A 1984 Retrospective: Introduction

Throughout the annals of popular music history, there are certain years that stand above the rest in terms of their landmark status, their impact on overall popular culture, and their divergent path toward the future. 1984 is unquestionably one of those years. After boiling at the surface for several years prior, the glory days of MTV were officially at their peak, and with them brought a generational shift in the music industry. A shift toward new, heightened standards in terms of sonic creativity, commercial sales power, and the added pressure of pairing one’s musical identity with bolder, more visual storytelling like never before.

This new movement catered to a new audience in the 80s’ version of coming-of-age youth, i.e. the shopping mall generation. Like the popularity explosions of rock & roll in the 1950s, the British Invasion in the 1960s, and the disco revolution of the 1970s, the buying-power and influence of American youth was not to be underestimated, as this new generation’s tastes and appetite for innovation pushed the music scene into a new stratosphere. All of this combined with the general societal excesses of the decade to demand a sound and vision that tapped perfectly into the flashy excesses of pop and rock music specifically. Colorful. Fun. Provocative. Melodramatic. Insatiable. These adjectives define the very embodiment of pop music at its very best, and the music of 1984 is as emblematic of these qualities as any other year before or since.

Michael Jackson began the year in complete control of the music universe, coming off the groundbreaking success of Thriller over the course of the previous two years, which culminated in the star winning a record eight trophies at the 1984 Grammy Awards. Jackson had reached a larger-than-life level of celebrity that was redefined during the 80s, and those who would prove to be the dominant artistic forces of 1984 did so by releasing their art in the same, bold vein that Jackson had with Thriller. Over the course of the year, names like Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner, Van Halen, George Michael, and Billy Idol released their most definitive hits to date, making 1984 one of the most iconic years in terms of sheer musical blockbusters. In doing so, it set the stage for similarly staggering years of artistic achievement and additional star breakthroughs throughout the duration of the 80s.

Meanwhile, already established pop and rock superstars like Queen, Don Henley and Paul McCartney among others were forced to evolve to the new trends and standards suddenly surrounding them. To say that they did so to varying degrees of quality and success is an understatement, and it only adds to the sheer fascinating aspects of the era. Over in country music, artists like Alabama, Dolly Parton, and Kenny Rogers continued to anchor the genre as it limped through the dying days of an awkward identity crisis known as the Urban Cowboy movement, a reaction to the pop trends of the day, just as the Nashville Sound had been to rock & roll in the 60s. Just as that glossy era eventually prompted the advent of the Outlaw movement, burgeoning greats like Reba McEntire, George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, and an arriving mother-daughter duo known as The Judds began to lay the groundwork for a new movement back toward the genre’s more organic roots. Other pivotal stylistic movements like heavy metal, alternative, and Hip Hop continued to make major inroads during this period as well by way of bands like Metallica, Depeche Mode, Rush, and Run DMC.

It’s for all of these reasons and more that 1984 is the perfect launching pad for our blog’s inaugural annual retrospective where, we literally put an emphasis on the retro. Doing so while we’re still barley inside the fortieth anniversary of such an epic year seems like as good a time as ever (Sidenote: the minor detail that this year also marks the fortieth year on the planet for a certain writer may be an influencing factor as well.) Whether you’re a music fan who had the pleasure of experiencing this exciting music as it happened in real time, or you’re a fan like me who was born with it all around me from the get-go, I hope that this series will quench your thirst for whatever brand of nostalgia this year in music sparks for you and your experience as a listener.