This, the third of my Years in Music
mixes, is one of my favorites. Even so, I find that while writing this I’ve
struggled to come up with things to say about each song. I think what I’ll do
is just keep it minimal unless I do have something to say about the song in
question. If it’s a song I don’t think most people have heard I’ll do my best
to dig up info about the band or the release of the song. Anyway, let’s have a
look at the year 1983.
1983 in Culture and News
The only way to watch Star Wars.
1983 saw the official beginning of
the internet, and the first cell phone was invented. Kraftwerk of course warned
us about these things two years prior. The movie Flash Dance brought us
the song “Maniac”, and what would prove in hindsight to be the last good Star
Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, was released, in its original form
before George Lucas decided to butcher the original trilogy in 1997 (luckily
for me I still got my originals on VHS). I could probably do a whole separate
blog entry about it, but then again, I’d likely struggle to say anything about
the movies that hasn’t already been said.
As with every year there were plenty
of wars and famines to go around, especially in Africa. Which I suppose is why
a few years later that corny “We Are the World” song was made, I’m assuming. I
tried to do a little research, before deciding that the more things change the
more they stay the same. You can read more here: http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1983.html
1983 in Music
My favorite album of 1983 would have
to be none other than Ministry’s With Sympathy, which I’ve reviewed
before. Deciding on my top 3 songs is going to be tough this year, but assuming
I don’t pick more than one from Ministry, I’ll have to pick “Revenge” by
Ministry, “Automatic Man” by Michael Sembello, and “Separate Ways (Worlds
Apart)” by Journey. Although I really want to include “Let Me Go” by Heaven 17.
But you have to make cuts somewhere.
So anyway, I think 1980-1982 was
when the 80’s were getting over the hangover of the 1970’s, and by this year
they picked up steam. In 1983, CD’s finally went for sale in the United States,
which was great if you were a millionaire but everyone else was using records
and cassettes; David Bowie released Let’s Dance and started making dance pop,
Metallica released their debut album, and Michael Jackson debuted his legendary
music video for “Thriller”. There were still plenty of one-hit wonders to go
around, and in the background, synthpop, New Wave and death rock (later known
as goth rock) were growing and developing. In this mix we’re going to have a look at some
of these, from synthpop, to New Wave, and concluding with some rock, punk and
metal.
Michael
Sembello – Automatic Man
I lied before. The 1980’s actually reached its zenith in 1983, with this song. This song and its music video are the most 1980’s things you will ever see and hear. They might as well have cancelled the rest of the 1980’s and started grunge music early after this was released. But, perhaps because this song went relatively unnoticed, that didn’t happen. Michael Sembello is better known for his one-hit wonder “Maniac”, from the movie Flash Dance. And that was on the original version of my CD mix, but that was made before I heard this. Just have a look at that music video. It has every 1980’s stereotype and trope you can think of. It features the tale of a mad scientist building a robotic man, who falls in love with a living woman to the scientist’s chagrin, who turns them into stone until they are rescued by Michael Sembello. All set against a neon 80’s background. It’s like if William Shakespeare had been alive in the 1980’s. Such a harrowing romance. The synthwave bands out there today trying to bring back 1980’s-style music should be required to watch this music video.
Corey
Hart – Sunglasses at Night
When you’re as cool as Corey Hart
you don’t need to see at night. Being able to see is for nerds. If you’re not
wearing your sunglasses all the time, you must be a loser. You should be
sleeping with those things on your face. I mean during the day your sunglasses are just
protecting your eyes from one star, the Sun. But you can see hundreds or even
thousands of stars at night. So you need even more protection for your eyes at
night, right?
Anyway, after examining the lyrics,
the song actually seems to be about being aware of a lover’s deceit, but hiding
the fact that you know, just as sunglasses hide your eyes. Whether the singer
is being paranoid or whether their suspicions are just isn’t made clear. So, it
was a metaphor all along. I think a lot of people don’t get that about the
song.
Ministry
– Revenge
Another case where I had to settle
on one song from an artist when I could have included several. Anyway.
Ministry’s debut album is something I’ve done a review of in the past, it’s an
all-time favorite of mine despite how it has been disowned by its creator. It’s
a narrow race but I suppose if I had to pick a favorite track it would be this
one. It has an angry, biting energy to it which precludes Ministry’s future, heavier
style, and that’s something you didn’t hear mixed into synthpop all that often
in the 1980’s. Ministry could have been up there with Depeche Mode and New
Order if they had stayed in this style. But, at the end of the day, an artist
should do what they like, so I don’t blame Al Jourgensen of Ministry for
changing genres, all I wish is that he wasn’t so ashamed of his old music.
Depeche
Mode – Love, in Itself
Another classic and catchy early Depeche Mode track.
The lyrics of this one are about someone for whom love is not enough to cure
their depression. One wonders if it was written from experience or not. Of
course the song doesn’t sound sad, so it’s one of those songs that have a
catchy tune but sad lyrics.
Yazoo
– Nobody’s Diary
From the band that brought us “Don’t Go” in 1982,
here’s a song from their second and sadly final album. It’s one of those
“please don’t break up with me” breakup songs. There’s many different
categories of breakup songs. Kind of ironic since the band broke up a few days
after this single was released. That was just a thing that happened a lot in
the early 80’s.
