Has anyone had any personal experience with this?

Most forms of '80s music seemed to have the wide-reaching appeal to where lots of people enjoyed it. However, doesn't it seem like there were slightly different fanbases overall? I didn't realize this until later on, because I had my own favorites at the time. I was pretty much at the mercy of what my parents or anyone I was with might've been listening to (i.e. babysitters), or what I heard in public places like malls, but I still got into quite a bit.

Quite a few older people seemed to like Hall and Oates from my memory. They had strong soul and R+B influences done over in an "early MTV era" pop/rock production style. From what I understand, new wave (especially darker stuff like The Cure) appealed to high schoolers. I could see someone like Claire from The Breakfast Club listening to that. Before Bon Jovi and others like them commercialized heavy metal, most anything like that seemed to be stuff the "burnouts" listened to, for lack of a better description. There were also edgier, sexual artists like Prince probably appealed to people in their late teens or 20s.

I also think it ought to be noted that fans of certain artists might like similar music that doesn't fit the same stereotype. For instance, people who were into "pure teenpop" like New Kids in 1989 or 1990 also tended to enjoy Richard Marx, Paula Abdul, or that period's Michael Jackson. Of course they're not teenpop artists per se, but have some influences in a toned down way. That slight crossover seemed to be pretty common at the time with pretty much everything.

P.S. I find it ironic that most of my personal favorite '80s music was stuff that older people would've probably been more into. ;) I'd also add Lionel Richie, Peter Cetera, Bruce Springsteen, that period's Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood and Starship into that category (I'm sure teens liked them too, but it probably wasn't their "favorite" stuff, comparitively speaking).

I can't say that I have personal experience with that, but I'd say your assessment sounds about right ;)

I can use my parents and grandparents as an example here though. My parents are actually younger than most people my age(they were both born in the '60s, and it seems like most '80s babies parents were born in the '50s or before), but because of that they are pure "eighties" people. My dad was born in 1964, so he was a bit on the older side of most '80s music. He mostly preferred music from the late '70s/early '80s, and probably up until about 1985, but he did like some hair metal, and some A/C from the later '80s and very early '90s as well. My mom on the other had, born in 1969, was like the ultimate '80s person. She first started getting into music in the early '80s, and was a huge fan of Micheal Jackson, Modanna, Prince etc. throught the '80s. She was too old for the teenybopper stuff from the late '80s, even though she did like a song here or there.

Even my grandparents(born in the '30s) liked some '80s music despite being in there '50s for at least part of the decade. Even if it was mostly the A/C stuff.

It would be interesting to find out what '80s songs your grandparents enjoyed (you were saying AC, so I'd imagine stuff like "Everytime You Go Away"). They're probably about my dad's age...a 1938er.

Actually, my parents parallel yours, although there's much more of an age difference between them. My mom was born in 1954 and was very into music as it was happening in the actual '80s. Almost as much as a teen would've been at the time, really. My dad wasn't as "hardcore" with buying albums and such, but definitely liked some of it enough to taperecord it or listen to it when it was on the radio. It was the more mature stuff, though...a mix of ballads and classic rock-esque stuff. Actually, some new wave had a pretty wide appeal as well, like "Karma Chameleon".

P.S. Isn't it interesting that back then, alot of people felt too old for certain pop music after about age 19 to 21? This is just a fascinating thing to me. Like, you were saying with your mom feeling slightly this way in the late '80s with teenpop. Even stuff like Bobby Brown and Paula Abdul might've been a little beyond someone that age, at least compared with the Junior High crowd. Oddly, although music has much less wide appeal now, it seems like people are hardcore fans of music in general at much older ages today.

Actually, my parents parallel yours, although there's much more of an age difference between them. My mom was born in 1954 and was very into music as it was happening in the actual '80s. Almost as much as a teen would've been at the time, really. My dad wasn't as "hardcore" with buying albums and such, but definitely liked some of it enough to taperecord it or listen to it when it was on the radio. It was the more mature stuff, though...a mix of ballads and classic rock-esque stuff. Actually, some new wave had a pretty wide appeal as well, like "Karma Chameleon".

