Here's the thing about the 80s. And if you were there, you know.
And if you weren't there, you don't know.
The "80s" were far more complex than most people these days give the decade credit for.
The influences were all across the board, from the 1920s, to the 1940s, definitely heavy on the 1950s and some of the 1960s, sometimes. There was influence from all over the world, all over the United States, all over every medium from movies to television to radio.
Saying that, I can't even imagine what a 20-something thinks about "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen. Where do they even start with trying to deconstruct that tune. Or "Centerfold" by the J. Giles Band.
We had electronic, acoustic, new wave, punk, metal, hair metal, r&b, rap, country, jazz standards (remember when Linda Ronstadt went through that whole phase?), rockabilly, ska, straight up American Rock and Roll and every once in a while old geezers would pop up trying to be relevant (looking at you Tom Jones + Art Of Noise). What other decade could support both Devo and NWA? Dolly Parton and Wendy O. Williams? Lemmy Kilmister and Thomas Dolby?
Or Joe Jackson, who could fit in anywhere, anytime, and always still be stone cold cool.
