....GOTTA make this fast, so I'll just say...... "STREET SONGS" by Rick James! ....My Step-dad got this LP back then, and I freaked OUT! ...SO scary, so 'street'....and, so FUNKY! ...HA-HAAA!! ...I'll come back later, and add some '81 tunes, so, C-ya!
Best album of 1981: Face Value by Phil and the best song In The Air Tonight. Face Value is one of the best debut albums of all times and Phil Collins is the most prolific and talented music genius!!
What made the 80's so magical was that you were exposed to different genres of music. You had Pop, Rock, Hard Rock, Soft Rock, Heavy Metal, New Wave, Country Crossovers and artist collaborations; just good quality stuff being released. Nowadays, it's ALL ABOUT/Revolves around Hip Hop and R&B.
It's what I always say about the 80's. Add the tail end of Disco, punk, and folk from the late 70's. At the end of the 80's you also have the start of alternative, grunge, and - yes - Hip Hop.
Not everyone likes Hip Hop and Rap. You said R&B but I would argue that it's not even R&B because you have to actually sing and play an instrument. What this new top 40 stuff is, is just CRAP.
And, whether it was radio, or TV show guest spots with the artists appearing, or the featured music programs like Solid Gold, Star Search, Dance Fever, or your local/national music and/or video show, or Friday Night Videos, Night Flight...or even Puttin' on The Hits...you were sure to get that variety, each time...and not just the one or two 'same ol, same ol'!
1981 was the beginning of a five-year arc where pop/top 40/new wave music was really unparalleled and never will be matched: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985. Glad i lived to experience it while it was unfolding.
While likely true, I think the "period" of good music occured between 1975 through 1995. That entire 20 year period just had so much good stuff, but it was leveling off starting in 1990 and was pretty much gone by 1995 and totally so by the 2,000's. I just put together my digital music collection of my most favorite songs of the last 60 years, and the 80's alone had like 6 TIMES or more the number of good music as the last 20 or 30 YEARS has had.
@@leeuniverse Agreed about 75 through 95, but I would widen it to 70 through 95. The peak years I mentioned (81 thru 85) are for pop/top 40/new wave. I think for rock (including hard rock, metal and grunge) and pop and new wave broadly, then 70 through 95. That 25-year period will not happen again. I would love to be a fly on a wall a hundred years from now to see how music fans in 2121 like music from 1970 to 1995.
@@zoso73 ... Ya, depends. For me a lot of that early 70's music was a bit to "wonkey" for me. I will say that there maybe has been a bit more "New Age" and Ethnic type music in the last 20 years than we had back then. I do still need to find and download some of that. While we DID have some good stuff like Cusco, Kitaro, Giovanni, John Tesh, Yanni, etc. there wasn't the amount back then that might exist today that I'm not as familiar with and still need to research and download to find again etc. As to further what the future will be, I'm scared crapless now. Music changing so much seems to be a reflection of society itself, and we all know how that's going to ****.
The period of good or great music preceded the 1980s and in some cases survived the end of 1980s music. 1980s music didn't appear from a vacuum but was inspired by preceding artists. Burton Cummings was inspired by predecessors but charted his own course. Randy Bachman was inspired by a jazz musician and other musicians. He charted his own course and was in two very successful yet different bands, The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive!
Listening to this great 80's stuff makes us realize most of the "artists" today, who are trying to pass their stuff off as music, should be ashamed of themselves. 😎
No one can answer the question, "what the f*** is wrong with today's music?" My local station happened to play "California Dreamin'" as their song before the six o'clock news today, and I was thinking, why, oh why, is there nothing that is remotely as riveting, interesting, or engaging being put out now? It is years since I have heard anything the slightest bit interesting musically. There are no hooks, there is no musical content at all any more. And I have not yet seen an explanation that makes sense. Is it something in the water that has erased musical inspiration? Is it just gone?
@@bumpyroad3251 I don't think they even do that. If they just stole at least part of the music would be good. They can't even do that right. I remember a book review from years ago. "Good and origional. However, what is good about it is not original, and what is original is not good." Stealing and doing a variation is sometimes called "creativity". Some great stuff came out of that. But it's not happening now. NOTHING is happening now.