P.S. Isn't it interesting that back then, alot of people felt too old for certain pop music after about age 19 to 21? This is just a fascinating thing to me. Like, you were saying with your mom feeling slightly this way in the late '80s with teenpop. Even stuff like Bobby Brown and Paula Abdul might've been a little beyond someone that age, at least compared with the Junior High crowd. Oddly, although music has much less wide appeal now, it seems like people are hardcore fans of music in general at much older ages today.



Yeah, that's true. I'm not really that much into popular music anymore, but I really like alot of late '90s/early '00s music, and a good bit of mid '00s music up until about 2006. This year and '06, I've mostly only liked a few new songs here or there. Would you agree that overall pop music was focused on people of an older age in the '80s? Like I've said my parents were still watching MTV into there 20s, but I'm in my 20s now and I haven't watched it regularly in years.

It just seems like it wouldn't be too unusual to see a 24 year old in 1987 still watching MTV, but today a 24 year old watching MTV would seem very out of place.


It would be interesting to find out what '80s songs your grandparents enjoyed (you were saying AC, so I'd imagine stuff like "Everytime You Go Away"). They're probably about my dad's age...a 1938er.



I don't know much about what they listened to in the '80s, but in the early '80s they liked more Christopher Cross type stuff(I know my grandma loves "Sailing"), and in the later '80s/early '90s it probably would've been more Micheal Bolton type stuff. The last song that they really liked when it came out was probably "How Do You Talk To An Angel" in like 1992 I think.

^My dad liked Christopher Cross in the early '80s as well, lol. I enjoy that sort of music myself too...even if it's a little corny, it's relaxing but catchy at the same time. His songs were still in common enough rotation on the radio later on, that I consider it to be my time, even if he and soft rock artists like that were technically already outdated by the time I had my first memories.

Yeah, I almost never listen to hit radio or watch the video channels. Even as early as 17 in 1998 or '99, I began feeling the slightest bit outmoded by pop culture, although not as much as now. My parents and other middle-aged adults watched MTV in the '80s too. Now even someone who's 21 would seem out of place with alot of that stuff, just because it so blatantly appeals to kids (and sometimes they don't even like it, lol). That's really a strong statement about pop culture, I think.

I agree 1980s music probably appealed in a hardcore way all the way from about 8 or 9 year old kids (sometimes younger even) up to people as old as their 40s. Centrally about 14-30 maybe.

^My dad liked Christopher Cross in the early '80s as well, lol. I enjoy that sort of music myself too...even if it's a little corny, it's relaxing but catchy at the same time. His songs were still in common enough rotation on the radio later on, that I consider it to be my time, even if he and soft rock artists like that were technically already outdated by the time I had my first memories.



I like him too. Even if I don't know too many songs by him other than "Sailing".


Yeah, I almost never listen to hit radio or watch the video channels. Even as early as 17 in 1998 or '99, I began feeling the slightest bit outmoded by pop culture, although not as much as now. My parents and other middle-aged adults watched MTV in the '80s too. Now even someone who's 21 would seem out of place with alot of that stuff, just because it so blatantly appeals to kids (and sometimes they don't even like it, lol). That's really a strong statement about pop culture, I think.

I agree 1980s music probably appealed in a hardcore way all the way from about 8 or 9 year old kids (sometimes younger even) up to people as old as their 40s. Centrally about 14-30 maybe.



Ever since I turned 18 back in 2005, I've started to become only slightly interested in current pop culture. Like sometimes I might hear a song on the radio I like, but I haven't bought a new album in over half a year. The truth is, I've felt "out of place" watching MTV ever since I was 18/19 starting maybe as early as 2004 when I was 17. I watched it religiously from about ages 11-15 or so, so that would be roughly 1998-2002. Now I'm starting to fell like i'm too old for most of what's on MTV, if this was, say 1987, I'm sure a 1967er would fell right at home watching a Whitesnake video.

Btw, I would agree that '80s music was probably focused on the 14-30 age group, with some appeal to people as old as there 40s, and perhaps as young as 7 or 8. Today, it seems like pop culture has shifted down to focus mainly on those about 9-17 or so.

