The 80’s were a big time for pop music, introducing international stars like Madonna, Whitney Houston, Prince, Cher, Tina Turner, and the king of pop himself, Michael Jackson. The 1980’s were a great time of technological advancements – from the invention of Compact Discs (CD’s) and cassette players, to the advances made in the music video industry. Pop artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson knew how to work the industry and turn it into big business. Many pop artists used their music videos to gain their popularity. Their clothing became trends (Madonna’s fishnet stockings and bleach blonde hair, Michael Jackson’s single glove and wide array of jackets), their moves legendary, and their songs climbed to the top of the charts.
The 80’s were also a big developmental time for a new brand of rock, aptly named Hard Rock, or
Heavy Metal. Pop made a big debut in the 80’s, but Heavy Metal dominated the decade with legendary bands like Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Guns n’ Roses, Aerosmith, and AC/DC. Fans of metal (often referred to as Metalheads, or Headbangers), packed concerts to experience harsh distortion, loud drums, dense bass, and the screaming vigorous vocals of the band’s front runner.
By the mid 1980’s, Hip Hop and Rap artists were starting to make their mark in the industry. Artists like Grandmaster Flash, and Kurtis Blow were introducing the masses to a new style of beats, lyrics, and dance moves. By the late 1980’s, the MTV music television program were jumping on board. “Yo! MTV Raps,” was a two hour show dedicated to showcasing hip hop and rap music videos.
Pop, Metal, and Hip Hop were the big players in the 80’s, but they weren’t alone. Hard Rock, or Heavy Metal spawned a wide variety of spin off music genres. Thrash Metal bands like Metallica and Megadeath were a reaction to the poppier ‘hair metal bands’ of the 80’s. Hardcore Punk
bands were operating underground, spreading aggressive metal-influenced punk rock with a political and social awareness in their lyrics. And as a reaction to all of the mainstream rock trends, Alternative Rock (Alt-rock) bands like R.E.M, the Pixies, They Might Be Giants, and The Cure were making their stand in the music world.
The 80’s were also a big developmental time for a new brand of rock, aptly named Hard Rock, or
Heavy Metal. Pop made a big debut in the 80’s, but Heavy Metal dominated the decade with legendary bands like Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Guns n’ Roses, Aerosmith, and AC/DC. Fans of metal (often referred to as Metalheads, or Headbangers), packed concerts to experience harsh distortion, loud drums, dense bass, and the screaming vigorous vocals of the band’s front runner.By the mid 1980’s, Hip Hop and Rap artists were starting to make their mark in the industry. Artists like Grandmaster Flash, and Kurtis Blow were introducing the masses to a new style of beats, lyrics, and dance moves. By the late 1980’s, the MTV music television program were jumping on board. “Yo! MTV Raps,” was a two hour show dedicated to showcasing hip hop and rap music videos.
Pop, Metal, and Hip Hop were the big players in the 80’s, but they weren’t alone. Hard Rock, or Heavy Metal spawned a wide variety of spin off music genres. Thrash Metal bands like Metallica and Megadeath were a reaction to the poppier ‘hair metal bands’ of the 80’s. Hardcore Punk
bands were operating underground, spreading aggressive metal-influenced punk rock with a political and social awareness in their lyrics. And as a reaction to all of the mainstream rock trends, Alternative Rock (Alt-rock) bands like R.E.M, the Pixies, They Might Be Giants, and The Cure were making their stand in the music world.The 80’s were a powerful decade in music history, bearing witness to the official end of the Disco era in 1981, and the influence music can have in a humanitarian world (Live Aid, 1985). The so called “Greedy Decade” gave back to the world with artists and music trends that would flourish well into the 1990’s and 2000’s.
