Why Are You An Eighties Fan?

This is one page of many, check out the intro at Why I Love The 80s where you can add your own memories as well.

This page currently edited by: stingr22. Past editor: Junior


I wasn't around in the 80s, I was born in '92, but I love everything about it! The MUSIC, the TV, the movies, the cartoons, the clothing!! EVERYTHING! I am such a Madonna wannabe! Black clothing, bracelets, the lace, and the fingerless gloves! Everyone that was round in the 80s, says to me: 'You look like Madonna - even my teachers! People walking on the street pass me and stare at me, and some of them come talk to me and say that I remind them of their youth... it's great! I would love to have lived in the 80s! I love the music: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, George Michael (and Wham!), Cyndi Lauper, Bon Jovi, Janet Jackson, Prince, Kylie Minogue, Lionel Richie, Vixen, Whitesnake, Police, Whitney Houston, Cher, and much more! The movies were also great: Desperately Seeking Susan, Moonwalker, Sixteen Candles, Top Gun, Who's That Girl, White Nights, Dirty Dancing..... I LOVE the 80s! Someday I'll bring back the 80s remember my name: Carolina Martinheira!
From: Carolina Martinheira

First of all, I was born in 1992. Even thought I wasn't around back then, I am obsessed with the decade. Every aspect of that decade (music, movies, fashion) is memorable. Every decade has it's high points (60s is my second fav.) but none are as great as the 80s. My iPod is basically all 80s music. I love it - The Police, Peter Gabriel, Pixies, Michael Jackson, Jets, When In Rome,.......... Long Live The 80s!
From: Alex Mavon

I grew up in the 80s and I miss it. I especially miss the music. I look back now and realize how lucky I was to grow up in a decade with such amazing tunes. Back then, pop singers actually HAD talent! Prince could rock out on his electric guitar. Michael Jackson proved to have one of the most powerful voices ever. Bruce Springsteen was cool in every aspect. Depeche Mode invented a new sound which would soon come a very long way. And Madonna has become the most well known female pop singer OF ALL TIME! Now a days you get a cute but talentless teenager, a synthesizer and you're done. I wish music would somehow become innovative again like it was back in the 80s.
From: Shane Clutter

I was born in 1972 in the UK, and the 80s were the best years of my life. How I loved dancing at the school discos in my grey Fame suit and legwarmers. There were pedal-pushers, Adam & the Ants (I was so in love with him), Quatro Pop, BMX bikes, Duran Duran, big huge Mars bars, the A Team, Grange Hill with Tucker and Gripper, and Commodore computers, that took an hour to load everything by tape. Live Aid was astounding, and Andrew McCarthy could do no wrong. The Outsiders had nearly all the Brat Pack in it, and I was so jealous of Demi Moore getting to grips with Rob Lowe in "About Last Night". I wanted to be in "St. Elmo's Fire" and Molly Ringwald should have been my best friend!!! I remember first watching the "Thriller" video in school at lunchtime, they charged 50p, and everyone was Michael Jackson mad. Morten Harket from A-ha was a god, and you just had to have a leather bracelet with your name burnt into it. I was a surfer chick, and therefore had a turquoise Alder jacket and surfbeads, but never actually went surfing!! There will never be another decade like it, and if I could pick a time to go back to, it would be the 80s. Everything meant something, and there was hope in the world. True good times.
From: Amanda Grey