I'm so glad that somebody made this thread because a lot of people don't realize that age and music lines up very well.  For instance, in the 1980 to 1987, RnB catered more to an older audience.  It was barely any RnB music that appealed to teenagers and children except Stacy Lattisaw, New Edition, and Janet Jackson, but on a whole, it was mostly adult contemporary like Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Stephanie Mills, Whitney Houston, Billy Ocean, Stevie Wonder, Kashif, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, Lionel Ritchie, Kool and the Gang, Melisa Morgan, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle and even Stacy Lattisaw.  RnB was too adultish in 1980-1987.  I mean, don't get me wrong.  I loved their music, but I was a child at the time, and I wanted to listen to something that's more youthful, more energetic, more vibrant, more FUN!!!!  Hip hop in the 80s appealed to the black youth.  People like Run DMC, The Fat Boys, Whodini, Salt n Pepa, Doug E. Fresh, Roxanne Shante, LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Kool Moe Dee and all the other hip hop groups that came out before 1987.  Then, in 1987, RnB was married to hip hop, thanks to Teddy Riley!!!!  Teddy Riley made RnB youthful by adding hip hop beats, raps, samples, with contemporary, gospelfied RnB singing on top of them.  It was called NEW JACK SWING!!!  New Jack Swing reached black folks of ALL ages.  New Jack Swing was the first form of RnB that had a lot of black prepubescent and pubescent artists such as Shanice, Tracie Spencer, The Boys, Hi-Five, Tevin Campbell, Another Bad Creation, etc.  I was born in 1977 so the majority of music I like the most are from the 1986-1999.  Once I hit 22 years old in 1999, that's when I started to feel a little more out of place.  Even though I liked some of the artists that came out after 1997-1999 like Destiny's Child, Mya, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, and Amerie, I find myself not listening to the radio like I used to back in the mid to late 80s and 90s unless it's adult contemporary.  Back in the late 80s and 90s, I used to have blank cassette tapes, and I would tape the songs that I liked from the radio.  That's how it was back then.  When 2000 hit, they are some songs that are not worth taping.  The only artists I listened to the most that appeal to an older audience right now are neo-soul  artists like Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Syleena Johnson, Blu Cantrell, and 70s, 80s, and 90s artists.

^ I must've missed your post before, but you know what's really ironic? That more adult-centered music was my favorite stuff as a kid, and largely still is.

Lionel was great, I always wanted to listen to him pretty much! Also, stuff like Phil Collins, The Cars, Hall and Oates, "Jump" by Van Halen, Michael Jackson, The Police, etc. I guess one reason I always gravitated so much towards that midtempo stuff is because it's catchy enough to make you feel good or want to dance, but it's also laid back enough to relax to. So it's like the best of both worlds.

It's hilarious that I liked "adult contemporary appealing music" when I was 5 without realizing it. ;D

It just seems like it wouldn't be too unusual to see a 24 year old in 1987 still watching MTV, but today a 24 year old watching MTV would seem very out of place.............................  i was 32 in 1987!  i and most of my friends of that age had been watching mtv and the newer vh1 for a few years! and loved it! i myself still have many video tapes full of music videos from 1983 up to the early 90's  after that as you all know both vh1 and mtv changed, they no longer show any music videos unless they have something to do with killing cops or shooting your mother! i do feel sorry for the younger kids these days!  i think nobody cares about the garbage they show  now, and should just  go off the air, i mean why do you call it music television when most of what your showing has NOTHING to do with music?  i am now 52 and when i want my mtv/vh1 fix i just put in a tape or dvd and watch commercial free videos from the clash to the fix to the cure from duran duran to madonna to joan jett to debbie gibson to banarama, and many many more!

It just seems like it wouldn't be too unusual to see a 24 year old in 1987 still watching MTV, but today a 24 year old watching MTV would seem very out of place.............................  i was 32 in 1987!  i and most of my friends of that age had been watching mtv and the newer vh1 for a few years! and loved it! i myself still have many video tapes full of music videos from 1983 up to the early 90's  after that as you all know both vh1 and mtv changed, they no longer show any music videos unless they have something to do with killing cops or shooting your mother! i do feel sorry for the younger kids these days!  i think nobody cares about the garbage they show  now, and should just  go off the air, i mean why do you call it music television when most of what your showing has NOTHING to do with music?  i am now 52 and when i want my mtv/vh1 fix i just put in a tape or dvd and watch commercial free videos from the clash to the fix to the cure from duran duran to madonna to joan jett to debbie gibson to banarama, and many many more!



VH1 Classics - although lately they have been having more shows and movies, kinda like when MTV shifted from videos to other programming (ie: Remote Control - Game Show), but VH1C still plays alot of videos.

