Justin Yonker

Mrs. Cramer

Comp Pd. 6

14 April 2022

Why The 80’s Were the Best Decade for Music

Popular music has gone through so much change in recent decades. There is no doubt that
at one time you have asked yourself “What is the best decade for music?” or “When was music
at it’s peak?” Well, in my opinion that would be the 1980s. The decade known for big hair and
Reagan-omics brought us some of the most unforgettable pop songs of the last century. The
excess of the decade proved to be the perfect breeding ground for the seeds of Rock and Pop
music that had been planted in the 50’s and 60’s, allowing the genres to grow to unprecedented
heights, along with the introduction of Hip/Hop into popular culture. Sure, it could be argued by
some that 90’s grunge or 70’s folk and disco could reign superior, but I can ensure that by the
time you get to my concluding paragraph you will be back to singing “Like a Virgin” at the top
of your lungs. First, let's go through what makes the decade stand out amongst the rest.
1980, Former film star Ronald Reagan is elected 40th President of the United States, with
him he brings his former Hollywood Starlet Wife Nancy, and plans for an America that he felt,
had been lost in the counterculture of the 60’s and 70’s. The first thing on the to-do list for
Reagan is to implement lower taxes on wealthier people and big corporations, an idea referred to
as “Trickle-Down Economics” or “Reagan-omics”, a relic of Depression-era policies. This in
turn leads to a period of unprecedented economic growth in the United States. This period of
growth lead to a feeling of hope among Americans

The first reason would be the economic growth lead by the Reagan administration
leading to a reinvigorated middle class with money to burn.
The second would be the excitement of the first of the music videos and the introduction
of MTV.
On August 1st, 1981 Tom Freston and Robert Pittman found MTV, Music Videos had
been used before by artists such as The Beatles. There had even been a Music Video TV station
created in 1974, but it was MTV who captured America’s attention with the help of hooks from
the biggest names in Rock and Pop music. The premise of “MTV” was originally airing a 24-
hour cycle of music videos to songs that are currently popular. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
became the video most synonymous with the time, noted for it’s outrageous budget and elaborate
plot, the video’s repeated playing on MTV is credited with making it the best-selling-album of
all time. Another example of MTV bringing artists to new heights is Madonna. Born as just a girl
in Detroit, Madonna Ciccone, with the help of her sexual humor and knack for making
controversial music videos, will become the best-selling female artist of all time. Madonna’s
music video for “Like A Prayer” is infamous for the controversy it caused Cola-war era Suburbia
because of the racial issues, taboo topics and Madonna’s “blatant” sexuality depicted it the video.
MTV and music videos reaching their peak popularity is often cited as a reason for why the
1980’s had the best of popular music.
The third would be influences from

To Conclude, The 1980s were a time plagued with difficulties just as any other decade, the AIDS

crisis, Financial Problems, the Cold War

Works Cited

Buchanan, Ian. "Deleuze and popular music, or, why is there so much 80s music on the Radio

today?" Deleuze and popular music, or, why is there so much 80s music on the Radio

today? Taylor and Francis online,

www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10350339709360379. Accessed 24 Mar. 2022.

Harrison, Thomas R. "Music of the 1980s." Music of the 1980's, pp. 1-33,

books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cO-

f8SMcQCYC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=80s+pop+music&ots=gBAQ0-

o7wF&sig=WrtVosLhmnpTcINubOy0PFZxw2I#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed 24

Mar. 2022.

Movingtheriver.com. 1 July 2015, movingtheriver.com/2015/01/07/12-reasons-why-the-80s-

were-the-greatest-ever-music-decade/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2022.

www.cmuse.org. 29 May 2020, www.cmuse.org/why-is-80s-music-so-good/. Accessed 24 Mar.

2022.