And we have the first one missing
from Spotify, a nice track of 1980’s “beep-boop” music. I’ll link it on YouTube, with the warning
that it’s going to get stuck in your head very easily. John Dark is a
mysterious figure, apparently from the UK. Very hard to find any info on the
guy.
Car
Crash Set – Outsider
Car Crash Set was a synthpop band from New Zealand,
which I think is a first for these mixes.
New
Order – Leave me Alone
This is a track off New Order’s 1983
release Power, Corruption & Lies which is regarded as one of their
best albums. Although in my opinion their best music was yet to come. They were starting to use more synthesizers
at this time and distancing themselves from their earlier Joy Division sound,
although on this particular track it’s mainly guitar. I wasn’t able to make
much sense of the lyrics on this track.
Bauhaus
– The Sanity Assassin
I’ve been leaving Bauhaus off these mixes sadly. I
just need to listen to more of them. But I respect the band for codifying goth
rock with “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”. This track is a rare release. The band split up
in 1983, and this song along with Spirit in the Sky were released in limited
quantities to their fan club who had paid their dues before the band split up.
But of course, these days there’s no real such thing as rare music. Spotify
even has it.
A
Flock of Seagulls – Nightmares
“Mamamama
I keep having nightmares”. This song gets stuck in my head for some reason or
another. 1983 was a good year for songs like that. This is one of A Flock of
Seagulls other good songs that isn’t “I Ran”. There’s a touch of melancholy to
this one though, as it seems to be sung from the point of view of a sick child
who keeps having nightmares and feels the need to ask if their mother still
loves them.
Journey
– Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
This is the most epic-sounding
Journey song, possibly the most powerful “power ballad” of the 80’s in my
estimation. A song about letting go of your true love so they can be happy with
someone else. That would bring up a lot of powerful emotions. At the same time
though, I do despise the type of guy who wants to wait in line for you to break
up with your girlfriend so they can swoop in like a vulture, as the singer is
singing about doing (“if he ever hurts you, true love won’t desert you, you
know I still love you”). I knew someone like that when I was first dating my now-wife.
Jokes on him though, we’re married and have a kid now. So that may have soured
my feelings about this song just a little, but not much, I still love it.
Eurythmics
– Here Comes the Rain Again
An iconic song for any rain-lover, which I am, by
the British due Eurythmics. See this was back when a good song could get
popular. The song was released as a single in January 1984, but it’s off their
album Touch which was released in November 1983, so see it’s still a 1983 song,
if only barely. The song has a melancholy to it that carries the energy of a
rainy day with it. The opening music even reminds me of scattered raindrops
hitting the dry ground when you first realize it’s raining. One of these days
I’m going to do a rain mix and this song will definitely be somewhere on it,
probably the first track.
Heaven
17 – Let Me Go
“Daytime, all I want is nighttime, I
don’t need the daytime.” My thoughts exactly. This song reached number 2 on the
UK singles charts, so I think it was a lot more popular there than in the
United States, although I was able to find out it was played on MTV. Maybe it just didn’t stick in the years to
come quite as much. I think British people must have better taste in music than
Americans. Then again, who really decides on these music charts anyway? I’ve
never once in my life been asked to vote on what song should be on the
Billboard Top 100 or whatever. It’s all just what the corporations want you to
listen to, shouldn’t put any stock in it at all. I guess its kind of cool when
a song I actually like is on it. But no, I should ignore it.
David
Bowie – Modern Love
David Bowie’s opening track to the
album Let’s Dance is this catchy rock song which kind of sounds like
it’s from the 1950’s. I like the actual song “Let’s Dance” as well, but maybe I
like this one just a little bit more.
Billy
Idol – Rebel Yell
The mix picks up energy with this
song as we’re now in the rock section of the CD mix. This is a song that I think
is very hard to dislike. Billy Idol was made for the 1980’s. It’s kind of sad
he was unable to adapt once grunge took over in the 90’s.
Suicidal
Tendencies – Institutionalized
This song was my favorite back when
I was 13 years old, but the one I grew up hearing was the re-recorded version
from 1993. The tale of a teen who everyone thinks is crazy struck a chord with
me back then.
Metallica
– Seek and Destroy
With a lot of these mixes I’m saving the heaviest song for last, as you’ll see when I get to the 1990’s and start including black metal. But all those songs owe a debt of gratitude to early Metallica. When it comes to Metallica, I like pretty much all their albums until Load, after which it’s pretty hit-or-miss. It was kind of a stepping stone into metal for me in my early teens. I was really into Metallica at ages 14 and 15. Even went to a concert of theirs back in 2003. It’s been a while since I really sat and listened to their albums though because I’m more into the goth scene these days. Maybe I ought to. Well, this isn’t the last we’ll see of Metallica on these mixes.
Conclusion
1983 was a pretty good year for
music, wouldn’t you say? In 1984 we have more underground New Wave music to
look at. Not to mention songs off the Ghostbusters soundtrack that
aren’t the main Ghostbusters theme. Spoiler: Spotify had so few of the songs
from my mix I don’t know if it was even worth making one! Which means you may
hear something new. Stay tuned for that, and thanks for reading.
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