There are many, many songs that get produced in the span of a year. Many of them are forgettable junk, of course, then there are those that become our favorites. But there is also a third, strange category of guilty pleasure songs: songs that are not the best, but we love them anyway just because.
Maybe they conjure an emotion or a memory from a better time, they are a great tune to jam out to, or were just to popular at the time to truly engage with properly. Whatever the reason, these beasties do exist and I have my own guilty pleasure playlist like most other music fans of the New Wave era. Here are some from my playlist in no particular order.
1. The Tubes “Talk To Ya Later” (1981)
Never was a very big fan of The Tubes or their major hit “She’s a Beauty” (which now sounds much better in comparison to modern ‘music’), but this one is just fun. Crank it up to 11 and enjoy the politically incorrectness of it all!
2. Sammy Hagar “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” (1983)
More of a synth pop and New Wave guy, I came onto the Sammy Hagar scene much later than most. That is a shame. Some of his songs like “I Can’t Drive 55” and “There’s Only One Way To Rock” have grown on me a LOT since the 80s ended and we won’t even get started on “Heavy Metal”. Great stuff!
3. Chaka Khan “I Feel For You” (1984)
On a completely different vibe, there was the effervescent and all-too-familiar “I Feel For You” by Chaka Khan (featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel on the rapping duties, if memory serves). From the album of the same name, I hated this track when it came out because it was played to death. But, I have grown to like it a lot more in recent years. Just good fun!
4. R.E.M. “Stand” (1989)
From the pumping organ intro to the nonsensical and repetitive lyrics, this one is an earworm that begs to be sung along to… loudly! Off their album Green, this track was played on the radio A LOT during the end of the 80s decade. Still fun today. Enjoy!
1. Limahl “Never Ending Story” (1984)
Now here is a song that only had limited popularity during the 80s, but has become a much more prominent tune in recent years (oddly enough). From Limahl’s solo album Don’t Suppose, this featured great vocals (of course!) and an unforgettable synth pop arrangement from the legendary Giorgio Moroder. I was always a fan of this one, but now I can sing it out loud and not get goofy looks from people. Well… I might still get goofy looks.
Disclaimer of Upfrontness
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