ebony and Ivory’ as Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder, and it is pure comedy genius!
Update 4/1/2020: According to SleazeRoxx.com, the stadium tour featuring Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett for this summer is reportedly going to be cancelled.
“As far as the Mötley thing goes, my source has just gotten off the phone with his contact and the tour is almost 100% cancelled. Rehearsals at an unknown location in LA were supposed to happen in May. Those have been cancelled. Given the band’s age and to quote the contact’s words “declining ability”, it may not even get rescheduled. Vince [Neil] had already lost in excess of 20 lbs.”
via sleazeroxx.com
As of tonight, nothing has been officially posted to any of the bands’ websites, but it’s looking more and more like one of the most anticipated rock reunion tours isn’t going to happen, and we can’t be more disappointed! If anything changes, we’ll be sure to send out an update.
When Motley Crue, Def Leppard, and Poison announced they were embarking on a historic stadium tour in 2020, like many other former long-haired ’80s rock fans, I was ecstatic! I haven’t seen the Crue or Poison live since the late ’80s, and never had a chance to see Def Leppard in the round. And, when they added Joan Jett to the mix, that was like a cherry on top of an already loaded lineup!
Since their tour announcement, seemingly every major ’80s rock band from the day have also announced that 2020 will be their year to tour! Ratt recently announced a major concert tour with Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, Skid Row, and Slaughter. Guns N’ Roses announced an epic 2020 worldwide stadium tour with The Smashing Pumpkins joining them on some of the tour stops. Kiss are rolling into 2020 full steam with a continuation of their 2019 End of the Road World Tour. Bon Jovi is heading out on a massive tour with Bryan Adams, and the ageless wonders, The Rolling Stones are touring the U.S. this summer!
The Scorpions are heading out on tour this summer with Queensryche, and Styx are still going strong with their 2020 tour starting up in mid-March.
Another concert tour we’re really looking forward to catching is Whitesnake on tour in the U.S. with Sammy Hagar, and Night Ranger. Or, if you’d prefer to see them over the pond, you can catch them on tour in Europe with Europe and Foreigner.
Don’t forget about ZZ Top who are embarking on an extensive tour of Canada and the U.S. this summer, and Alice Cooper is teaming up with Tesla for a number of tour dates this summer.
We already saw the Eagles live in Atlanta last month, and it was one of the best concerts we’ve ever been to. If you are looking for a concert that will thoroughly entertain you while sitting down most of the concert, this is it.
And, let’s not forget about Judas Priest who are still going strong and on tour this summer.
Pearl Jam released a press release today that they are postponing the first leg of their tour due to Coronavirus fears. Yesterday, Kiss announced they are cancelling meet-and-greets at their concerts. Bret Michaels canceled his appearance aboard The 80s Cruise, which departed from Miami on March 8th. You can’t blame them as there’s way too much at stake for the bands and especially concert-goers who run the risk of getting infected by someone who may have the virus, but are unaware of it at the time.
Let’s hope this doesn’t happen as there’s no guarantee that we’ll ever see another year like 2020 with this many great ’80s rock bands touring the U.S.
Damn you Coronavirus!
Please don’t trip up the greatest collection of ’80s rock tours in decades before they even get started…
In the late ’80s, White Lion hit it big with two top ten songs Wait and When the Children Cry, and fan favorites, Tell Me, Little Fighter, and Radar Love. They continued recording and touring off and on through the mid 2000’s, but never experienced the commercial success of the late ’80s.
However, lead singer Mike Tramp has recorded several solo albums since 1998, and in February 2020, Tramp released a damn good song and video for his latest single called ‘The Road’. It’s the first single released from his upcoming album Second Time Around, due to be released worldwide on May 1, 2020.
Give the song a listen. We think you’re gonna like it.
Roadhouse was released in 1989, and it starred Patrick Swayze as a “cooler”, which is bar slang for the head bouncer at the Double Deuce, the meanest, loudest, and rowdiest bar south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
In addition to Swayze, the movie also starred Sam Elliott, as Wade Garrett, Swayze’s character’s mentor and fellow bouncer. The movie also starred Kelly Lynch as Swayze’s love interest. The movie was not a major success at the box office, but after being released to home video, and then on cable television, the movie has since garnered a significant cult following.
Here are some of our favorite scenes from 1989’s ‘Roadhouse’!
