Music

Music in the 1980s was all about image and with the advent and popularity of MTV, the images that accompanied artists became more important than ever.

The first music video to be played on the channel was, appropriately, the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," as music would forever change and the focus would shift from music and lyrics to fashion and theatrics, at least in the world of pop music. 

The 1980s were a time where individuals had influences from pop music superstars like Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and Madonna. This was mixed with the rise of electronic music that was fun to dance to along with hip-hop, rap, synth-pop, new wave, and not to mention hair metal that all became influential.

Bands

The Smiths are one of RYM's most beloved groups. were based around the unlikely partnership of singer-lyricist Morrissey, a reclusive bookworm inspired as much by Oscar Wilde as by his glam-rock heroes the New York Dolls, and budding guitar hero Marr.

Tears for Fears were always more ambitious than the average synth pop group. From the beginning, the duo of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were tackling big subjects -- their very name derived from Arthur Janov's primal scream therapy, and his theories were evident throughout their debut, The Hurting.

Talking Heads, American art rock band that was popular in the late 1970s and '80s. They choice of Brian Eno as producer affirmed their commitment to creative growth. With increasing confidence, ambition, and success, the group gathered rhythmic and textural elements into such potent inventions as the African-inflected

Hair Metal had its roots in the 1970s Glam Rock. Popular bands in the genre often came from the L.A. Sunset Strip music scene and the United Kingdom. Hair metal bands would pull influences from heavy metal, punk rock, and traditional rock music to develop their sound.

Hip-hop was a growing force in other cities than just New York in the early 1980's, and film was a valuable part of the growth. While raps heard on records were rarely improvised, free-style rapping became popular on the streets and at parties. Frequent battle rapper and famous hip-hop artist Kool Moe Dee compared freestyle rappers to jazz soloists.

In November 1986, it emerged that the White House had secretly sold arms to Iran in an effort to win the freedom of U.S. On the domestic front, Reagan's economic policies initially proved less successful than its partisans had hoped, particularly when it came to a key tenet of the plan: balancing the budget.

The 1980s was also the heyday of the teen movie. Films like "The Breakfast Club," "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Pretty in Pink" are still popular today.Rap artists such as Public Enemy channeled the frustration of urban African Americans into their powerful album "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back."  

One trend in pop music during this decade was the re-emergence of older musicians who had once been popular as a part of a group or duo into their own solo careers. Some examples include Diana Ross, Cher, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney.

Take on me

A-ha wrote and recorded the first version of this song in 1982 with the title "Lesson One". It had different lyrics but contained the basic keyboard riff.

Sweet Child O' Mine

The lyrics came from a poem Axl Rose was working on. He wrote the song about his girlfriend. It was released in 1987.

All Night Long

Richie wrote the song himself and released it in 1983 as the lead single from his second solo album, Can't Slow Down.