Featuring the best 80s music videos, TV shows, 80s celebrities and more!
Be honest… how many of you did the Pee Wee Herman Tequila dance back in the day? I know I’m guilty (only after more than a few shots of tequila though, LOL). The dance was just one of the hilarious scenes from the 1985 movie Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure.
Enjoy this look back at Pee Wee Herman entertaining the members of a biker gang in 1985’s Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure!
On August 6, 1981, John Travolta made his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. It’s amazing how humble Travolta was during this appearance considering this was after his starring roles in Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Urban Cowboy. He honestly looked star struck by Johnny. He was on the show promoting his latest film, 1981’s Blow Out, which was critically lauded, but a box office disappointment. Later in the ’80s, Travolta turned down the leading role in American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Splash. It’s hard to know if those movies would have been as successful with Travolta, but it’s no doubt that all three movies were instrumental in the rise of the careers of Richard Gere and Tom Hanks.
Enjoy this look back at John Travolta’s first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1981!
In 1985, Cyndi Lauper’s song The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough peaked at number ten on the Hot 100 chart. At the time, it was her fifth top ten on the Hot 100 chart. The music video was actually shot in two parts and featured WWF wrestlers Captain Lou Albano, Roddy Piper, Wendi Richter, The Fabulous Moolah, The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Freddie Blassie and André the Giant (part 2 only). The video also featured the cast of The Goonies minus Kerri Green, Anne Ramsey, Joe Pantoliano, Robert Davi and John Matuszak as well as members of a then relatively unknown group called The Bangles. The video also featured Cyndi’s mother as “Catrina, Cyndi’s mother” and the “sea hag”.
Enjoy this look back at Cyndi Lauper’s music video for The Goones ‘R’ Good Enough from 1985!
Our friends from HD Film Tributes are back with a great film tribute to The Karate Kid Part II featuring some of the best scenes from the movie set to the music of Peter Cetera’s Glory of Love, which was a number one hit on the Hot 100 chart as well as received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song and a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Male Artist in 1987.
Enjoy this look back at The Karate Kid Part II!
Legend is a 1985 dark fantasy adventure film that starred Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and Tim Curry as the Lord of Darkness who plots to cover the world with eternal night. The film was directed by Ridley Scott and it received mixed reviews from critics and film goers alike. It was definitely one of those movies you either loved or hated. If you loved it, you’re gonna love this look back at the final scene from 1985’s Legend featuring Tom Cruise and Mia Sara set to the song Loved By The Sun. Enjoy!
For the most part, the cast of Road House have aged very, very well, although it’s still hard to believe that Patrick Swayze is no longer with us. Road House has become an ’80s cult classic, and if I stumble across it while channel surfing, you can bet your last dollar that I’m going to watch it. So what has the cast been up to since Road House? Find out below in this new then and now video from the Nostalgia Hit channel on YouTube. Enjoy!
In the ’80s, there was nothing better than meeting up with your friends at the mall. It was the place to hangout. On a typical Saturday in the ’80s, you’d see cool kids, nerds, jocks, and punks all walking around acting as if they were the coolest kids on the planet. As I watched this video of photos from ’80s malls, it took me back to all the sounds and smells from my own mall as a teenager: The food court, water fountains, people walking around smoking cigarettes, the sound of Donkey Kong and Pac Man coming from the arcade, and ’80s music playing in the background. It was a much simpler time back then. You went to the mall and just walked around for hours and hung out with your friends, and it was exactly what you wanted to do.
Enjoy this trip down memory lane to a mall near you in the ’80s!
There’s a lot of exaggerated and grandiose statements about certain posts or videos these days, but I promise you, this is not one of those statements. This ’80s pop culture video special from The Vintage Tribute channel on YouTube is the best video I have ever seen that truly captures what ’80s culture was like for those of us who lived through it. It captures the music, movies, TV shows, sports, fashion, trends, world events, and memorable moments in astonishing clarity. If you’ve got a little time, you do not want to miss this one.
Enjoy this look back at what the ’80s looked, sounded and felt like!
On July 27, 1981, Stevie Nicks released her debut solo album titled Bella Donna. She was riding high off the tremendous success of Fleetwood Mac’s back-to-back Platinum albums Rumours and Tusk, which were released in 1977 and 1979 respectively. Those two albums spawned seven top 40 hits on the Hot 100 chart, including a number one for Dreams in 1977.