I've always loved Dan Fogelberg. His tribute to his Dad, Leader of the Band, shows the tender heart this songwriter was made of. Gone much too soon. R I P Dan.
Todays music just reflects how far society has fallen. The music today is pure SHIT! Glad I am in my fifties and got to live during some of the best periods of music.
@@DocXango again talking about top 40 music. There is plenty of good music today... you just won't hear it in the charts except for a rare occasion like when Adele comes out with something... Please don't misunderstand me.
In addition to Eddie Rabbit, Dan Fogelberg and Tom Petty, don't forget we also recently lost Charlie Watts who was responsible for a good chunk of the Rolling Stones' sound.
@@SydneyGreenstreet1227 Ummm, right, he's no longer with us, that kind of means he's dead, right? How long someone's been dead for was not at all in any way/shape/form part of the Professor's equation here bud... perk up yer ears!
There IS no comparison between today’s “music” and the music listed in this video alone! Yesterday’s music had soul, heart, and it took talent. Not so much in today’s realm of cookie cutter, auto-tune vocals, etc. I seriously doubt you’ll remember where you were the first time you heard W.A.P…….. But I digress. I’d bet a years salary there’s more people that can recall where they were, what they were doing, or what they were feeling the first time they heard a song like Start Me Up. I’d guarantee it! There’s a damn good reason a lot of these bands and artists are still touring today. It’s because there’s an audience still for good music. Keep up the good work Professor!
The Stones' Tattoo You concert was my first ever at the iconic Madison Square Garden. Happy days, simpler times. Man, I wish I could write a letter to myself and deliver it to the cocky me in 1981.
Auto tune can be crap but It can be great. Look at hyper pop artists like the Late Great Sophie or 100 Gecks. Auto tune can be pushed so far it becomes artistic
What has happened to music is that it has been kicked into a corner, because it was becoming too powerful for the powers-that-be. FIGHT BACK and SHARE THIS. Two more to share: and
If you want to hear complicated hard rock music that is being produced today all you have to do is listen to Band Maid from Japan, it's music that will definitely be talked about in 40 year's.
nb have to agree friends and i saw the band on the m.o. m.p. tour roanoke va. unlikely place got there early stood right in front of geddy for entire show he came down greeted pretty sparse crowd including us and went back on stage said in to thanks us for coming he said we are going to play 2112 they performed the entire song start to finish blew our minds what a band never saw them again
yeh kat irish was 2nd concert ever attended was 18 yrs old just out of h.s. they were so umique and dynamic unforgettable even 40 years later other highlights recall was xanadau and of course yyz neil was amazing to.hear that close red barchetta was an alex highlight ironic was only time saw the band even so years later no way would be up close again if ever had another opoortunity to see the band by contrast for example hank jr came 81 mob packed rush we came early 1000.folks ar best walked right to the stage looking back no way couldvt happened again
One aspect of 80s music that I loved was it’s sense of humor. It didn’t take itself too seriously. Just look at the videos for “Our Love’s in Jeopardy”, “She Blinded Me with Science” and “Safety Dance” as some examples.
Even when songs tried to get serious, the artists put out videos that made us laugh. Look at "It's a Mistake" by Men At Work or "Land of Confusion" by Genesis, two songs about the Cold War and the threat of nuclear destruction, but those are highly entertaining tunes. Less entertaining was Sting's "Russians," a brilliant song with similar themes but so dry and painful that I wanted to drink a bottle of bourbon and slash my wrists every time I heard it (at least until I dropped Van Halen's first album on the turntable to snap me out of the malaise). Damn, I miss the almost nihilistic joie de vivre of the 1980's.
I'm a 70s teen (1972 was an amazing year for music!) and the 80s didn't fail us though disco made us worried that was the future of music. We shouldn't have worried, the music now is more worrisome than disco ever was!
