TV Shows

This article is a work in progress…

Shows I recommend:

HBO Max – Hacks, The Pitt,

Hulu – This is US

Peacock – Monk,

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The 1980’s was the absolute best decade in my life. The music was just amazing and defined the decade. The record that started the 80’s in my mind was Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall. Released in August 10, 1979 the record just blew up and could be heard on every boom box on the high school campus. The concert is still etched in my mind since it was the first concert I went to unsupervised. It was the at the Oakland Coliseum. I paid a scalper $20 for ground floor seats. Still one of the best concerts ever!

Music genres: Modern Rock was one of the best new sounds. Regatta de blanc – The Police rocked my world. I saw there concert Feb 12, 1982 at the Cow Palace. The Fleshtones opened for them. One of the best all time concerts ever.

Music Videos: During the 80’s I was living in poverty so I didn’t have a color television or cable so I couldn’t watch MTV. I’m so thankful for youtube so I get to see everything I missed! Some videos that defined this decade that you should see are:

  1. Thriller – Michael Jackson
  2. Beat it – Michael Jackson
  3. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
  4. Prince
  5. Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel
  6. Take On Me – A-ha
  7. Footloose – Kenny Loggins
  8. Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen
  9. Manic Monday – The Bangles but Prince actually wrote this song!
  10. We Got the Beat – The Go Go’s
  11. Our Lips Are Sealed – The Go Go’s

Who else?

  1. Primary:
  2. Pat Benatar
  3. The Cars
  4. Roam – B-52’s
  5. Culture Club ( I just saw Boy George in Sept 2017! He’s still amazing!)
  6. Wham
  7. Janet Jackson
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Madonna
  10. MC Hammer Remember those pants! Mall story
  11. Thompson Twins
  12. Tears for Fears
  13. Crowded House
  14. Tom Petty
  15. Whitney Houston
  16. Rick Astley – OMG, he’s making a comeback at 50+ years old!
  17. Traveling Wilburys – Though I don’t connect these guys with the 80’s, they dropped in the late 80s. I think I saw these guys at the Shoreline, but don’t remember… Sadly Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roy Orbison have all passed away.
  18. Heart of Glass – Blondie

I didn’t really like these guys much but they were still a part of this decade:

  1. Africa – Toto. I got so sick of this song. It got so much airplay in the 80’s and I didn’t even like this song. Uggghhh…
  2. Billy Joel

One hit wonders But better than a no hit nobody… They may have had more than one one hit so email me if I missed this. Still, this is all I remember from the 30 years ago…

  1. Come on Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
  2. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
  3. I think we’re alone now – Tiffany. She sang concerts in malls.

A joke, but still significant I suppose:

  1. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice.
  2. Milli Vanilli – They won a grammy, but were revealed to have lip sync’d everything and didn’t actually sing one song! They had to give the grammy back.

Movies and the soundtracks also defined the 80’s.

Oddly I didn’t see any of these movies in the theater except for Fame and Beverly Hills Cop.

  1. Breakfast Club
  2. Footloose: Kenny Logins – Footloose, though this seemed a little too country and I wasn’t into it at the time. Still, the movie was a major part of the 80’s as was
  3. Flashdance: Irene Cara – What a Feeling, Jennifer Beals is in a new TV show! I actually don’t like this song all that much but the movie and song are an integral part of the 80’s as is She’s a Manic from the same movie.
  4. Dirty Dancing
  5. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
  6. Fame: Though I can’t remember any songs coming from this movie
  7. Purple Rain 1984
  8. Beverly Hills Cop