I feel this period was the peak of the '80s in every respect...Musically you had a lot of diversity, the ending of Disco, beginning of New Wave, Punk still around, Metal, beginnings of Hair Metal, Dance, Pop, just a whole lot going on; Movies wise you had some amazing films like Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. coming out within this time frame; a lot of the best films and shows that really colored the '80s before the decade fell into darkness and cheesiness emerged from this time period; you still had older, great shows like All in the Family on TV, too.

I feel this period was the peak of the '80s in every respect...Musically you had a lot of diversity, the ending of Disco, beginning of New Wave, Punk still around, Metal, beginnings of Hair Metal, Dance, Pop, just a whole lot going on; Movies wise you had some amazing films like Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. coming out within this time frame; a lot of the best films and shows that really colored the '80s before the decade fell into darkness and cheesiness emerged from this time period; you still had older, great shows like All in the Family on TV, too.


"Ronniebear" was President from 1981-1985. What happened to your disdain for him?

Hmmm not too sure about this. Whilst '83 was definitely very 80s, I feel the preceding years were less so. "Empire Strikes Back" still had that Star Wars late 70s feel... unlike "Return Of The Jedi". However I was young at this time, so maybe I don't associate my 80s with this time period. I also see you didn't like the cheesy 80s, which I didn't mind so much.

Hmmm not too sure about this. Whilst '83 was definitely very 80s, I feel the preceding years were less so. "Empire Strikes Back" still had that Star Wars late 70s feel... unlike "Return Of The Jedi".


"Empire Strikes Back" was filmed in the late 70s and released before the 80s found their identity.

I'm not a fan of the early 80s, it's not as exciting as the mid and late 80s pop culture to me.

I like the early 80's when rap was super cool.

I'm not a fan of the early 80s, it's not as exciting as the mid and late 80s pop culture to me.


How you feel about the 1980s is how I feel about the 1990s.

How you feel about the 1980s is how I feel about the 1990s.


I got ya.  ;D

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Risky Business

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Christmas Story

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Superman 3

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I enjoy this time because it was the first time that home video recording became widespread. I like to hunt old, pre-recorded tapes (especially Betamax since they weren't as used as long like VHS was) and like how so many commercials often had a catchy, vocal jingle at the end. I think of fonts such as Souveneir, Avant Garde, ITC Kabel (think MTV), and Helevetica used in a lot of signs/graphic design. This was right before I was born, but am always fascinated how old school this time felt, even as early as the mid-90s when I sometimes would catch reruns of shows made around then. It was the most conservative period of the '80s culturally, with an economic recession, Cold War tensions the biggest since the '50s, lots of sappy adult contemporary music, but with an excitement of how the end of the century would shape up with the emerging technologies, such as the first online bulletin boards, laserdisc players that would foreshadow CDs/DVDs/Blu-Rays, and the rise of synthesizers in muisc. 

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Mario Brothers 1983

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Tapper
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Track And Field

peak of synthpop like Human League, Ultravox, Visage, Yazoo

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Scarface

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Terms Of Endearment

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The Big Chill

My dad told me a lot of people did not like it when the 80s began. They were used to the chill (though slightly problematic) 70s, and were expecting the 80s to be like full fledged crisis (which is was in 81). The early 80s, with its New Wave and synthpop is what I find typically 80s. I find it easier to picture than a year like 1987.

My dad told me a lot of people did not like it when the 80s began. They were used to the chill (though slightly problematic) 70s, and were expecting the 80s to be like full fledged crisis (which is was in 81). The early 80s, with its New Wave and synthpop is what I find typically 80s. I find it easier to picture than a year like 1987.


There was a recession from 1980 to 1982, I think. The 'happy' 80s economy didn't come until afterwards!

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A-Team

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Manimal

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Webster

How you feel about the 1980s is how I feel about the 1990s.


So you actually like that Aqua "Barbie Girl" crap.  ;D

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Atari was hot

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Romper Room

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Popeye game for Atari and Intellivision

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Romper Room




That's a 50s "hangover" (as ADJ1234 puts it). ::)


Joking.  ;D

So you actually like that Aqua "Barbie Girl" crap.  ;D


#1: It's not a bad song.
#2: There's way more the '90s than that. The Wallflowers, Puff Daddy, Alanis Morissette, Faith Evans, Mariah Carey, Coolio, Aaliyah, Brandy, Monica, Mary J. Blige, 702, LL Cool J, Sarah McLachlan, 2Pac, 112, Keith Sweat, Bush, Collective Soul, Stone Temple Pilots, and many many others. All of which are more talented than the singers of the '80s, who always lip-synched. It's borderline impossible to find a talented singer from that timeframe. All the good singers were holdovers from the '70s, and they went away with disco in 1981. You can't compare Maxine Nightingale to Kim Carnes, Carnes is just too inferior...

#1: It's not a bad song.