I was born in '68 so I was already a teenager by the time the 80s rolled around. It was a great time to grow up. High school could always be hectic, but the ways me and my friends entertained ourselves more than made up for it. Here's my 80s in a nutshell. Atari (2600, 5200), ColecoVision, Nintendo. Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, A Flock of Seagulls, Depeche Mode, OMD, Simple Minds, Haircut 100, Til Tuesday, Twisted Sister, Aretha Franklin (who came back in the mid 80s), Eurythmics, Pretenders, REO Speedwagon, Survivor, Kiss (unmasked), Mötley Crüe, Tone Loc, MC Hammer, ZZ Top, Loverboy, Oingo Boingo, Bruce Springsteen, Toto, Samantha Fox, Chiliwack, Paul Young, Alan Parsons Project, Wang Chung, Yes, Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Modern English, Power Station Robert Palmer, The Police, Toni Basil, Basia, Art of Noise, Max Headroom, Autograph, Ratt, The Animals (who came back with one last album in 1983), Aha, Big Country, After the Fire, World Party, Steve Winwood, Paula Abdul, Madonna, 10,000 maniacs, Blow Monkeys, Sugarcubes , Kate Bush, U2, Tom Tom Club, and so many others that I cant list them all. Breakdancing and electro music culture was in the limelight after being in the underground during much of the late 70s, during which time disco had dominated, another genre that I have to say is also pretty decent considering the present state of music today. I actually enjoyed many rap acts of the time period: Sugarhill Gang, Newcleus, Grandmaster Flash, Tone Loc, and Salt n' Pepa. The late 80s and the acid house scene plus the remixes of all the top 40 dance hits from such artists such as Lisa Stansfield, Inner City, Pet Shop Boys, Blue Mercedes, Bananarama, Ten City, Marshall Jefferson, Steve Hurley, Roberta Flack's obscure remix of Uhh uhh ooh ohh lookout here it comes by Hurley, The shep pettibone remixes of Madonna's tracks, Hithouse'-jack to the sound of the underground, Freestyle such as Tka, covergirls, Sweet sensation, and expose (who was the biggest crossover act of the freestyle genre), and the tail end of the 80s also brought in EBM (electronic body music) ushering in Lords of Acid, Desert Moon, Front 242, and Front Line Assembly among others, needless to say i fell in love with Nine Inch Nails and for three whole years dug the trenchcoat look as well as denouncing pop music period for several years. It was the time where i embraced the dark side with Sisters of Mercy and the whole goth thing, hanging out in graveyards, that kind of stuff, but i digress. I excelled on many games in the arcades such as Pac Man, Asteroids, Donkey Kong, DK JR, DK 3, Stun Runner, Rush n Attack, Xevious, Galaga, Galaxian, Phoenix, Vanguard, Mousetrap, Rally x, Dig Dug, Pole Position, Dragon's Lair ( i stank at that one), and so many others. I remember the old bomb i fixed up and used to go cruising in at the one main drag where everyone went, blasting our fave tunes from our rides. I remember competitions over who had the loudest and clearest car stereos, not just the ones who had the most bass. I remember Sparkomatic like so many others with total disdain, as they shouldve been called Sparkostatic..heh..I remember the mall and the arcade where i dropped so many tokens into the slots to get the highest score. GO kart rides at the game rooms were at the height of popularity then. I remember riding motorbikes and tearing up the trails with friends. I remember almost dying the first time i ever saw the ALaddin's Castle arcade , more games than i had ever seen inside one room. Game rooms were everywhere back then, from the laundromat to the back of the grocery store, to 3 game rooms on one street. I liked the fact that back then when you went partying and it really got crazy was when someone had some pot, and that was it, not the crazy stuff like kids do today. Music was so much better back then and today's artists just dont have the talent in my opinion to hold a candle to them. Games were better back then despite the graphic quality, it required the use of a little imagination. As much as is said about 3D, its overrated, sorry Generation Y, youve lost the plot. I remember so many cool cartoons on the air, of which Battle of the Planets stands out the most as the best. The best