My 80s Playlist

14 Songs from an angsty adolescence

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

In 1980s Ireland and UK, we were reactionary and angsty. Although the music was sometimes upbeat, it also reflected our high unemployment rates and a dissatisfaction with the materialism of Reaganism and Thatcherism. In 1982, UK unemployment hit 12.1% (over 3 million people), a post-war high that inspired the themes of disaffection in songs by The Specials, Billy Bragg, and Tears for Fears. There were race riots in the UK after a black mother was shot and paralyzed during a police raid on her home in the mistaken belief she was harbouring her son. In Ireland, unemployment peaked at 17%.

Deciding what to omit was a trial by listicle.

These tracks are the songs I played to death on vinyl and cassette. They are not necessarily the ones I would rate today, but the ones I loved as a teenager. I wavered between music that made me dance, music that made me think and music that washed over me.

14. Public Enemy — Fight the Power

I first came across this in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. Seeing them live at Reading was a letdown, like being lectured by a schoolteacher. Didn’t stop me loving the song.

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13. Nena — 99 Red Balloons

I bought this in Germany during a 1983 student exchange. The Wall was still up, and the Cold War simmered on. All the boys lusted after Nena, and all the girls wanted to be her. I loved the B-side, which was called, ‘Ich bleib’ im Bett’. (I’m staying in bed)

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12. Pigbag — Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag

This was during my ska phase. An instrumental that bridged the gap between ska and funk, the heavy bassline and a sharp brass section get me bouncing around the room every time.

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11. The Selecter — On My Radio

Not many women were fronting ska bands. It had reggae undertones with a ska beat and a cool two-tone album cover.

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10. The Specials — Ghost Town

Terry Hall was behind some fabulous 80s songs. Ghost Town has stood the test of time with its portrayal of urban decay. It’s haunting and perfectly composed, and is as relevant today as it was back then.

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9. The Colourfield — Thinking of You

Terry Hall again, this is a simple, perfect song. It’s a sweet, innocent duet about ups and downs of friendship.

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8. Billy Bragg — A New England

Billy Bragg wrote it. Kirsty MacColl made it a hit. Dreams and ideological alliances slip in a personal search for love. The lyric, “I saw two shooting stars last night, I wished on them, but they were only satellites,” sums up the emotion. He writes on Substack. This is the MacColl version.

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7. The Fall — Hit The North

Mark E. Smith was notorious for being difficult and uncompromising. He refused to let record labels dictate his art and changed labels when they wanted the band to produce fewer albums.

He stood behind me at a bar before one of his gigs, and I froze. A friend was dreading his phone interview with Smith. He must have got him on a good day. He said he was one of the wittiest people he had ever interviewed.

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6. The Jam — Start!

I love the crashing opening. In an era notorious for the long. fade-out, The Jam finished with an abrupt ending. Paul Weller went jazzy later. His Mod phase is better. There were other contenders from the Jam, but this is the one I played a lot.

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5. Pixies — Debaser

That strong, grungy bass riff is instantly recognisable. You can’t separate the woman I am today from the Pixies girl I was.

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4. Pet Shop Boys — Always on My Mind

Neil Tennant’s voice is mellifluous and distinctive. They did smart pop well and owned Willie Nelson’s classic while maintaining the song’s integrity. The mark of their quality is that they have become more synonymous with the song than Elvis Presley (to whom it was a tribute) or Nelson. Suburbia was also in the running.

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3. Tears for Fears — Shout

Underlying the firm refrain is a complex sequence of key changes and time signatures. It’s a song about protest and making your voice heard. I saw them being interviewed. They were only in their early twenties when they wrote these tracks and had bought into primal scream psychology, blaming their parents for all their ills.

My mother took me to the beach where they filmed a couple of times when we used to visit my grandmother in Bristol.

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2. The Jesus and Mary Chain — April Skies

In 1987, I bought my first car and this tape was played weekly. It was shoegaze, inspired by The Velvet Underground, and a precursor to emo. A distorted wall of sound was meant to wash over you in a trance. It’s strange that I listened to a lot of druggie and S&M music, when I was never into either.

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1. David Bowie — Ashes to Ashes

I discovered Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust first through friends with older siblings. I only noticed my mother had different coloured eyes after he was pinned to my wardrobe. This is the only one of his 80s songs I love. It’s a song about coming through heroin addiction. Major Tom was the character he invented to represent his addiction.

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What songs did you play to the saturation point in your youth? Would you like to write a list for us?

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