You carry on Casey Kasems' legacy well. It's one of the reasons I watch this channel. You sort of sound like him but you have the gift of being able to make every song sound epic and personal at the same time.
I used to work in radio and we got the Casey kasem show on CD. I still have a bunch of them. Once in awhile I put them in and it takes me back to those days. He had such a great show.
You captured the sentiment PERFECTLY. It's like I'm being transported back in time. I feel like I'm back at the exact moment in time. Leader of the Band? With my High School girlfriend who had a red Vega. Talk about not having a worry!
God, what I wouldn't give to go back to a time when "I was playing with my Star Wars figures without a care in the world." Not a day goes by where I don't covet those magical halcyon days.
@@MrM-u3h As sad as this may sound to some, I'd rather have spent my past thirty years reliving my first sixteen years. "Adulting" is definitely not for me. Never been good at it. Never going to be good at it. Don't want any part of it.
81, Jr. High days, just lost Lennon in 80. Music helped. Did not realize the younger days would end so fast. Thanks Professor for being back the good days of music.
I know. Time flies, and you just don't know where it went. I was 10 in 1981 and don't clearly remember the music of that year first hand. But that's the great thing about channels like the Professor. He does a great job of recapturing the past, even if it only for a few moments.
I had so many memories watching this - I turned 13 in 1981 - I remember my mom driving me and my friends home from the movies and "Who's Cryin' Now" and The Police "Spirits in the Material World" playing on the radio. I remember how popular "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" was - those beads Stevie Nicks wore in her hair in the video were so popular - all the girls were wearing them. We would go to the mall on the weekends and buy all different colors of beads from the store Spencer's to wear in our hair. I remember "My Endless Love" being a super popular song, but my mom wouldn't let me see that movie. I remember my friend and I would steal her mom's cigarettes and smoke in the woods in the back of her house and listen to "Tattoo You" on a boom box - of course, we never inhaled...LOL! I remember we had just put in cable at my house - we lived in NY - so we actually had MTV, and the videos were everything, although, Casey Kasem's "America's Top 40" was still really pertinent. The 80s were the best! I can't believe this was so long ago - like a lifetime ago. Very different times. Well, off to watch the "Who's Cryin' Now" video - one of the best guitar solos ever. Also, my favorite Bond themes are "Live and Let Die," "Nobody Does It Better," "View to a Kill," and "You Know My Name."
@@l.rongardner2150 Just another example here, Back then liberals was Liberals and Nazi's where....Nazi's. Today they, way to often, are exactly the same thing. Yet they still pretend to be the antithesis of each other. Things have been ruined by Hypocrisy and Ignorance it would appear.
I LOVE the "Arthur Theme"! Such a great song. Christopher Cross has quite a FEW classics in his repertoire. Man, he could write hit songs with seemingly, little to NO effort. "Ride Like the Wind" and "It's Alright"...both, fantastic tracks! :)
Im 51, makes me miss the 80s so much, the music seemed to glue us all together in one way or another. Strange how a song can bring on such strong feelings and memories you pretty much have forgotten about
LMAO! Almost p*ssed myself laughing! There is NO comparison between today’s music and music from 70’s & 80’s! Continue to love the Redux series... always looking for the next one... Thanks for the video... Rock on Professor!
@@richardflorence3927 No guff! The record companies are too busy scouring the internet for people playing a song in the background of a video, just to rock block them and take down the video! I have to say, that side by side reeeeeally drove that point home lol
1981 - I remember Betty Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes , Morning Train by Sheena Easton , Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon , Cool Night by Paul Davis (RIP), and The Best Of Times by Styx when I was a little 9 year old (my dad loved playing the AM radio 📻 a lot )
It was a superb year, 1980 pretty good too, but 1981 was just a sliver better in my opinion. Every genre in popular music had so many strong album releases; in pop in rock in metal, etc. For me it's probably the strongest year of the whole decade, considering all the great albums of so many different genres on both continents.
I love Paul Davis " I Go Crazy" It's so beautiful and sad at the same time. Didn't want to cry but can't bear to stop listening...like - The Cure "Pictures of You" Dan Fogelberg - "Longer" "Who's Cryin' Now?" ❤ Really want to tell my recent ex that one day..cheating A. Ugg! Oh well...
