Fun-Size 80s Playlists
Ten Great Non-Singles from 80s Albums You Know
Let’s face it, none of us are young as we used to be. And sometimes don’t we miss how thrilling and new everything used to be when we were young? Like breathlessly waiting for the new countdown, there was always new single, new artist, new happening. It was like we were always discovering something and everything seem new because, again let’s face it, we were new. We were young, and one of the joys of being young is that the thrill of discovery is always with us.
As we get older, it’s common for us to start to think of the charts have abandoned us. The music changed. It’s not as good as it used to be. Our parents thought that when they listen to our countdowns, and our kids will believe it when their kids develop their own musical taste. In reality, we know that the music hasn’t abandoned us. It’s just that the things that were so new, so thrilling, when we were teenagers are now things we’ve kind of mastered. We traded the dizzying rush of a new crush for the deeper affection of a marriage. That buzzy high of a concert or a night out or forbidden cigarette that our parents will never know about probably pale in comparison to the profound satisfaction of parenthood or professional triumphs. Sure, there’s a joy in being able to return to a favourite city. (in my case, Las Vegas, baby) whenever we want to. But no matter how many Vegas thrills I can afford now, you can’t buy the feeling you got when you hit Vegas for the very first time.
that’s the thing about pop music. It depends on the rush of discovery. If today’s music lacks the punch of our 80s favorites, it’s not because the music abandoned us. It’s because the operatic highs and lows that you feel when everything‘s new just don’t translate to middle age. We are all glad not to experience the devastating heartbreak the way we felt it is teenagers. But that comes at the price of not feeling that song – that devastating breakup song – the way we did at 14.
[Except Mick Jagger. That guy can sound like a teenager at 80. That’s why he’s cooler than us.]
But the 80s was a great decade for music, and that means we can still keep discovering. Even if you have to go back a while to find the music that sounds… right, you can still find some new stuff you haven’t heard or forgot you knew. So that’s the point of this recurring feature. Once in a while, I’m going to put together a little playlist of 80s songs from the vault of my memory that might give you that thrill of hearing something for the first time again
In this first installment, I’m gonna share with you 10 tracks from huge albums that never quite made it as a single. Most of these albums were deep enough that there were great songs that didn’t chart. Maybe you’ll find a new favourite on this list.
In this first installment, I’m gonna share with you 10 tracks from huge albums that never quite made it as a single. Most of these albums were deep enough that there were great songs that didn’t chart. Maybe you’ll find a new favourite on this list.
10. Billy Joel, “Code of Silence”, from “The Bridge”
His first album after his multiplatinum, greatest hits package, “The Bridge” felt like a new, older, wiser chapter as Billy Joel entered his elder statesman phase. The songs were more introspective, more mature. There were themes of hard won wisdom (“Getting Closer”), parenthood (“Temptation”) and second -time-around relationships (“A Matter Of Trust”). “Code Of Silence” is a harder-edged number about how we accumulate hurt and create distance. The bridging lines into the chorus soar with wounded pride, and the harmonies with guest vocalist Cyndi Lauper create an emotional intensity that really brings the song home. Check it out here.
The Cars, “Stranger Eyes” from “Heartbeat City”
The Cars’ 1984 opus is a cohesive concept album. The 10 songs weave a story of obsession and addiction as the narrator and an old flame ride a toxic relationship where the highs and lows mirror their drug use through an urban landscape. “Stranger Eyes” is the narration of a hookup while high, and Benjamin Orr’s howling vocals and the pulsing synths capture that mix of intoxication and disorientation beautifully. Listen here
Elton John, “Breaking Hearts (Ain’t What It Used To Be)” from “Breaking Hearts”
Reg’s early 80s MOR tended to be catchy but hollow, with vocals that sounded detached. (Worst offender? “Little Jeannie”.) But on this intimate, regret-filled elegy from an aging Lothario, Elton puts his warm and expressive voice to great effect. It’s like the showstopper from a Broadway musical that should have been. Listen here
Culture Club, “That’s The Way (I’m Only Trying To Help You) from “Colour By Numbers”
Speaking of great vocal performances, underneath the glitz and videos and image, Boy George could sing with the best of them. When he teamed up with Helen Terry, the results were often impressive, as with this soulful number.