The Star Wars series is arguably the greatest movie series of all time, and for us, Return of the Jedi was our favorite movie of them all.
Check out this awesome video from Youtube user sesterciotube featuring over 300 behind the scenes photos from the making of Star Wars Return of the Jedi!
With the 2018 release of the movie, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, so many new fans have discovered the music of Queen and the story behind one of the greatest rock n’ roll bands of all time. In 1985, Freddie Mercury and Queen entertained, mesmerized, and left the crowd at Live Aid wanting more in one of the greatest live performances the world has ever seen. If you’ve never seen their full performance, please grab a drink, sit back and enjoy!
Warrant burst onto the scene in 1989 with their album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, which produced four music videos for four successful singles, Down Boys, Heaven, Big Talk and Sometimes She Cries.
They followed up their debut album with arguably their most famous (and notorious) album Cherry Pie in 1990, which produced four music videos for Cherry Pie, I Saw Red, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Blind Faith.
In 1992, they released a music video for We Will Rock You, which was included on the movie soundtrack for the immensely popular movie Gladiator starring Russell Crowe.
That same year, they released their third studio album Dog Eat Dog, which spawned music videos for Machine Gun and The Bitter Pill.
In 1995, they released two music videos for Family Picnic and Stronger Now from their Ultraphobic album.
In 1996, they released their album, Belly to Belly, which was their last album of all original material to feature Jani Lane on vocals. In ’96, they released music videos for A.Y.M from the album as well as acoustic videos for I Saw Red and The Bitter Pill.
After a hiatus of almost ten years, Warrant released their seventh studio album Born Again, which was their first with new lead singer Jaime St. James, ex-Black N’ Blue lead singer. For this album, the band produced music videos for all 12 songs and included them on a DVD entitled Born Again: Delvis Video Diaries. We’ve featured a playlist of these videos below all of Warrant’s other videos.
In 2011, Warrant released their eighth studio album called Rockaholic, which featured the band’s third lead singer Robert Mason, who replaced Jani Lane in 2008 after he had reunited with the band for a while. They released two music videos in support of Rockaholic, Life’s a Song and Home.
In 2017, Warrant released their ninth studio album called Louder Harder Faster with Robert Mason still at the helm. They released two music videos from the album, the remake of Merle Haggard’s song I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink, and the title track, Louder Harder Faster.
Check out Warrant’s complete music video collection below!
RIP Jani Lane… We miss you man.
Billboard magazine ranks all kinds of songs, but the most popular songs of the year are ranked in Billboards Hot 100 year end charts. Below are the ten songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 year end charts from 1980-1989.
But, before we get to those songs, which song was crowned the most popular song of the decade on the Hot 100 decade-ending charts? It was Olivia Newton-John’s 1982 year-end number one song ‘Physical’!
Here’s a look at the most popular Hot 100 songs on the year-end charts for 1980-1989:
The 80s gave us some of the greatest moments in movie history. Check out this montage of clips from some of the 80s greatest movies:
0:00 — Cocktail — “Oh, I Love You So” by Preston Smith
1:27 — Real Genius — “I’m Falling” by The C.S. Angels
5:24 — The Secret of my Success — “Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves
8:30 — One Crazy Summer — Instrumental
10:30 — Revenge of the Nerds — “One Foot In Front Of Another” by Bone Symphony
13:11 — Rocky III — “Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti
17:08 — The Whoopee Boys — “That Was Then, This Is Now” by MIckey Dolenz and Peter Tork
19:05 — WarGames — Instrumental (“Edge Of The World” by Yvonne Elliman?)
21:22 — Youngblood — Instrumental
24:30 — Valley Girl — “I Melt With You” by Modern English
The graduation scene in Stripes is still one of the greatest scenes in any movie that we’ve ever seen. Stripes was released in 1981, and featured an all star cast including Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, John Candy, John Larroquette, Judge Reinhold, Bill Paxton, and Sean Young.
This scene is also famous for some of the best one-liners in movie history:
“That’s a fact, Jack!”
“Arrrrmmmyy training, sir!”
“Where is your drill sergeant, men? Blown up sir'”
“Boomshakalaka, Boomshakalaka, Boomshakalaka, Boom!”
“Why did the chicken cross the road? To get from the left to the right. He stepped out of rank, got hit by a tank, he ain’t no chicken no more, no!”
Enjoy this look back at one of the best scenes ever from Stripes, an 80’s movie classic!