movies were in the 80s, Beastmaster, Teen WOlf, the aforementioed pretty in pink, breakfast club, earth girls are easy, Fast times at ridgemont high, Terminator, High School High, Back to the Future (trilogy), Ghostbusters, Manhunter, Weird Science, St Elmos Fire, Modern Girls, Beverly hills cop 1 and 2, etc etc...The Tv shows: Miami vice, Facts of Life, Family ties, Gimme a break, Greatest american hero, The fall guy, Mork and mindy, Six million dollar man, Knots Landing, Dallas, Falcon Crest, Dynasty, MASH (which i know is probably overlapping into the 70s, but reran a lot in the 80s), Hogan's Heroes re-runs, Hill Street Blues, Knight RIder, Magnum Pi, The Bionic woman (a spin off of SIx million dollar man),etc etc. I remember trying like crazy to solve the Rubik's cube, and playing Uno for hours. Collecting comics also got to be a short run hobbie as well. I was in great shape cuz i rode bicycles to get most everywhere i went as i couldnt take the dirt bike on the road. Kids back then werent like these growing up now, they were crazy, but not completely idiotic like many i see now who have been dropped on their heads to many times or been huffing freon and killed all their brain cells. I wanna tell these sagging pants wearing hip hop kids to pullup their pants more often than i do, i try and refrain from it, but i hate seeing some dude's boxer shorts., or worse yet, their plumber's crack. I wish the 80s would come back in a big way. At least in music, 80ish styles are coming back with the synth pop and electroclash scenes getting stronger. The pulse and the beat of them is so 80s and i just love it. As far as mainstream radio is concerned, i cant say the same. It will continue probably to be a complete loss and waste of time and space that could be occupied by good talent and songs you actually want to hear. I do see some of the younger generation giving kudos to 80s music and love electroclash as well as giving knods to 80s fashion in some way or another. I have to agree with an earlier poster that even the worst bands of the 80s were 100% better than the best bands today. I will also extend that to Tv shows, video games, culture, and fashion , as well. All my friends were into a lot of different types of music and movies and we all sort of taught each other something, even if we didnt totally dig completely each other's taste in entertainment. I remember a couple of friends totally being into Dungeons and Dragons , which i wasnt, but overall we all got along really well. It would be great to go back and do some things over and keep some things the same, a lot better than now, a circle of friends who understood each other and generally could get along despite differences, unlike nowadays when i rarely see these old friends, some due to passing away, and others just distance and time passing. I have made a new circle of friends and a few kinda understand the music tastes, but little else. Currently i have friends into current pop to country to alternative, a few of them like some 80s, but not much of it. The radio stations generally skip over the 80s music unless they are just very ordinary middle of the road rock or soft 80s adult songs which i find boring if i listen very long. ONe pace one tempo, slow!! I Dj so i run across all kinds and find not enough time to play the best stuff, which of course is the 80s.I spent a lot of cash on vinyl in the 80s and kept good care of it and am proud of my over 5000 record collection which is mostly 80s as well as the best club music from the 70s,90s and today, with many songs on full length album as well as 12 inch single dance versions. In addition i constantly download to find rare mixes of all music, particularly the 80s. I really appreciate the internet sometimes as it allows downloading music and games i wouldnt have otherwise. I stay on it way too much, something i wouldve never done back in the 80s even if the internet existed at that time. There was so much more to do back then it wouldnt have made any sense to just sit in front of the puter like so many kids do now. I wasn't overweight back then, and would've freaked out if I had ever thought I would be 250 lbs like I am now. But I digress... Keep the spirit of the 80s alive...cheers everyone!
From: john