Huey Lewis and the News, “Naturally” from “Fore!”
Wait, were there songs on Fore that didn’t chart? There were a few, and if you listen to this one you’ll hum it all day. I suppose that a cappella tunes were the Nylons’ thing, but the charm that was Lewis’s calling card is on full display here.
Corey Hart, “Silent Talking” from “Boy In The Box”
If you were a Canadian in 1985, you were pretty much issued this album. Your girlfriend loved the pouty teen idol stuff, and you rolled your eyes. But when she left the room you could play this arena rocker and admit that Hart could rock out a bit.
Gowan, “Dedication” from “Great Dirty World”
Gowan’s much-anticipated follow-up to “Strange Animal” was everywhere with the ethereal single “Moonlight Desires”. But this piano balled, a soaring and heartfelt ode to the satisfaction of chasing your dream stands as one of the singer’s finest bits of songwriting. This still holds up.
John Cougar Mellencamp, “Warmer Place To Sleep” from “Uh-Huh”
With the commercial success of “American Fool”, this artist could now tell the label what he would be doing. “Uh-Huh” introduced us to Mellencamp’s real name and the chip on his shoulder. Songs like “Authority Song” and “Crumbin’ Down” were declarations of independence with swagger galore. This slightly more reflective track, with Biblical references of struggle and lyrics that speak to the tension between being yourself and chasing the dream is just as satisfying.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Insider” from “Hard Promises”
Petty and Stevie Nicks were lifelong friends. Her hit “Edge Of Seventeen” takes its title from when Stevie misunderstood Petty’s wife telling her with her southern drawl that she met Tom “at the age of seventeen”. He gave her the first single for her “Bella Donna” album, the smoky, street-wise “Stop Dragging My Heart Around”. It was a huge hit. She returned the favour by dueting with Petty on this heart wrenching ballad, which finds a guy trying to get over the girl who just never felt like he did. Petty’s quavering, live-wire vocals are perfect and vulnerable here. When he ends the third verse with “I’m the one you couldn’t love”, it’s goddamn heartbreaking.
Prince, “The Beautiful Ones” from “Purple Rain”
Purple Rain remains one of the towering musical achievements of the 80s. The movie, viewed today, is more of a mixed bag. Prince’s barely disguised on-screen doppelgänger is, let’s face it, a little bit of a douche. Undeniably talented, this artist is also ontrolling and downright disrespectful to the women around him whether in his band or in his relationships. In many ways, the movie is kind of admirable in its honesty and confession. It probably wouldn’t be made in today’s world of branding and marketing. Here Prince tells us who he is – a very talented but still traumatized kid from an abusive home. He can’t help but test those who love him because love and betrayal have been one and the same in his world. His genius let him be isolated, but his isolation can be painful. That triumphant movie closer, the gospel-tinged title track, offer the protagonist a bit of happiness by finally letting people in. But this tender, vulnerable ballad was always the real showstopper for me. Walking a line between jealousy and heartbreak, Prince opens up and asks the girl he loves to make a choice. It’s all at once demanding and vulnerable. The screeching outro show for Prince, all the themes of his music are one. Love, sex, jealousy, and most of all pain – these are all entwined and inseparable to the artist. “The Beautiful Ones” hits all the emotional keys at once, and like Prince himself, it makes it all work. It’s still breathtaking.
That’s the mini playlist. Hope you found something to discover.
I like this! I know a lot of these albums but need to explore more of the deep tracks. An original and inspired list!
Definitely going to be re-listening to these albums for these tracks. Except for Hard Promises. I mean, I WILL re-listen to it, but not to “re-discover” Insider. I love that song and it is, hands down, my favorite Petty/Nicks duet. Great topic, great list!