Being 38, I was heavy into 80's music, starting in the early eighties with the "pop" music, Hall & Oates, REO Speedwagon, Journey and eventually becoming a Hair Metal freak :)

But as a musician, I appreciate most everything, while it may not be my favorite, I will give anything a listen and judge it on it's musical merit, rather than my personal tastes. But VH1C still plays alot of videos, and has a "Metal mania" show on the weekends which is all metal music, mostly hair bands, and they used to have Headbangers Ball(the Ricky Rachtman era) on some night, but I don't recall when.

It just seems like it wouldn't be too unusual to see a 24 year old in 1987 still watching MTV, but today a 24 year old watching MTV would seem very out of place.............................  i was 32 in 1987!  i and most of my friends of that age had been watching mtv and the newer vh1 for a few years! and loved it! i myself still have many video tapes full of music videos from 1983 up to the early 90's  after that as you all know both vh1 and mtv changed, they no longer show any music videos unless they have something to do with killing cops or shooting your mother! i do feel sorry for the younger kids these days!  i think nobody cares about the garbage they show  now, and should just  go off the air, i mean why do you call it music television when most of what your showing has NOTHING to do with music?  i am now 52 and when i want my mtv/vh1 fix i just put in a tape or dvd and watch commercial free videos from the clash to the fix to the cure from duran duran to madonna to joan jett to debbie gibson to banarama, and many many more!



Hey man, I was a DIE HARD fan of VH1 from about late 1990 to '93 and I just loved it! This was when they had that clear logo in the corner that was a boxy cutout of each letter and still mostly played pop/rock from the '80s. I taped lots of it back then, but ended up losing a good portion of it over time, just from tapes getting eaten, accidentally recorded over, lost, etc.

Do you still have any footage from that era? If so, I'd be willing to pay you for copies of all you've got. I'm sure there's some stuff I've forgotten about or only have vague details of that I'd just give anything to be able to see again. Aside from being cool anyway, it's like a time capsule...both for the time itself, and for my personal experience. :)

I would've PMed you, but I wondered if anyone else did too!

marty,  i have some from the early 90's  not too much but its only video tape and the quality goes down when you  dub them, i have found some videos  from then on e bay, some are even on dvd formats, allthough all they did was transfer them from video tape!  i will check and see if i can find out what all i have from back then, funny thing though, some of the tapes i  recorded from the 90's were the top 100 videos of all time and such! i got more selective in the 90's of what i recorded!

My Dad was into country western music (mostly the old stuff), while my Mom was into Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, country western music, and the ocassional pop song.

marty,   i have some from the early 90's  not too much but its only video tape and the quality goes down when you  dub them, i have found some videos  from then on e bay, some are even on dvd formats, allthough all they did was transfer them from video tape!   i will check and see if i can find out what all i have from back then, funny thing though, some of the tapes i  recorded from the 90's were the top 100 videos of all time and such! i got more selective in the 90's of what i recorded!


Thanks Johnny, actually that'll be cool because I have two hi-fi VCRs hooked up, so I can make decent copies, even of lower quality stuff. I can PM you my address and write you a check or something, whenever you get around to it.

I watched some of those countdowns too. They're cooler than the more recent ones, because it was the 100 best videos from, say a 1991 perspective, so there's deeper selections than there would be now.

i remember a few years back vh1 did a top 100 countdown on new years eve, i got out a new tape ready to catch a few vids i might have missed that i like, and wouldnt you know it, they cut and chopped every video! like why even bother showing 45 seconds of a 4 min video, i got thoughly disscusted with them from then on!

I don't know that there was necessarily an age factor in 80's music.  I think it depended on the person listening.

Case in point:  My mother was 68 when MTV first came on, and she liked a lot of the music, but was less enthralled by the softer songs that turned up a few years later on VH1.  Videos I remember her liking were:

"Rio" (Duran Duran)
"Run Runaway" (Slade)
"I Want A New Drug" (Huey Lewis & the News)
"Strip" (Adam Ant)
"Karma Chameleon" (Culture Club)
"Something About You" (Level 42)
"One Night in Bangkok" (Murray Head)

My experience as a radio programmer is that a lot of musical tastes are regional.  For example, New Wave/Modern Rock rates much higher in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Long Island than anywhere else.