According to a Music Choice poll, the most favored music decade among listeners is the 1980s. A decade of great change in the industry, the ’80s saw a wholesale rise in the use of digital recording including the introduction of digital synthesizers, drum machines and samplers; some have called it the beginning of the era of over-produced music.  Various new, related styles, genres and subgenres emerged- EDM (electronic dance music) and synth pop, for example.

         The ’80s was the decade of the boombox with its two large speakers, heavy bass, a radio tuner, and a slot for one, and sometimes two, cassette tapes. This of course led to the rise of the mixtape with consumers creating their own customized playlists something that, reportedly, alarmed record companies. The boombox and the mixtape also played a not insignificant role in the rise of hip-hop which had been around since ’73, but began to break into the mainstream during the ’80s. The ’80s was also the decade of the Sony Walkman (of course there were other brands as well) which further pushed the cassette tape ahead of vinyl in terms of popularity. However, with the introduction of CDs around ’82, the heavily promoted new technology had surpassed both vinyl and cassettes in popularity by ’89, and in the ’90s both the boombox and the Walkman would fall from favor.

         Another huge development was the rise of MTV which debuted in 1981 with The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” whose title wasn’t far from the mark as visual presentation, increasingly, became as or more important than the music itself. An artist’s appearance and the ability to pay for the production of expensive videos often determined whose music the public would get to hear.

         Rock continued to be the dominant genre, though there was a dizzying array of subgenres, from new wave to hair metal. Among the most popular rock acts were the reggae tinged Police; the hard edged AC/DC; Ireland’s U2; alternative favorites R.E.M.; Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Queen (with their legendary Live Aid performance), and the rise of Guns N’ Roses and Metallica.

         LL Cool J and Run DMC were the biggest breakthrough hip-hop acts, though late in the decade we saw the emergence of the Beastie Boys, the in-your-face gangsta rappers N.W.A. and the politically themed Public Enemy. The biggest names in country were Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and the band Alabama.

         The ’80s also saw the emergence of Genesis drummer Phil Collins as a popular crooner; Lionel Richie as a best-selling love balladeer; the Philly pop-soul duo, Daryl Hall & John Oates; the quirky Cyndi Lauper; Janet Jackson as an R&B force; England’s George Michael who stepped out from Wham!; even ’70s giants Stevie Wonder and David Bowie had their ’80s moments. However, five artists can truly be seen as the face of ’80s popular music- Madonna, the singer/songwriter/dancer with a genius for reinvention; Whitney Houston, one of the great vocalists in pop music history; Bruce Springsteen who rose to the top of the rock heap with Born in the U.S.A.; Prince, the insanely talented rock/R&B/pop auteur; and, of course, Michael Jackson, music’s biggest superstar since Elvis and The Beatles.

            -Steve Williams (9/4/23) Greatest Recording Artists Blog Post #42