Bella Donna went 4x Platinum and topped the Billboard 200 album chart. All four singles released from the album were top 40 hits on the Hot 100 chart including two top ten hits for Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), which peaked at number three, and Leather and Lace (with Don Henley), which peaked at number six.
The third single, Edge of Seventeen peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100 chart and number four on the Rock chart. It was also her first top ten on the AC chart, peaking at number ten in 1981. The fourth and last single from the album, After the Glitter Fades peaked at number 32 on the Hot 100 chart.
Enjoy this look back at videos of all four singles from Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna album from 1981!
More Songs from Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna album:
During the ’70s and early ’80s, Abba scored numerous number one hits on the charts worldwide, and in 1980, they scored their last top ten hit on the Hot 100 chart in the U.S. when The Winner Takes It All peaked at number eight. It also topped the UK charts, making it their 8th number one song in the UK.
Enjoy this look back at Abba performing The Winner Takes It All live as well as the music video from 1980!
More Classic Videos from Abba:
Today, we’re traveling back in time to the parking lot of a heavy metal concert in 1986, and it is freaking awesome! Every now and then, we find a video that we can’t wait to share, and this video is one of them. The hair, clothes, cars, booze, and the music all transport us back to the mid-80s in this documentary from 1986. If you’ve got a little time, you’ve gotta check this one out. You won’t be disappointed!
Enjoy this flashback to the parking lot of a Judas Priest concert in 1986 as well as another video from 2006 that caught up with some of the kids they interviewed back then.
It’s amazing how three guys could produce a sound like this, but ZZ Top never disappointed, and this live performance of Tube Snake Boogie from 1980 is so perfect. This performance is from a TV show called Rockpalast, a music television show that was started in 1974 and continues to this day. So many incredible rock n’ roll acts have appeared on the show, and ZZ Top’s appearance was one of the best!
This was ZZ Top’s first appearance in Europe. In addition to Tube Snake Boogie, they performed a number of their classic hits including Cheap Sunglasses and TUSH among others. Dusty Hill’s vocals on TUSH are insane in the video below. Wow! Incredible!
Enjoy this classic rock performance from ZZ Top from 1980!
Rocky III was released to theaters on May 28, 1982. I remember going to see it with my dad when I was 11 years old, and it was one of the most exciting movies I had ever seen. On a budget of only $17 million, it grossed over $270 million worldwide. It was the fourth highest grossing film of 1982, and the theme song, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor was a huge hit on the charts and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
The main cast of Rocky III consisted of:
Enjoy this look back at the cast of Rocky III 40 years later in 2022!
More Videos about Rocky III
In 1989, five cast members of Steel Magnolias appeared on the Donahue show. Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, and Olympia Dukakis were down-to-earth and had a great time talking about their fantastic movie. You would think it might be awkward with that much star power on the show at the same time, but it wasn’t. If you loved Steel Magnolias, you’re gonna love this episode of Donahue.
What a rare treat! Here’s a video we found recently from a 1980 TV Special called “Olivia Newton-John: Hollywood Nights”, and it features Elton John and Olivia Newton-John performing Candle in the Wind live. We also found a video of the entire TV special that also featured Gene Kelly, Cliff Richard, Andy Gibb, Tina Turner, Karen Carpenter, and Toni Tennille.
If you’re a fan of the Olivia Newton-John, this is a must-see! RIP Olivia… You are missed by so many.
Ozzy Osbourne released his 13th studio album titled Patient Number 9 on September 9, 2022. The first single released from the album was the title track, which featured Jeff Beck on guitar. Patient Number 9 debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. On July 22nd, he released the second single, Degradation Rules, which featured Black Sabbath co-founder and lead guitarist Tony Iommi. On September 5th, the third single, Nothing Feels Right was released featuring guitarist Zakk Wylde, and the music video for One of Those Days featuring Eric Clapton was released on September 9, 2022.
Enjoy this look at music videos for all four songs from Ozzy Osbourne’s new album Patient Number 9!
Throughout the early and mid ’80s, Night Ranger enjoyed a lot of success on the charts, and their first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Their most successful album was 1985’s 7 Wishes, which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart.
The album produced three top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Sentimental Street (#8), Four in the Morning (I Can’t Take Any More) (#19), and Goodbye, which peaked at number 17 on the Hot 100 and number 16 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Goodbye was their last top 40 hit on the Hot 100 charts.