U2’s ‘War’ album cover is one of the greatest album covers of all time in our opinion. Rather than show images of violence and destruction from a war, U2 chose to feature a little boy with an intense stare that conveys both anger and confusion. Visually, it is a brilliant image for this album, as it shows the human side of ‘War’.
The Beastie Boys’ 1986 album cover for ‘Licensed to Ill’ is vintage Beastie Boys with 3MTA3 on the tail which spells Eat Me backwards. LOL
Bruce Springsteen’s album cover for his 1984 ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ album was pure working class with Springsteen in his trademark white t-shirt, jeans and worn ball cap stuffed into his back pocket standing in front of the American flag.
Weird… Strange… Silly… Memorable. All of those words are perfect for both Devo and this album cover!
Grace Jones’ album cover for ‘Island Life’ depicts the model/actress/singer in an iconic pose that solidifies this album as one of the best album covers of the 80’s and beyond!
It’s no surprise that devout vegan Morrissey decided to choose an image of a Vietnam War soldier with the slogan “Meat is Murder” on his helmet for their ‘For Meat is Murder’ album. The soldier actually had written the statement “Make War Not Love” on his helmet…
No words are really needed to describe the social message that N.W.A.’s ‘Straight Outta Compton’ album conveyed.
The top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for 1989 contained a mixture of pop rock ballads from Chicago and Poison, R&B classics from Bobby Brown and Janet Jackson, dance hits from Will to Power and Paula Abdul, a fake song from Milli Vanilli and two songs for the ages from Bette Midler and Anita Baker.
Below are the top ten songs for the year end Hot 100 charts for 1989:
Did you know that Tom Hanks was a guest star on Happy Days back in the early 80’s? And, he picked a fight with the Fonz? It’s true! During an episode of Happy Days in season 10 called “A Little Case of Revenge”, Tom Hanks as Dwayne Mitchell, a character who was pushed off the swing by Fonzie when they were kids, shows up at Arnold’s Drive-in as a black belt in karate and proceeds to taunt and pick on Fonzie.
Not only does he pick on the Fonz, but Tom’s character actually rips the sleeves off Fonzie’s sports coat, and eventually karate kicks him through a window in the diner (in dramatic albeit very cheesy fashion). In true Fonzie style, the Fonz returns wearing his leather jacket and without throwing a punch, defuses the entire situation and once again establishes himself as the coolest man TV has ever known. Relive the entire scene below!
‘The Dirt’ is a biographical movie based on Motley Crue’s book ‘The Dirt’. It premiered on Netflix on Friday, March 22, 2019 and overall the reviews so far have been great. Personally, we loved the movie as we’re huge fans of Motley Crue, and the soundtrack is awesome. Check it out below. It contains some great new songs including the title track featuring the Crue with Machine Gun Kelly as well as some of our all time favorite songs!
01. “The Dirt (Est. 1981)” (featuring Machine Gun Kelly)
02. “Red Hot”
03. “On with the Show”
04. “Live Wire”
05. “Merry-Go-Round”
06. “Take Me to the Top”
07. “Piece of Your Action”
08. “Shout at the Devil”
09. “Looks That Kill”
10. “Too Young to Fall in Love”
11. “Home Sweet Home”
12. “Girls, Girls, Girls”
13. “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)”
14. “Kickstart My Heart”
15. “Dr. Feelgood”
16. “Ride with the Devil”
17. “Crash and Burn”
18. “Like a Virgin” (Madonna cover)
‘The Dirt’ Soundtrack:
‘The Dirt’ Official Movie Trailer:
‘The Dirt’ music video featuring Machine Gun Kelly:
The Call’s music video for their number one rock song ‘Let The Day Begin’ from 1989!
“Let The Day Begin” Lyrics:
Here’s to the babies in a brand new world
Here’s to the beauty of the stars
Here’s to the travellers on the open road
Here’s to the dreamers in the bars
Here’s to the teachers in the crowded rooms
Here’s to the workers in the fields
Here’s to the preachers of the sacred words
Here’s to the drivers at the wheel
Here’s to you my little loves with blessings from above
Now let the day begin
Here’s to you my little loves with blessings from above
Now let the day begin, let the day begin
Here’s to the winners of the human race
Here’s to the losers in the game
Here’s to the soldiers of the bitter war
Here’s to the wall that bears their names
Here’s to you my little loves with blessings from above
Now let the day begin
Here’s to you my little loves with blessings from above
Let the day begin, let the day begin, let the day start
Here’s to the doctors and their healing work
Here’s to the loved ones in their care
Here’s to the strangers on the streets tonight
Here’s to the lonely everywhere
Here’s to the wisdom from the mouths of babes
Here’s to the lions in the cage
Here’s to the struggles of the silent war
Here’s to the closing of the age.
