Which country dominated the music scene in the 80s? Poll included

UK may have had more one hit wonders . . .. . .

Rocket River

 

Canada

 

british bands who wear make-up and ladies clothes are much better than american bands who wear make-up and wear ladies clothes.

 

I've been thinking about this and as @jo mama said, it's subjective, which comes from your demographic, both age and socioeconomic.

I voted UK but this list shows us the top 10 songs each year skewed towards the US, with the 'rock' sound decreasing as the decade went on.

Top Ten Rock Songs of 1980
Click links below
for Top 100 lists.
1. Call Me - Blondie
2. Celebration - Kool & The Gang
3. Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
4. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
5. Whip It - Devo
6. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
7. Rapture - Blondie
8. Back In Black - AC/DC
9. The Breaks - Kurtis Blow
10. Once In a Lifetime - Talking Heads

100 Greatest Songs 1980
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1981
1. I Love Rock 'N' Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
2. Don't You Want Me? - Human League
3. Tainted Love - Soft Cell
4. Super Freak Part I - Rick James
5. Physical - Olivia Newton-John
6. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
7. In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins
8. Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
9. Our Lips Are Sealed - Go-Gos
10. Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield

100 Greatest Songs 1981
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1982
1. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
2. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
3. The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5
4. Beat It - Michael Jackson
5. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics
6. Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
7. 1999 - Prince
8. Rock the Casbah - Clash
9. Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
10. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club

100 Greatest Songs 1982
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1983
1. Every Breath You Take - Police
2. Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
3. Jump - Van Halen
4. Flashdance...What a Feeling - Irene Cara
5. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
6. Blue Monday - New Order
7. Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
8. Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
9. Let's Dance - David Bowie
10. Karma Chameleon - Culture Club

100 Greatest Songs 1983
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1984
1. When Doves Cry - Prince
2. Like a Virgin - Madonna
3. What's Love Got To Do With It? - Tina Turner
4. Born In the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
5. Purple Rain - Prince
6. Careless Whisper - Wham! feat. George Michael
7. Take On Me - A-Ha
8. The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
9. Let's Go Crazy - Prince
10. Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams

100 Greatest Songs 1984
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1985
1. Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
2. Into the Groove - Madonna
3. Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer
4. Word Up! - Cameo
5. How Will I Know? - Whitney Houston
6. Walk Like An Egyptian - Bangles
7. The Power of Love - Huey Lewis & The News
8. Everybody Wants To Rule the World - Tears For Fears
9. (Don't You) Forget About Me - Simple Minds
10. West End Girls (1985 version) - Pet Shop Boys

100 Greatest Songs 1985
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1986
1. Walk This Way - Run-D.M.C.
2. (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) - Beastie Boys
3. Kiss - Prince
4. Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
5. Nasty - Janet Jackson
6. Push It - Salt-N-Pepa
7. Papa Don't Preach - Madonna
8. Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel
9. Take My Breath Away - Berlin
10. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House

100 Greatest Songs 1986
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1987
1. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
2. With or Without You - U2
3. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
4. Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
5. Bad - Michael Jackson
6. Welcome To the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
7. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Whitney Houston
8. Faith - George Michael
9. It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - R.E.M.
10. Need You Tonight - INXS

100 Greatest Songs 1987
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1988
1. Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
2. One - Metallica
3. She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
4. Straight Up - Paula Abdul
5. My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
6. It Takes Two - Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
7. Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
8. Wild Thing - Tone-Loc
9. Parents Just Don’t Understand - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
10. **** Tha Police - N.W.A

100 Greatest Songs 1988
Top Ten Rock Songs of 1989
1. Like a Prayer - Madonna
2. Fight the Power - Public Enemy
3. Free Fallin' - Tom Petty
4. Love Shack - B-52s
5. Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic feat. Felly
6. Back To Life - Soul II Soul
7. Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode
8. Bust a Move - Young MC
9. Me, Myself, and I - De La Soul
10. Fool's Gold - Stone Roses

 

Why does it matter what socioeconomic situation one comes from?

Sidenote - The 80s have some great music.

 

Huh, never quite thought of it like this, but you're right.

 

Because it does.

" One particular cultural taste that varies with SES—musical likes and dislikes—offers a useful opportunity to examine possible overlap with smoking. Higher SES groups show attraction to high culture such as classical music and opera (Katz-Gerro, 1999; van Eijck, 2001) and to a wide variety of other genres that reflect their identity as cultural omnivores (Bryson, 1996; Peterson and Kern, 1996). Avant-garde music such as jazz and blues, despite its origins in the African-American community, has emerged since the 1950s as a high art form that also attracts highly educated devotees (Lopes, 2002). Lower SES groups show greater attraction to a fewer number of genres and more specifically to music with rural and working-class links, such as country and bluegrass. Youth-oriented and rebellious music such as heavy metal, rap, and reggae may likewise attract listeners from lower SES backgrounds."

 

exhibit A...


vs...

 

IMHO I believe both countries made excellent music during the 1980s.

@rocketsjudoka
@JuanValdez

 

Came here post that encapsulates not just the 80', but our entire history of music can be summarized as follows:


1756, Salzburg, January 27, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is born
1761, at the age of five Amadeus begins composing
1773, he writes his first piano concerto
1782, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart marries Constance Weber
1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart becomes a free mason
1791, Mozart composes "The Magic Flute"
On December 5th of that same year, Mozart dies
...
(bunch of irrelevant happenings)
...
1985, Austrian rock singer Falco records... Rock Me Amadeus!
1998, Falco dies.

(The end.)

 

That's amazing.

 

The correct answer is Australia..

 

nick cave and the birthday party too...


but i think yahoo serious might negate anything good that came out of australia in the 80's.

 

Good call on Nick Cave. I was getting him mixed up with Nick Lowe who isn't Australian.

 

Can't believe you left this out.