@@LarryFleetwood8675 True. Later R&B came on strong later with everyone. Luther ❤🧡, Anita, Baby Face, Boyz to Men, "Rappers' Delight" Aerosmith + RUN DMC = Walking THEIR Way, bringing us all together!
I agree. They’ve always been my fav group of all time. I get so tired of ppl making fun of them or comments made that they weren’t anything greater than bubblegum pop 😠 how many of us celebrate their songs as our teen soundtrack? I’ll admit some of their music videos leave me wondering now… like, who came up with that concept, 😂. .. but there were a lot of goofy video ideas back then. For lyrics & music writing, Journey just can’t b beat! All their music brings back so many great memories & times n my life! It carried me thru all my life’s hard times and good times. There will never b another Steve Perry!!!! Love that man, and they created magic together 🥰
What they made in the 80s were musical compositions with verses and choruses and bridges. What he contrasted it with is more like lifestyle noise, a bunch of sounds placed over a beat.
Every generation wants its own heroes. I detest House music and any derivative but there is a generation high on the drug of the day that has memories of their younger days and the music of that time. That’s nostalgia for you.
@@andrewflanders262 Yep, to be honest, kinda like that free form jazz rock that Journey originally played. there's a reason they are remembered, and that's because they were forced to ditch that free form crap and craft actual songs with a good signer. Though I will say, I'm pretty sure I'd rather listen to the original Journey lineup with the free form jazz rock than today's stuff.
I was at the Live in Houston concert for Journey in 1981! So, essentially, I am on that DVD as well! One of my earliest concerts that I went to here in Houston! Turned me into a life long Steve Smith fan!
Nice to see Sheena Easton mentioned. I live in Glasgow and she's largely forgotten / disliked here for basing herself in the USA so early in her career. I went down to London to see her staring the West End a few years ago. Her voice is still amazing, a massive range. I met her at the stage door after the performance, she was very warm and likable
I'd rather hear her singing. Staring isn't worth the ticket price. Prince was a fan of Miss Easton. I presume he bedded her. Esther Rantzen discovered her.
@@canturgan She doesn't tour the UK anymore, so this was the next best thing 👍 We'll worth going, she was great that night, singing, acting and chatting after the show👏👏👏
One of my old buddies attended the Johnny Carson show in the late 80’s and saw her perform “The Lover in Me”. He said he and many other guys needed a cold shower right after that. Haha. She has a helluva good voice too.
My sister contracted COVID-19 last month. She became so ill she was hospitalized and things were going downhill fast. She did have her cellphone with her so I got the idea to share with her a music video from Journey, her favorite band. She told me that she immediately began to cheer up and began to fight back against this awful disease. So each day I would send her another Journey video to keep her spirits up. She was hospitalized for 2 weeks and spent another week in a rehabilitation facility to get her strength back. She thanked me for sending her the videos and credits the music and prayers for helping her pull through.Who's Crying Now is one of her best loved Journey songs and she never gets tired of it. If Journey is able to see this, thank you for your part in saving my sister's life.
@@thedys70 She did not because she is allergic to one of the ingredients in the vaccine and her doctor recommended that she not take it. Otherwise she probably would have.
"Stop Dragging My Heart Around" will ALWAYS be #1 to me! This single wins the battle hands down. I truly had never heard two people who sounded the way Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks did. I knew Stevie as the lady who sang "Dreams". I always LOVED that Fleetwood Mac classic. Had no clue, at least in 1981, who that Tom Petty guy really was. YES, I had heard "Don't Do Me Like That" and some of his other songs. But I was not following his career or anything about him. This was THE single that would make me stop what ever I was doing and truly listen. There was this vibe of sorrow and longing mixed with hope and passion. The playing was so tight by the Heartbreakers. Just hearing the music alone gives me serious flashbacks to people and places gone by. The innocence of being a child. A friend, a girl, and a place I can never go back to again. You can never go home again? This song was my home that I lived inside of.