As we look back at their album 7 Wishes, enjoy this look at their music video for Goodbye as well as full concert footage from their 7 Wishes tour from 1985!
We’ve seen thousands of hours of live rock concert footage over the years, but ten performances from some of the greatest ’80s rock bands of all time stand out from all the rest. The setting is perfect. The venue is packed and the crowd is 100% into the song!
Enjoy this look at ten of the best live rock performances of all time from our favorite ’80s rockers! This list is in no particular order as all ten could be number one on our list.
#1 – AC/DC performing Hells Bells live at River Plate in December 2009. The energy from the crowd in this performance is off the charts, and Brian Johnson is in full control of the crowd!
#2 – Prince and The Revolution performing Purple Rain live in Syracuse, NY on March 30, 1985. If you want to know what it means to be a rock god, this is it. Over 16 minutes of brilliance from Prince!
#3 – U2 performing Sunday Bloody Sunday live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Colorado in 1983. Before U2 were a household name, they performed one of the greatest live concerts you’ll ever see in 1983 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and their performance of Sunday Bloody Sunday has become one of the greatest live performances of all time!
#4 – Queen performing We Are The Champions at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium in July 1985. Queen stole the show at Live Aid. So much so, that Elton John reportedly rushed into Freddie Mercury’s trailer after the set and jokingly said, “You bastards, you stole the show!” Yes, yes they did Elton, and this performance of We Are The Champions demonstrated exactly that… Queen were the champions of the rock world on this day in 1985!
#5 – Metallica performing Master of Puppets live in Seattle in 1989. This was a brilliant performance going from James, Jason, and Kirk sitting on the steps of the stage quietly playing to one of the most intense, adrenaline-filled performances you’ll ever see!
#6 – Eddie Van Halen performing Eruption live during the 1983 US Festival. We’ve all seen so many videos of Eddie Van Halen playing Eruption, but one of the first and biggest live performances caught on film was at the 1983 US festival. Eddie was on fire, and this performance of Eruption will go down as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time!
#7 – Iron Maiden performing Run To The Hills live in Hungary, Budapest in 1984. When it comes to live shows, nobody does it like Iron Maiden, and the energy from the stage and the crowd was insane.
#8 – Guns N’ Roses performing Paradise City live at the Ritz in New York in 1988. It’s hard to beat Guns N’ Roses live, but to us, they were at their best in the late ’80s with the original lineup, and their historic concert at the Ritz in 1988 was epic!
#9 – Night Ranger performing Don’t Tell Me You Love Me live in 1985. The energy from the band and the crowd in this live performance from 1985 was off the charts! This performance is everything we loved about rock in the ’80s. Loud, energetic, passionate, and a lead singer who had the crowd in the palm of his hands. Perfect live performance!
#10 – Cinderella performing Nobody’s Fool live at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989. Tom Keifer’s iconic voice was at it’s best live in concerts, and he and the band were in their prime when they performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989!
If you’re a fan of Johnny Carson, you’re going to love this one! This interview proves once again that Johnny Carson was the absolute best talk-show host of all time. In the interview, his guest is three-year old Zachary La Voy, who is one of the stars of 1989’s Parenthood that was directed by Ron Howard and also starred Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Martha Plimpton, Keanu Reeves, Jason Robards, and Mary Steenburgen.
At one point, Zachary is looking at himself on the monitor in the studio, and Johnny asks him how he thinks he looks, and Zachary’s answer is priceless and cracked up Johnny, Ed, and the studio audience.
Enjoy this look back at little three-year old Zachary La Voy from Parenthood on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson!
Last night, a tribute concert was held in Wembley Stadium in honor of the late Foo Fighters’ drummer, Taylor Hawkins. The star-studded concert featured appearances from Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson from Rush, Liam Gallagher from Oasis, and many more. Our favorite moment from the night was when AC/DC’s Brian Johnson took the stage with the Foo Fighters along with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich on drums to perform Back in Black. It was an epic performance!
Enjoy this look at Back in Black from the Taylor Hawkins Tribute concert from Wembley Stadium featuring Brian Johnson and Lars Ulrich!
