The 80s revival is a real thing, so real it has even been mentioned in the news. 80s bands have reformed and toured. 80s clubs and theme nights, musicals and websites are opening everywhere. 2nd hand record shop owners report a definite increase in sales of 80s artists. Even 80s fashion is reappearing. But how and when did it all start? With The Wedding Singer? With Culture Club's Rewind Tour of 2000? Is it all an elaborate scheme to sell more ra ra skirt?( ::) Likely!)
What do y'all think?

I think it started in the late ninety's. People where tired of 90's crappy music and depressing lifestyle and they started to miss the good old days or happy childhood. Maybe The Wedding singer was one of the launchers. Another one was Bon Jovi's It's my life in 2000 which was a dream come true for the Slippery When Wet fans like myself. 

I'd say by 1997, with the Spice Girls, Backstreets, and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion people became a bit more forgiving of the eighties.  Mind, there was still plenty of hate for em then and now too, but by then some people saw them in a more positive light. 

By 2000, when Internet became a part of life and 20 years ago meant 1980, they were officially a "retro" decade.  I rarely hear them referred to as "oldies" though.  It's always "retro" or "80s". 

As for when 80s revival made a mark on culture, I'd say 2004 when "Take Me Out" hit the airwaves.  Even the name of the songs sounds New Waveish.

^ Agree with pretty much all the above. I think 1997 was the first year of a semi 80's revival. Maybe a teenager who saw Romy & Michelle's HS Reunion would've thought, Oh, I guess they had some good stuff - besides, teens from the 80's still seem cool.

However, I don't think 2000-03 was very friendly to the 80's (1997-99 was like the mini revival, then it stalled, but it truly started cming back at the tail end of 2004 with 'nu wave' bands like Fritz Ferdinand & the Killers, as well as clothing styles getting a bit flashier again).

This brings up another point - how long do you think it'll last for? I hope for awhile. :) I'm not looking forward to 90's nostalgia, LOL! I'd presume 2008-10.

^ Agree with pretty much all the above. I think 1997 was the first year of a semi 80's revival. Maybe a teenager who saw Romy & Michelle's HS Reunion would've thought, Oh, I guess they had some good stuff - besides, teens from the 80's still seem cool.

However, I don't think 2000-03 was very friendly to the 80's (1997-99 was like the mini revival, then it stalled, but it truly started cming back at the tail end of 2004 with 'nu wave' bands like Fritz Ferdinand & the Killers, as well as clothing styles getting a bit flashier again).

This brings up another point - how long do you think it'll last for? I hope for awhile. :) I'm not looking forward to 90's nostalgia, LOL! I'd presume 2008-10.


Unfortunately, I think you're right about 2008-10.  These things tend to run in 20 year cycles.  Right before the 80s revival phase there was a 70s revival phase.  In the 80s, people were into the 60s again.

^ Good point. However, I wonder if it might take a teeny bit longer for 90's nostalgia to kick in because - unlike the "anti 80's" backlash in the 90's, there's no 90's backlash today. Things from the 90's are just slowly getting less popular/farther away, but the styles of today aren't that different than the late 90's.

I would think maybe closer to 2015 there'd be 90's nostalgia.

PS: It seems that the 60's became popular more at the end of the 80's and a little in the early 90's. I think someone in 1989 would think the 60's were cooler than someone in 1983.

I think the 60s revival started at least in the mid 80s, because I remember tie dye shirts when I was in Jr. high then (dating myself here!).

^ Yeah. Maybe 1987 was more like the beginning of when it was huge, although now that I think about it, maybe its roots were as far back as '85 or so.

I wonder if the comebacks of older artists had anything to do with the 60's revival?

Of course, there were veterans like Rod Stewart who kinda were always popular in the 80's, and on MTV - but some like Tina Turner, John Fogerty, Starship and the Grateful Dead were almost suddenly huge again out of nowhere. Same with Aerosmith, Neil Young and others, more at the end of the 80's.

I don't know if the 60s revival came about because of the 60s bands releasing new music or if it was the other way around.  I guess you can never really be sure though, can you?

Funnily enough, the 60s revival seemed to coinside with the 20th Aniversary edition of Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. ;)

Funnily enough, the 60s revival seemed to coinside with the 20th Aniversary edition of Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. ;)


Good point.

Let's not forget, the title track starts off by saying, "It was 20 years ago today, SGT Pepper taught the band to play." ;)

I always wondered about that - what did the band play in 1947? LOL.