BY NADIA GERASSIMENKO
I love all music, but if I'd have to choose a favorite decade in the music scene, it would undoubtedly be the 80s—a time I wish I was transported to right now. My heart skips a beat whenever a new wave song comes on the radio, my whole body boils with passion and energy when I hear an 80s album remixed beautifully. And so, I created a list—albeit abridged—of some of my beloved musical artists with lesser known songs from the '80s that are nonetheless deliciously tuneful and timeless, with a bit of a background on my favorite genres—gothic rock and new wave.
Gothic Rock
Gothic rock music in the early 80s was characterized as gloomy, mystical, strange, cryptic, and personal. Unlike the Punk bands in the mid-70s who were outwardly rebelling and raging against the status quo, Gothic Rock musical artists were at the other side of the spectrum focusing more on introspection, reserved non-conformism, and even romanticism later on. Sonically, Gothic Rock bands tended to employ rhythmic tribal drumming, jangly and scything guitar patterns, high bass lines, and cold synthesizers. They were minimalistic in use and complexity of instrumentation otherwise. The singing style varied from deep and monotonous vocals to high-pitched and animalistic screeches and wails; had a melodramatic and theatrical tone to it; and occasionally incorporated whispers, chants, and echoes. Here are a few lesser popular songs I find absolutely enthralling by prominent artists who either served as proto-goths, were movers, or had the right sound in the gothic rock scene at the time.
The Bolshoi – Foxes
Known for: Away, Sunday Morning, Happy Boy, and T.V. Man
Memorable lyrics:
And I saw for a moment in a wrap-around smile
A strange kind of passion with an animal's guile
You may also like: Flesh For Lulu and Balaam and the Angel
Siouxie and the Banshees – Spellbound
Known for: Cities in Dust, Peek-A-Boo, Kiss Them For Me, and The Killing Jar
Memorable lyrics:
And don't forget
When your elders forget
To say their prayers
Take them by the legs
And throw them down the stairs
You may also like: Xmal Deutschland and Lene Lovich
The Sisters of Mercy – Alice
Known for: Lucretia My Reflection, Temple of Love, This Corrosion, and Walk Away
Memorable lyrics:
Alice in her party dress
She thanks you kindly
So serene
She needs you like she needs her tranqs
To tell her that the world is clean
You may also like: Rosetta Stone, The Mission, and The 69 Eyes
Gene Loves Jezebel – Beyond Doubt
Known for: Desire, Motion of Love, Heartache, and Jealous
Memorable lyrics:
Living day by day
We're dodging in and out
Tell me where we're going to
Put it beyond all doubt
You may also like: Killing Joke, Theatre of Hate, and The March Violets
Viktor Tsoy I Gruppa Kino – Spokoynaya Noch (Good Night)
Known for: Zvezda Po Imeni Solntse (A Star Called Sun), Kukushka (Cuckoo), Gruppa Krovi (Blood Type), and Pachka Sigaret (Pack of Cigarettes)
Memorable lyrics:
Соседи приходят, им слышится стук копыт / The neighbors come, they hear the pounding hooves
Мешает уснуть, тревожет их сон / Troubling their dreams, it won't let them sleep
Те, кому нечего ждать, отправляются в путь / Those with nothing to wait for set out on their way
Те, кто спасен, те, кто спасен / Those who are saved, who have been saved
You may also like: Nautilus Pompilius, Igor Talkov, and Anastasia Prihodko
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New Wave
New Wave musicians initially tied themselves to the same spirit exerted in the Punk Rock movement in the 70s: the idea of anyone being able to start a musical group; feelings of anti-corporatism and anti-governementalism; and animosity for constrained musical trends at the time. On the other hand, New Wave music differed from Punk Rock in that it wasn’t as raw, abrasive, guitar-laden, and political in musicality. On the contrary, New Wave’s musical content was diverse, experimental, and melodious, making it more acceptable in the mainstream, meanwhile its musical production was complex, modern, even futuristic. In terms of instrumentation, some of New Wave bands relied heavily on synthesizers and drum machines, while others still used original instruments in their repertoires. Sonically, New Wave music sounded upbeat, jumpy, and fast-paced, with nervous, geeky, and high-pitched vocals, but all in all, tuneful, catchy, and danceable. The following musical artists have undoubtedly left their mark in the New Wave movement as they have in my heart. The songs below are lesser known by them, but are still unique, melodic, and new wavy.