Brian Johnson & FOO FIGHTERS
— Ante Todo Mucha Calma… (@el_fiaca) September 3, 2022
Black in Black
En vivo en el concierto tributo Taylor Hawkins 03/09/22 LONDON#TributeToTaylorHawkins@acdc @foofighters pic.twitter.com/KdQTVzmtMW
Ronnie James Dio was one of the most influential heavy metal artists of all time. Before he founded his band Dio, he was the first lead singer of Rainbow from 1975-1979, and he then joined Black Sabbath and was the lead singer from 1979-1982, 1991-1992, and again from 2006 -2010, which was the year he passed away.
In 1983 after leaving Black Sabbath for the first time, he founded the band Dio, which arguably is one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the ’80s. Dio’s first album, Holy Diver, is one of our favorites, and their second album, The Last In Line, released in 1984, produced their highest charting rock single when the title track, The Last In Line peaked at number ten on the Mainstream Rock charts.
Enjoy this look back at Dio’s music video for The Last In Line as well as a look back at their music video for their first single ever, Holy Diver!
I remember watching this scene in disbelief back in the ’80s. This was definitely one of the most surprising moments in all of the Rocky movies. Mickey dying was the other. Rocky IV was released in 1985 and was one of the highest grossing film in the Rocky franchise, grossing over $300 million worldwide. It was also the third highest grossing film of 1985 behind Back to the Future, and another Stallone flick, Rambo: First Blood Part II.
In this scene, Apollo Creed wants to go out on top with one more fight, so he persuades Rocky to let him do it. Unfortunately, Creed is no match for Drago, and he pays the ultimate price. During the fight, Creed makes Rocky promise he won’t throw in the towel, which ends up being the biggest mistake of his life.
Enjoy this look back at Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago’s exhibition match in Rocky IV from 1985!
Recently, we featured a list of ten things that only kids from the ’80s would remember, but today, we’re looking at things we all did in the ’80s that would either get you arrested today or are certainly frowned upon by today’s standards. I mean, if a kid leaves his house on his bike at 7 in the morning on a Saturday in the ’80s, we knew he was just going out to play with his friends and would certainly be back before dinner. Nowadays, that same kid would be plastered all over social media by 9am as missing and all hell would break loose trying to find him. That’s just one example of so many featured below.
Enjoy this look back at all the things we did in the ’80s that aren’t socially acceptable any more!
Back in 1987, Cowboy poets Waddie Mitchell and Baxter Black appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. This has to be one of my favorite clips from Johnny Carson. Waddie recites a poem about modern day cowboys, and Baxter Black recites a hilarious poem about how vegetables have feelings. He had the audience and Johnny in stitches. You’re gonna love this one!
On December 10, 1981, the great Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. This is one of our favorite things about the internet. We get to watch gems like this any time we want, which is so awesome. I think you’re going to really enjoy this one.
Enjoy this look back to when Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau appeared together on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1981!
On August 13, 1986, Steve Winwood was the musical guest on Late Night with David Letterman, and he brought down the house with two massive hit songs, Higher Love and Gimmie Some Lovin’! Higher Love was a number one hit for Winwood on both the Hot 100 and the Mainstream Rock charts in 1986, and Gimmie Some Lovin’ was a top ten hit for The Spencer Davis Group in 1966 with Winwood on lead vocals.
Enjoy this look back at Steve Winwood performing Higher Love and Gimmie Some Lovin’ live on Late Night with David Letterman in 1986!
Who’s ready for a kickass song and video from Billy Idol? I know we are! Billy Idol just released a new song called Cage from his upcoming EP Cage that is scheduled for release on September 23, 2022. He also released a new music video for Cage that features Billy and his longtime guitarist Steve Stevens. If you loved Billy Idol in the ’80s, I think you’re gonna love this one.
Enjoy this look at Billy Idol’s new music video for Cage!
If you loved Chevy Chase doing the news on Saturday Night Live back in the day, you’re going to love this segment from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson back in 1986. Johnny is interviewing Siskel & Ebert, with Chevy Chase sitting to the left of Ebert, and Johnny asked the famous film critics which Chevy Chase movie they thought was his best. Once they start talking about Chase and his movies, Chevy starts making fun of Ebert while he’s talking about Chevy in the same way he used to do during the Saturday Night Live news clips. It’s hilarious!
Enjoy this look back at Chevy Chase making fun of Siskel & Ebert on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson back in 1986!