I was born in the year of George Orwell, 1984. My limited time in the 80s got me hooked. The music was the best and so was the culture. From ABC to Alice Cooper, I like every kind of 80s music: hair metal, new wave, and the best love ballads around like Carrie from Europe, Sarah from Starship, and countless others. Love live the 80s! Everthing went downhill after that except the technology which lets us listen to a better quality of 80s music!
From: Jeremy Janzen

I was born in 1983. When I was 5, I was dazzled by the videoclips and songs from the TV, a magic neon era full of love and everybody just being themselves. Today it is hard to look different than the others. The synthesized sounds of the 80s, the culture, the clothing, the hairstyles, and the lifestyle were a youthful, magical place... the best era. Now we live in an era of stagnation and crappy music. No more talents, but only a world where money matters and greedy people. The music industry is conquered by marketing which is the destruction of music. They make music for money not from their heart and obviously not for artistic expression. Hard talking? Yes!!! But, that's what I believe. I wish the 80s could come back so I could have lived in them too! I created a project for the future, saving the best 80s rare songs. Thanks!
From: Thomas

Here's My Top 20 80s Songs: 1- 'hello' By Lionel Richie 2- 'thriller' By Michael Jackson 3- 'like A Virgin' By Madonna 4- 'careless Whisper' By George Michael 5- 'wild Boys' By Duran Duran 6- 'living On A Prayer' By Bon Jovi 7- 'too Shy' By Kajagoogoo 8- 'especially For U' By Kylie Minogue/j.donovan 9- 'so Emotional' By Whitney Houston 10- 'let's Wait A While' By Janet Jackson 11- 'true' By Spandau Ballet 12- 'we Are The World' Bu Usa For Africa 13- 'time After Time' By Cyndi Lauer 14- 'club Tropicana' By Wham! 15- 'sweet Child O'mine' By Guns N Roses 16- 'don't You Want Me' By Human Leaugu 17- 'Here I Go Again' By Whitesnake 18- 'cryin' By Vixen 19- 'part Time Lover' By Stevie Wonder 20- 'when Doves Cry' By Prince I Love Love Love And Love The 80s ;)
From: carolina martinheira

I love the eighties! I'm only 16, but the power ballads from that era rock! "Stand By Me" made me cry so hard! All the music that was produced in that time can NEVER be topped!
From: sig

Y'know, although born in 1985, I still remember when Super Mario was released. Hey, now, I'll throw in this little tip: Back in the 80s, you're considered a jock if all you did was date the cheerleaders. Also, who could've forgotten Jolt Cola??!! It was the energy drink of high-schoolers in America! I'll spill one more tip: My favorite trinket was a watch engraved with your initial (usually the first) you wore around the neck on a gold chain. The fishnet hoses were wicked hot, and believe it or not, those slip-on checkered shoes were radical! If you ever wanted to know a really bodacious 80s remark sometimes shouted at high school proms, "Kiss Me You Fool!"
From: Flashdance

I was born in 1968. My high school years consisted of the 80s. So many fashions and so many one hit wonders. I have many fond memories of high school, people, friends, and boyfriends. Carefree and happy times. Before we all grew up into adulthood and responsibilities.
From: Sara

I loved the eighties because it was "in" to be pro-American again. Gone was the guilt of the sixites, gone was the Vietnam syndrome of the seventies. America was back!
From: Ken Burke

I was born in 1990, so I wasn't around in the 80s but much of the stuff of the 80s was still there in my childhood like music, video games and movies. I recently started watching movies and listening to songs from the 80s like The Sisters Of Mercy and Gun's n' Roses and love it. And the series are so cool like Family Ties, Fame, Alf and Soap. As for video games, my favorite will always be Super Mario World but from the 80s my favorite is Jet Pac, the best ZX Spectrum game.
From: Joseph

Well I was born in 1980 in South Africa, I believe my favourite period.. Oh my word, I just saw someone has stated my own thoughts.. the time from the early eighties to about 96/97 were the best, with Airwolf, Knightrider, Macgyver, The A Team, Silver Spoons, Step-by-Step, Full House, Silk Stalkings, Tropical Heat, PS I love You, the Simpsons, and Cartoons like He-man, Shera, Bravestarr, Smurfs, The Ghostbusters and the Real Ghost busters, Jem, Dino-Riders, Spartacus and the Sun Beneath the Sea, Conan the Adventurer, Carebears, my little Ponies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles( they tried to make a modern version of TMNT, and it completely sucks), Galaxy Rangers,Inspector Gadget(not that useless knock off: the Gadgetinis) Captain Planet, Danger Mouse, The Rescue Kids, Robotech, The Twins of Destiny, to name a few. Why don't cartoons have that good moral fibre in them anymore, where the hero of the show tells you about the right and wrong way to treat people, and about honour and fairness? Games like Super Mario, Battles, Sonic 1 - Sonic and Knuckles, B-wings, Ghosts and Goblins, Star force and Star Soldier, CONTRA, Streets of Rage.. Also movies like Back to the Future, Pretty in Pink, Superman, Batman, Last Action Hero, the Terminator movies, all of those Movies where animals or insects start killing people ie: Ticks, Skeeter, Tremors, and cool movies like The Labyrinth and The Never-Ending Story. After 1997 things just fizzled out and now I am stuck in a boring, useless world, the only modern thing that is any good is Fansubbed Anime, If I could go back, but keep my computer I would be sooooo happy. Bring back the 80s to '96 period and way of life!!!!!
From: Ryan

