Blow The House Down: Eighties Dance Pop

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When the 1970s turned into the 1980s quite a few household names could seemingly effortlessly survive in the new decade, like Hall & Oates and pop veterans Graham Gouldman (10cc) and ‘lonely boy’ Andrew Gold, who formed Wax. Both acts sold their old instruments in the mid-eighties and started to use only state of the art electronics to compete successfully with their contemporaries. Even sixties rock icon Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith) reached #1 on the Billboard pop chart in 1986.

As the decade came to a close, a musical revolution took place and the biggest names at the time had to struggle to reach the next decade. House and hip hop wiped away eighties pop like it had never existed. Even the hit factory of Stock, Aitken & Waterman had a quick meltdown when the 1990s started and euro dance became the next big thing. The house was blown down, to paraphrase Living In A Box. That said, eighties pop has created a legacy that still exists today. Just listen to Both Ways by Jay Diggs, and you know what I mean. I believe the best and catchiest pop songs were made in the 1980s. Nowadays TV-series like Riverdale, Glow and Strangers Things prove that eighties songs have stand the test of time easily.

If the words "That’s right" on A To Z from ABC sound familiar, you’re right, because they’re sampled from Get Up And Boogie by German seventies disco act Silver Convention. 

Let’s blow the house down and enjoy this selection of eighties dance pop! Next time we're going on a sailing trip again.

Tracklist:

Richard Jon Smith ‎– Baby's Got Another (1983)
Jay Diggs Feat. Zyodara – Both Ways (2020)
Steve Winwood – Higher Love (1986)
The Quick – The Rhythm Of The Jungle (1982)
Thompson Twins ‎– In The Name Of Love '88 [Extended Remix] (1988)
Scritti Politti – Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) (1983)
ABC – A To Z (1985)
Wax ‎– Bridge To Your Heart [The Unabridged Version] (1987)
Daryl Hall & John Oates ‎– Method Of Modern Love (1985)
Sly Fox – Let’s Go All The Way (1985)
Beverly Girl – Change Begins With You (2018)
Living In A Box ‎– Blow The House Down (1989)
Brick – Right Back (Where I Started From) (1981)
George Duke ‎– Secret Rendezvous (1984)

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