Here’s to you my little loves with blessings from above
Now let the day begin
Here’s to you my little loves with blessings from above
Let the day begin
Here’s to you my little loves with blessings from above
Let the day begin
Here’s to you my little loves with blessings from above
Now let the day begin, let the day begin, let the day start
Eddie Money’s music video for his number one rock song ‘Think I’m In Love’ from 1982!
“Think I’m In Love” Lyrics:
Ooh, somethin’s got a hold on me now
It’s a feelin’, burnin’ like a lover on fire
Hold me tight, baby
Don’t leave me by myself tonight
‘Cause I don’t think I can make it through the night
I think I’m in love
And my life’s lookin’ up
I think I’m in love
‘Cause I can’t get enough (no, no, no)
I think I’m in love
It’s gotta be love
It surrounds me
Over me like a sea of madness
It controls me
Makes me do all the things I do for you
You’re on my mind, babe
Thinkin’ about you now
And I don’t know if I’ll make it through the night
I think I’m in love
And my life’s lookin’ up
I think I’m in love
‘Cause I can’t get enough (no, no, no)
I think I’m in love
It’s gotta be love
Baby, how you do it
There must be somethin’ to it
Babe I know it’s gotta be love
{Oh, with magic in your hand}?
You made me understand
I know, I know it’s gotta be love
It’s gotta be love
(Love) and my life’s lookin’ up (love)
Tom Petty’s music video for his number one rock song ‘Free Fallin’ from 1989!
“Free Fallin'” Lyrics:
She’s a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She’s a good girl, who’s crazy ’bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too
And it’s a long day livin’ in Reseda
There’s a freeway runnin’ through the yard
And I’m a bad boy, cause I don’t even miss her
I’m a bad boy for breakin’ her heart
Now I’m free
Free fallin’
Yeah, I’m free
Free fallin’
Now all the vampires walkin’ through the valley
Move west down Ventura boulevard
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
And the good girls are home with broken hearts
Now I’m free
I’m free fallin’
Yeah, I’m free
Free fallin’
Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m
Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now
I wanna glide down over Mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
I’m gonna free fall out into nothin’
Gonna leave this world for awhile
Now I’m free (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Free fallin’ (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Yeah, I’m free (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Free fallin’ (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
(Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Now I’m free
Free fallin’
Oh (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Free fallin’ (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Now I’m free (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
Oh, free fallin’ (Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m)
(Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, now I’m) Free fallin’
‘Caught Up In You’ was .38 Specials first number one rock song and first top ten Hot 100 song. It was the first single released from their 1982 album, ‘Special Forces’.
“Caught Up In You” Lyrics:
I never knew there’d come a day
When I’d be saying to you
Don’t let this good love slip away
Now that we know that it’s true
Don’t, don’t you know the kind of man I am
No, said I’d never fall in love again
But it’s real and the feeling comes shining through
I’m so caught up in you
Little girl
That I never did suspect that I’d be
So caught up in you
Little girl
That I never wanna get myself free
And baby it’s true
You’re the one
Who caught me, baby you taught me
How good it could be
It took so long to change my mind
I thought that love was a game
I played around enough to find
No two are ever the same
You made me realize the love I’d missed
So hot, love I couldn’t quite resist
When it’s right, the light just comes shining through
I’m so caught up in you
Little girl
You’re the one that’s got me down on my knees
So caught up in you
Little girl
That I never wanna get myself free
And baby it’s true
You’re the one
Who caught me, baby you taught me
How good it could be
Fill your days and your nights
No need to ever ask me twice, oh no
Whenever you want me
And if ever comes a day
When you should turn and walk away, oh no
I can’t live without you
I’m so caught up in you
Yeah, yeah, yeah
And if ever comes a day
When you should turn and walk away, oh no
I can’t live without you
I’m so caught up in you
Little girl
You’re the one that’s got me down on my knees
So caught up in you
Little girl
That I never wanna get myself free
And baby it’s true
You’re the one
Who caught me, baby you taught me
How good it could be
Little girl
You’re the one that’s got me down on my knees
So caught up in you
Little girl
That I never wanna get myself free
And baby it’s true
You’re the one
Who caught me and taught me
You got me so caught up in you
It’s hard to believe, but of all the songs AC/DC has released as singles in their native Australia, only eight have cracked the top ten. To us that is a travesty considering how many incredible songs they’ve released between 1974 and 2021. Arguably, the ’80s were their most successful years on the charts with ten of their singles reaching the top 40 on the Rock charts in the US and three of those the top ten.
