Why the 80s was the worst decade for music

By Madeline Harding

80s music signifies a temporary demise in creativity and the triumph of mainstream culture. Preceding decades’ music scenes seemed to be dominated by their day’s subcultural movements; when I imagine the 60s, I think of hippies and beatniks swaying in “strawberry fields forever”. Or when I imagine the 70s, I think of punk rockers head-banging in city basements, denouncing the government and preaching anarchism. However, when I  imagine the 80s, I think of a return to conformity and the dominance of “pop”. It was as if musicians no longer attempted to drive change, but were driven by it, and this was no good thing considering that the far-right Reagan and Thatcher reigned supreme in the US  and UK respectively for essentially the decade’s entirety. 

Admittedly, there are some exceptions like ‘The Cure’ and ‘Echo and the Bunnymen’, but on the whole, the raw punk rock music of the 70s morphed into the New Wave of the 80s with punk’s more “rocky” aspects giving way to the tinny sounds of synth-pop. This is not only disappointing on the superficial level that I prefer the more rough-edged sounds of rock, but also that “punk” music has lost its grit, and indeed its soul; by aligning itself more with “pop” (aka. “popular music”), its beauty as a medium for the expression of rebellion and scorn for the mainstream was lost. 

Not only did punk suffer, but folk and country suffered as well, with the likes of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash achieving nowhere near the same success they had enjoyed in earlier decades. The industry had had its way with them, and they no longer conformed to what was “in” and so were cast off to fade into relative obscurity (at least for a while). Their stripped-back acoustic melodies and lyrical prowess were out of favour in the face of new musical instrumentation, like synthesisers. However, due to these synths being a relatively new technology, they produced a pretty poor tonal quality that is quite frankly unpleasant to the ear. 

It was as if  musicians no longer attempted to drive change, but were driven by it

Music had lost its humanity being saturated in synths, reverb, and overproduced drums and vocals. It was now common for artists to perform and record using “click tracks”,  confining them to a strict beat. In turn, the opportunity for creative license was suppressed as artists could no longer play with tempo as they saw fit so as to be more expressive; they were now bound to a rhythm they could not deviate from. 

Even powerhouses of creativity like Bowie (a personal favourite) succumbed to the gratingly repetitive drum beats of 80s pop. Subsequently, even what I consider his best album of the decade, Let’s Dance (1983), pales in comparison to his more experimental work during the 60s and 70s with his self-titled LP, Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy  Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Heroes to name just a few. 

The advent of MTV in 1981 is another factor contributing to the decline in music quality; the success of an artist depended less on their sound and more on their image as music videos became integral marketing tools. It became less a game of who could write the best songs, and more one of who could be the best brand and play into the superficiality of consumerist culture. MTV was also the impetus for the rise in one-hit-wonders with ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ by The Buggles, ‘Take On Me’ by a-ha, and ‘Tainted Love’ by Soft Cell, achieving notoriety largely on the basis of their striking music videos, while the rest of these artists’ discographies were essentially neglected.

Moreover, on a purely superficial level, this focus on imagery and aesthetics is particularly disappointing considering the gaudiness and garishness of the time’s trends; there was all too much neon, spandex, and athleisure for my comfort. 

On the whole, I find 80s music to be relatively vapid and lacking in heart

Nevertheless, in an effort to not seem like an absolute grouch, I do want to pay heed to one artist whose creativity I think was unshaken by the consumerist pressures of the decade, and that is Kate Bush. This is to the credit of her deeply strong sense of self and strangeness that makes her almost impossible to tether down and conform. Her daring is evidenced not only by her whacky aesthetics rooted in niche influences such as kabuki (a form of Japanese theatre), as sported with her makeup look on the Hounds of Love album cover, but also in her eerily weird vocals that evoke airs of whimsy and mysticism. This creativity carries through to her lyrics; even her hit songs have pretty obscure conceptual meanings with ‘Babooshka’ for example detailing the plight of a woman who wants to test the loyalties of her husband, an idea not particularly geared towards the pursuit of widespread notoriety. I also enjoy her playful approach to music-making as shown with her sampling her own flatulence on her tracks, which is just pretty funny. 

Therefore, the 80s is by no means a write-off as some of my favourite, and who I consider to be among the most creative artists’ careers reached their zenith during this decade.  However, on the whole, I find 80s music to be relatively vapid and lacking in heart. 

Image credit: John Carder Bush