Featuring the best 80s music videos, TV shows, 80s celebrities and more!
In 1983, Robin Williams performed at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. In typical Robin Williams fashion, most of the show consisted of Williams’ completely off the wall improvisation, and it was hilariously perfect!
Enjoy an evening with Robin Williams from back in 1983!
In 1987, Hank Williams Jr. released his 40th studio album titled Born to Boogie. The album was a huge hit and topped the Billboard Country album charts. It also won the CMA award for Album of the Year in 1988. The first single, Born to Boogie, went to number one on the country charts in both the United States and Canada. The album’s two other singles were top five hits with Heaven Can’t Be Found peaking at number four and Young Country peaking at number two on the Hot Country chart.
Enjoy this look back at Hank Williams Jr.’s music video for Born to Boogie, which also includes some behind-the-scenes footage. We’ve also got Hank Jr.’s live performance of Born to Boogie at the 21st Music City Award show. Enjoy!
More ’80s Music Videos and Live Performances from Hank Williams Jr.!
When it came to action movies in the ’80s, Sylvester Stallone never disappointed! As Rocky Balboa, he won the hearts of America defeating Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago. As John Rambo, he had us on the edge of our seats as he battled Sheriff Will Teasle in First Blood, rescued POWs in Vietnam in First Blood Part II, and battled an evil Soviet Army colonel in Afghanistan in Rambo III, and let’s not forget the badass characters he played in Cobra, Lock Up, and Tango & Cash.
In 1987, Stallone introduced us to a new character and sport that many fans had never seen outside of arm wrestling with their friends or relatives. Over the Top was released in 1987 and featured Stallone as Lincoln “Linc” Hawk, a truck driver who arm wrestles for extra cash. The movie focuses mainly on the relationship between Hawk and his estranged son Michael, and the final scene is a classic. It pits Hawk against Bob “Bull” Hurley in the World Armwrestling Championship in Las Vegas. In typical Stallone fashion, Hawk pulls off an unbelievable upset in front of his son.
Enjoy this look back at Sylvester Stallone as “Linc” Hawk in the final championship match from 1987’s Over the Top!
What a rare treat this is! Back in 1981, two of the greatest comedians of all time appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson together. George Carlin came out first and did his standup routine, and then later, Richard Pryor came out and sat down for a chat with Johnny.
Enjoy this look back at George Carlin and Richard Pryor on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1981!
After what we consider way too long, Judas Priest were finally inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 5, 2022. After receiving their award Musical Excellence, they launched into a three-song set, which started with You’ve Got Another Thing Coming, which was followed up with Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight.
In addition to their current official lineup of lead singer Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill, guitarist Richie Faulkner and drummer Scott Travis, they were joined onstage by former guitarist Glenn Tipton, who is still an official member of the band, but no longer tours due to his battle with Parkinson’s disease, and former guitarist K.K. Downing and drummer Les Binks.
Enjoy this look at one of the best heavy metal bands of all time, Judas Priest performing live at the 2022 Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony!
1981’s Arthur is one of our favorite movies featuring Dudley Moore. In the movie, Moore played Arthur, a drunken millionaire who is being forced to marry a woman he can’t stand. He decides to fight for his right to make his own decisions, and he meets Linda, played by Liza Minneli, an aspiring actress who works at a diner. Moore and Minneli were brilliant together, and this tribute video put together by YouTube’s SeaWeird is brilliantly done as well.
Enjoy this tribute video featuring all the best scenes from Arthur set to Arthur’s Theme, Best That You Can Do by Christopher Cross!
Coming to America is still one of my all time favorite movies from the ’80s, and the barbershop scenes were hilarious. When I first saw the movie at the theaters, I had no idea that Saul, the Jewish barbershop customer, was actually Eddie Murphy. Eddie was brilliant in this movie playing Prince Akeem Joffer, the prince of Zamunda, Randy Watson, the lead singer of the band Sexual Chocolate, the aforementioned Saul, and Clarence, the owner of the barbershop.
Enjoy this look back at all of the barbershop scenes from 1988’s Coming to America courtesy of My-T-Sharp on YouTube!
1988’s A Fish Called Wanda is one of my favorite ’80s movies. It grossed over $188 million at the box office on a budget of only $7.5 million, making it a huge success at the box office. The movie is a heist comedy that stars John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin. The film follows a gang of diamond thieves who double-cross one another to find stolen diamonds hidden by the gang leader.
John Cleese won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the British Academy Film Awards, and his acceptance speech was hilarious. He thanked just about everyone including the planet Saturn and her rings, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Birds, and so many more. If you’ve got a few minutes and need a good laugh, this one is well worth the watch!
Remember Tales from the Crypt? It premiered on HBO on June 10, 1989 and ran until July 19, 1996. Because it was on HBO, it was one of the first TV series to include graphic violence, profanity, and sexual activity. Each episode started out with the Cryptkeeper greeting us with either “Hello, Boils and Ghouls” or “Hello, Kiddies”. In honor of this Halloween weekend, here’s the introduction to Tales from the Crypt!
The wait is almost over! On November 17, 2022, A Christmas Story Christmas is premiering on HBO Max. Just like everyone, my family and I watch A Christmas Story at least once (okay, usually many, many times) every Christmas. I’ve seen the movie so many times, I could almost recite the entire film. I have no idea what to expect from the sequel. I just hope it does the original movie justice. Before making any judgements, I am going to wait and watch the movie first. An official trailer is on the way, but HBO Max just released the official teaser video below.
Check out the teaser and as soon as the official trailer becomes available, we’ll share it with you all as well! Oh, and just to get you in the mood, enjoy a look back at the moment the leg lamp arrived!
Def Leppard concluded their historic stadium tour with Motley Crue, Poison, and Joan Jett in September 2022. The tour was a huge success, and reportedly, Joe and the boys from Def Leppard will continue the Stadium Tour in 2023 and 2024. So, what was life on the road like during the Stadium Tour for Joe Elliott. Apparently, not bad at all according to this behind the scenes video of Joe Elliott’s tour bus.
Thanks for the tour Joe, and we look forward to seeing you again live in the states in 2024!
On November 24, 1983, Jim Carrey made his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. When Carrey first came out, his impressions of people doing impressions of other people was so complex and incredible. How he was able to contort his face on demand was simply incredible.
Enjoy this look back at Jim Carrey’s first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1983!
Jim Carrey on The Tonight Show through the Years:
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!