Surprisingly, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ wasn’t one of the ten top 40 singles as it didn’t even chart on the rock charts in the US, but it did peak at number 35 on the Hot 100 charts in 1980 making it their second highest charting single on the Hot 100 charts of their career. 1990’s Moneytalks was their highest when it peaked at number 23 on the Hot 100 charts.
Enjoy AC/DC’s official music video for their classic 80’s hit song ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ as well as some awesome live clips from concerts over the years!
In 1989, Skid Row released their self-titled debut album. The album produced three of the best rock songs of the entire decade with Youth Gone Wild, 18 and Life, and I Remember You. 18 and Life was the band’s highest charting single when it peaked at number four on the Hot 100 charts and #11 on the rock charts.
Enjoy this look back at the official music video for 18 and Life as well as an awesome live performance from 1991 in Wembley Stadium!
In 1980, Queen released their eighth studio album titled The Game. The album produced two of Queen’s biggest hits in the U.S. with both Crazy Little Thing Called Love, and Another One Bites the Dust topping the Hot 100 chart. Surprisingly, these were Queen’s first two number one songs on the Hot 100 chart as their highest charting single before then was 1975’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which peaked at number two.
Enjoy this look back at Queen performing Another One Bites The Dust live back in the early ’80s as well as a look back at their music videos for Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Bohemian Rhapsody!
In 1985, ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ from REO Speedwagon spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 charts!
“Can’t Fight This Feeling” Lyrics:
I can’t fight this feeling any longer
And yet I’m still afraid to let it flow
What started out as friendship, has grown stronger
I only wish I had the strength to let it show
I tell myself that I can’t hold out forever
I said there is no reason for my fear
Cause I feel so secure when we’re together
You give my life direction
You make everything so clear
And even as I wander
I’m keeping you in sight
You’re a candle in the window
On a cold, dark winter’s night
And I’m getting closer than I ever thought I might
And I can’t fight this feeling anymore
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for
It’s time to bring this ship into the shore
And throw away the oars, forever
Cause I can’t fight this feeling anymore
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for
And if I have to crawl upon the floor
Come crashing through your door
Baby, I can’t fight this feeling anymore
My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you
I’ve been running round in circles in my mind
And it always seems that I’m following you, girl
Cause you take me to the places that alone I’d never find
And even as I wander I’m keeping you in sight
You’re a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter’s night
And I’m getting closer than I ever thought I might
And I can’t fight this feeling anymore
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for
It’s time to bring this ship into the shore
And throw away the oars, forever
Cause I can’t fight this feeling anymore
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for
And if I have to crawl upon the floor
Come crashing through your door
Baby, I can’t fight this feeling anymore.
In 1984, ‘The Reflex’ from Duran Duran spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 charts!
“The Reflex” Lyrics:
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex (flex, flex, flex)
“You’ve gone too far this time”
But I’m dancing on the valentine
I tell you somebody’s fooling around
With my chances on the dangerline
I’ll cross that bridge when I find it
Another day to make my stand
High time is no time for deciding
If I should find a helping hand
Why don’t you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time don’t lose it
Why don’t you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time don’t lose it
The reflex is an only child he’s waiting by the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover isn’t that bizarre
Every little thing the reflex does
Leaves you answered with a question mark
I’m on a ride and I want to get off
But they won’t slow down the roundabout
I sold the Renoir and the TV set
Don’t want to be around when this gets out
So why don’t you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time don’t lose it
Why don’t you use it?
The reflex is an only child he’s waiting in the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover isn’t that bizarre
Every little thing the reflex does
Leaves you answered with a question mark
Reflex
So why don’t you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time don’t lose it
The reflex is an only child he’s waiting by the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover isn’t that bizarre
Every little thing the reflex does
Leaves you answered with a question mark
Oh the reflex what a game he’s hiding all the cards
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
