Friday Five: 80s Songs I Will Always Listen To

My boyfriend and I play a game: I either send him a photo of the display on my satellite radio or he texts me lyrics from the cheesiest 80s songs that come up in the rotation. But some of them are more than just photo- or quote-worthy. Some have to be sung, at the top of my lungs, all the way through.

There is shame here, I just want you to know. (Please note: I have left out 80s metal/hair bands here. That will someday need a post of its own.)

1. Africa by Toto: Hurry boy, she's waiting there for youuuuuuu.... I LOVE this song. The only part of the song that bugs me is when he shoe-horns Serengeti into the lyric. Other than that, I'm agreeing, "Yes! Hurry off that plane! GO!" And I want someone to profess that it's "gonna take a lot to drag me away from you." I mean, seriously. A lot is like... a lot.

2. Electric Avenue by Eddie Grant: Find me ONE person who doesn't immediate start to bop their shoulders and snap along with this song. We all immediately become Caribbean when we hear it. An den we take it highah... 
[SIDEBAR: Skindred, a ragga metal band as they dub themselves (combo of rock, reggae, and metal) does an awesome cover of this song. Get thee to YouTube.]

3. Safety Dance by Men Without Hats: Aside from the absolute hilarity of this video, this song is an earworm. It will get stuck in your head until Eddie Grant comes along and kicks that midget's little dancing ass out. This song also holds a special place in my heart. I think of my brother Tommy every time I hear it because he was in a harcore band and they were going to cover this song. I still wish they had. It would've been awesome.

4. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler: Once again, if you can keep the video out of your head, this song is just... come on. The pain, the urgency... the giant hair... When she rasps out "I REALLY NEED YOU TONIGHT!" It's just... magic. Bonnie Tyler totally sang like she was going to die right after the song. She's like the grandmother to Michael Bolton. And Nickelback. 

5. How Soon Is Now? by the Smiths: Ok, this one is legit. There's nothing cheesy about this song, in my opinion, and it's been covered a gazillion times, but only well by a few artists (Paradise Lost comes to mind with their crunchy, gothy version). It propels me back to the days of Tequila Joe's (a rock club I frequented when my liver and I were younger and more resilient), and it's just an awesome tune. I'm not gonna defend it. You know I'm right. Volume knob goes way up when this one comes on.

So, tell me... when you were rockin a skinny tie, neon jelly bracelets, 42 gallons of Aqua Net, and possibly zipping around in, or wishing you had an Iroq-Z or a Firebird, what were YOUR favorite songs? Now this isn't a request for just cheesy 80's songs. I have a phone full of photos of those. I'm talking your absolute, still love to this day songs. CONFESS! And happy Friday!