I was born in 1976 during the punk movement. Unfortunately, I didn't get to experience the music from the punk scene, however, I was introduced to awesome New Wave bands (and New Romantic/Synth Pop). I was really into the Police, Duran Duran, U2 (not new wave), and Tears for Fears. I have to admit that New Wave is one of the most confusing music genres to understand due to all of the "splintering" of sub-genres that took place (oh yeah, I also like the Bangles, Go-Go's, Madonna, Prince,Pat Benatar, and Heart). Even though the last four artists aren't new wave, it still proves that the 80's had a lot of talented artists in a myriad of genres. I also played with Super-Powers (DC figures), the M.A.S.K. collection, G.I. Joes, and He-man. Back to the Future, E.T., Superman 2-4,Top Gun, the Breakfast Club, the Explorers, Halloween 2, 4, and 5 (Halloween 3 is too weird, NO MICHAEL MYERS???), and Friday the 13th's 1-4 only (I hope I don't offend anybody with that comment) are only some of my favorite movies. There are a lot more,but I can't think of them at this time. For television shows, I liked Family Ties (huge Michael J. Fox fan), Miami Vice, Good Morning Miss Bliss (or Saved By the Bell: Middle School Years), Three's Company, Cosby Show, Different Strokes, and Growing Pains. The bottom line is that the 80s were a great time for music, movies,toys, and some fashion . The music videos were funny (think about M's "Pop Muzik" or "She's A Beauty" by the Tubes).
From: Danny Marquis

I grew up in the 80s and honestly, I had no idea exactly how lucky I was. All I knew is that the all of the music was excellent and even the crappy music of that decade was catchy enough to enjoy. I used to go to bed an hour early every night just to listen to the nightly countdown of radio tunes. The most memorable song to me though is "Angel Eyes" by Jeff Healy Band. That, in my opinion, is the most beautiful song of all time. I remember recording that on a cassette and listening to it over and over again. Those were the days!
From: Drew Capella

I wasn't around in the 80s, but I love the sort of "funkiness" about the 80s. I mean, people wore GIGANTIC earrings, wore makeup like there's no tomorrow, and had the most, well, interesting fashions. Interesting how the 80s have reincarnated themselves into today's fashion. You see people with leggings and miniskirts, the big bling is back, and I sometimes see kids at my middle school wearing big "life preservers" (Back To The Future reference). Oh yeah, and the original Back To The Future movie ROCKED! The music is cool too. Yeah, the 80s seemed like an interesting era.
From: Danielle

I was born in 1980, so I was just a baby then and now I'm 26 years old. I loved the Care Bears, Goonies, Breakfast Club, and alot of the songs I still listen to today. I think today is way too dangerous. You always have to watch who you trust as friends and strangers as well.
From: Margaret

I love everything about the 80s! The movies, the music, the hair, Nerds, Rubik's Cube... everything! Especially the fashion! I mean, who doesn't? C'mon, you've gotta have at least a little 80s lovin' in you! What's not to love about the 80s?
From: andrea loves the 80s!

Mötley Crüe
From: Nikki Sixx

This is one page of many, check out the intro at Why I Love The 80s where you can add your own memories as well.