a-ha – The Blood That Moves The Body
Known for: Take on Me, The Sun Always Shines on TV, Summer Moved On, and Hunting High and Low
Memorable lyrics:
Red stains on eyes of a blue dog
My pains fade as the interiors fog
The blood that moves my body
Now colors the ground
You may also like: Alphaville and A Flock of Seagulls
Falco – Garbo
Known for: Der Kommissar, Rock Me Amadeus, Jeanny, and Vienna Calling
Memorable lyrics:
She didn't talk to the press
She couldn't care less
She didn't even answer the phone
She said on one occasion
Without persuasion
I want to be left alone
You may also like: Nena and The Fixx
Simple Minds – Glittering Prize
Known for: Don't You (Forget About Me), Promised You a Miracle, Alive and Kicking, and Waterfront
Memorable lyrics:
Like a glittering prize
I saw up on a clear day
First taking hearts
Then our last breath away
You may also like: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Spandau Ballet
Erasure – Crown Of Thorns
Known for: Love to Hate You, Always, Sometimes, and A Little Respect
Memorable lyrics:
And here we stand
In old England's land
The rose is choked by its thorn
She will cast salt for your wound
Old England wears no crown
You may also like: Information Society, Eurythmics, and Depeche Mode
Dead or Alive – Then There Was You
Known for: You Spin Me Round, Brand New Lover, That’s the Way (I Like It), and My Heart Goes Bang
Memorable lyrics:
I had money
Enough to burn
So why did I still sing the blues
When suddenly
Then there was you
You may also like: Duran Duran, The Human League, and Divine
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Other
The following are several honorable mentions that don't quite typically fit into my favorite musical genres above. However, they were important artists in the 80s (or at least, I’d like to think so), whatever their musical style and wherever they were located and popularized afterwards. Again, I tease you with songs that are stunning and moving, but not necessarily as well-known.
Billy Idol – World’s Forgotten Boy
Known for: Rebel Yell, Dancing With Myself, Eyes Without A Face, and White Wedding
Memorable lyrics:
The road is long and it lingers on
But my eyes are dim, my breath is weak
And tears stain my filthy cheeks
You may also like: The Cult, Joan Jett, and Midnight Oil
Kate Bush – Night of the Swallow
Known for: Running Up That Hill, Wuthering Heights, Hounds of Love, and Babooshka
Memorable lyrics:
In Malta, catch a swallow
For all of the guilty to let them free
Wings fill the window
And they beat and bleed
They hold the sky on the other side
Of borderlines
You may also like: Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, and Björk
Hall & Oates – Rockability
Known for: Private Eyes, I Can't Go for That, Maneater, and Rich Girl
Memorable lyrics:
She makes me lose control
Oh no when she moves, I wanna fall under her spell
It breaks me down
She knows but she won't tell
(Ooh tell her, I'm the one)
You may also like: Steve Winwood and Simply Red
Scorpions – When The Smoke Is Going Down
Known for: Wind of Change, Still Loving You, Rock You Like a Hurricane, and No One Like You
Memorable lyrics:
This is the place where I belong
I really love to turn you on
I've got your sound still in my ear
While your traces disappear
You may also like: Europe, Whitesnake, and Alice Cooper
C. C. Catch – Can’t Catch Me
Known for: Strangers by Night, Cause You Are Young, I Can Lose My Heart Tonight, and Heaven and Hell
Memorable lyrics:
Give me what I want
Just give me healing
Open up inside
And show your feelings
You may also like: Blue System and Modern Talking
Nadia Gerassimenko is the assistant editor at Luna Luna Magazine by day, a moonchild and poet by night. Nadia self-published her first poetry collection "Moonchild Dreams" (2015) and hopes to republish it traditionally. She's currently working on her second chapbook, "at the water's edge." Visit her at tepidautumn.net or tweet her at @tepidautumn.