:o

Not to be offensive, but that's your age talking. ;D

I shudder at the thought of Hanson or Spice Girls ever being on a Rolling Stone magazine cover. 8-P

That's a 50s "hangover" (as ADJ1234 puts it). ::)


Joking.  ;D


Romper Room was one my favorite shows during the early 1980's.

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Arthur

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Take This Job And Shove It

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On The Right Track

I tend to look back at the '80s as one monolithic era as opposed to more recent decades which had clear distinctions between the early, mid, and latter part of the decades.  Let's take music for instance.  There wasn't a lot of difference between songs coming out in 1982 and 1988.  Technologically we had computers but it was pre-Internet for most people.  Cassettes were the dominant media format.  The zeitgeist in this country was conservative and optimistic. 

I tend to look back at the '80s as one monolithic era as opposed to more recent decades which had clear distinctions between the early, mid, and latter part of the decades.  Let's take music for instance.  There wasn't a lot of difference between songs coming out in 1982 and 1988.  Technologically we had computers but it was pre-Internet for most people.  Cassettes were the dominant media format.  The zeitgeist in this country was conservative and optimistic.


So basically you view the 80s as one big era? I think so too ;)

I tend to look back at the '80s as one monolithic era as opposed to more recent decades which had clear distinctions between the early, mid, and latter part of the decades.  Let's take music for instance.  There wasn't a lot of difference between songs coming out in 1982 and 1988.  Technologically we had computers but it was pre-Internet for most people.  Cassettes were the dominant media format.  The zeitgeist in this country was conservative and optimistic.


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So you're telling me Al B. Sure's "Nite and Day" song could have came out in 1982?! :o

My parents actually like music from 1982. They thought of the selections of the late 80s and early 90s as "overproduced music" ( >:().

So basically you view the 80s as one big era? I think so too ;)


Seriously?  :-\\

Seriously?  :-\\


Well, I think what I was trying to say was that I agreed with bchris02, the 80's early mid late part of the years werent as defined as the 60s, 90s, or probably even the 2000s early mid late years.

Now of course the 1980s had some distinct eras as well

1980-81(Very early 80s culture)
1982-1986/87(classic 80s culture)
1987-1989/90(late 80s culture)

BTW, I've always have viewed the Early 90s as the big final hurrah of the 80s!

Billboard top 10 1982 vs 1988...

1982
1. Physical, Olivia Newton-John
2. Eye of the Tiger, Survivor
3. I Love Rock 'N Roll, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
4. Ebony & Ivory, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5. Centerfold, The J. Geils Band
6. Don't You Want Me, The Human League
7. Jack & Diane, John Cougar
8. Hurts So Good, John Cougar
9. Abracadabra, Steve Miller Band
10. Hard to Say I'm Sorry , Chicago

1988

1. Faith, George Michael
2. Need You Tonight, INXS
3. Got My Mind Set On You, George Harrison
4. Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley
5. Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns N' Roses
6. So Emotional, Whitney Houston
7. Heaven is a Place on Earth, Belinda Carlisle
8. Could've Been, Tiffany
9. Hands to Heaven, Breathe
10. Roll With It, Steve Winwood

I think the UK had a more varied 80s...

1982
01 Dexy's Midnight Runners With The Emerald Express - Come On Eileen
02 Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger
03 Irene Cara - Fame
04 Tight Fit - The Lion Sleeps Tonight
05 Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?
06 Eddy Grant - I Don't Wanna Dance
07 Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
08 Goombay Dance Band - Seven Tears
09 Bucks Fizz - The Land Of Make Believe
10 Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - Ebony And Ivory

1988
01 Kylie Minogue - I Should Be So Lucky
02 Yazz & The Plastic Population - The Only Way Is Up
03 Glenn Medeiros - Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You
04 Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now
05 Wet Wet Wet / Billy Bragg With Cara Tivey - With A Little Help From My Friends / She's Leaving Home
06 Phil Collins - Groovy Kind Of Love
07 Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth
08 Salt-N-Pepa - Push It / Tramp
09 The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
10 Robin Beck - First Time

Cassettes were the dominant media format.

And you had people watching VHS tapes and listening to music with boomboxes.

BTW, I've always have viewed the Early 90s as the big final hurrah of the 80s!


That's because 1990 was THE FINAL RESOLUTION to the 1980s.
As the months in 1991 and 1992 went by, people were starting to get away from 1990 more and more. Eventually, we were in 1993 (Totally 90s year consisting of all of the new stuff from the early 90s). For example, I would never think of Ren and Stimpy as an early 90s cartoon, despite it coming out in 1991. The show spent WAYYY more time in the mid 90s (1993-1996).

Most people look at decades and what happened in them ALL WRONG!!!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aren't "80s cartoon characters". That would imply that they were the number 1 best selling toy for the Christmas seasons of 1988 and 1989 only (WHICH THEY WERE NOT). The Turtles were introduced in '84 (comic book version) to become big stars in the year 1990 alone.

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King Of Comedy

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Tootsie

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Porky's