The decade of the 80s was a time where technology was at its peak, and music producers were able to experiment with new things. From new instrumentation to the advent of music videos, many artists pushed the limits of what was possible with their music.
Synthpop was hugely popular in the 1980s, and bands such as The Human League used synthesizers and drum machines to create their amazing sounds that were still very popular in modern day. Songs such as ‘Don’t You Want Me Baby’ are classics of this genre and show just how incredible music can be produced in the 80s.
Ska was another style that entered the charts during this time and saw massive success from bands such as The Specials. Bands such as The Specials would use their music to express the social issues that were happening at the time and this helped them achieve a massive following.
Alternative Rock was also popular in this era and many of the best bands such as The Replacements, Husker Du and R.E.M became hugely successful. These groups used new music production techniques and they influenced many other music genres such as Grunge which would later become the biggest trend in the 1990s.
Dance and Pop were other important styles of music that emerged in this era with many of the top songwriters of the 80s becoming famous from these genres. Some of the top names in this era were Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson and Donna Summer.
British bands such as The Cure, The Fall and Siouxsie And The Banshees began experimenting with an experimental sound that was based around synthesizers and electronic music. Other British bands such as The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine and Joy Division also embraced this style.
In the UK the 80s was a time where new bands were emerging, many of them using synthesizers and drum machines to help them create their unique sounds. Songs such as ‘Falling In Love With You’ by the Human League are just some of the incredible songs that were written during this time and are still very popular today.
Americana was another popular trend during the 80s and bands such as Elvis Costello, The Cowboy Junkies and R.E.M were all very popular during this era and had some very well known hits. These bands all had a very distinct style and this made them stand out from the rest of the music industry.
The 80s was a time where the boundaries of music were broken and it was not only popular in the UK but it was also very popular across the world. It was a time where the boundary between music and video was blurred and it was not uncommon for bands to do music videos in order to attract fans.
One of the most influential musicians during this era was Prince who became an iconic figure in the 80s and it was a time where people could go all out with their music, showing their true self through their performances and this was a big factor in this era. He was an artist that wowed people with his costumes and his synchronized backup dancers and this made him a huge star in the 1980s and his popularity never died down.