@@ProfessorofRock I finally got to see Tom perform with the Heartbreakers in Grand Rapids, MI several yrs ago and he really brought the house down. Definitely one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen an audience quite as excited as that one was. Even as we were all walking out of the arena, hundreds of ppl were clapping and shouting “Woo!”. Haha
I think Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" is my favorite James Bond theme. What always impressed me about "Start Me Up" was the drumming of Charlie Watts. The man was a human metronome. "The Night Owls" is a song I still listen to with much frequency to this very day. I'm very impressed with the high harmony vocals of Graeham Goble. He was so good in that role on so many of their songs.
Carly's song is definitely one of my favourites and it was really my intro to Bond themes as a whole. It was around that time that I started really getting into Bond movies, with the release of TSWLM, so obviously that song was around a lot.
'Start Me Up' along with 'Emotional Rescue' is my favourite Stones song 🙂 And there was an analysis on the Wings Of Pegasus YT channel only recently of the LRB performing 'Lonesome Loser' live on stage; Amazing how they all(!) could sing like that while also playing their instruments! 😀
I'll offer an extended dedication to the great Charlie Watts, a true drummer for the songs, not for the show. I guess he probably passed after this was filmed.
1981 was a difficult year for me. I turned 13 that summer, my parents were divorced and my mom had moved 600 miles away. She had wanted to take us kids with her but a judge decided that we were going to stay in IN with our dad. The songs from 1980-83 stoke feelings in me that I can't explain, but I still enjoy hearing them. Grateful for this channel!!
It is hard to pick top vocalists, but Dan Fogelberg is probably the best male artist!! He had such a dynamic and controlled voice. I went to lots of concerts back in the 70's and his was one of them. His was one of my favorites as I could not believe his voice on stage. Usually artists do not necessarily deliver as well as when they are in the studio and get to pick and choose the best rendition. His delivery on stage was perfect!!
Someone tell me why doesn’t this channel have MILLIONS of Subs and Likes!!!???!!! I just don’t get it. 🤔 Let’s keep spreading the word about this amazing channel and the great job Adam and his team are doing to bring us the very best content of the songs we all love and live to!
I was living in Baltimore, and a new manager of an operations department with a large investment firm. I was picking up a few of my peers with my car, and realized that a cassette of Journey's greatest hits was in the player. So I hid it thinking that they would think I was playing too soft of rock. Then, and fortunately, the largest guy in the group (that had to squeeze into my front seat), say the cassette cover and was all jacked-up and was so happy because he loved Journey...I was a rock star after that.
Ever think of doing a ranking of the top 10 rock acts by popularity, and comparing them to the top 10 non-music people/acts in pop culture...ie: Ali, President Kennedy, Pele...
Thanks professor for another great segment, I always love your content. This is some of my earliest memories of music, I was 6 years old in ‘81. I remember hearing Arthur’s Theme, Who’s Crying Now, Step By Step, Endless Love a lot on the radio and we owned several of these songs on 45’s. I used to play those records a lot. Great memories from growing up back then. And all I listen too now is 70’s, 80’s, and very early 90’s. Thanks professor for the great job you do with these video segments, keep up the great work. 👍😎🎶💯
“Proves today’s music is bad.” Well, you weren’t wrong, and that’s not the only bad thing. 😂 It’s no wonder that today’s “artists” fight over tiny snippets of music created by musicians from the 70s and 80s. I was a fan of the Duran Duran Bond music, View to a Kill.
A good friend and I often say we are blessed to have been born when we were as it meant music from the '60s-'80s was such a part of our growth from kids to adults. I'm now in my mid-60s and there are songs I liked 40 years ago that affect me differently now. They were great then, but with life experience they take on new meaning and can hit me on a very emotional level, even bringing tears to my eyes ... usually just tears of sheer joy. I actually feel sorry for people growing up with the music that is popular today. I can't honestly see them having what currently passes for hits as being something that will move them in mind and spirit 40 years from now. There is still plenty of good music out there, but I find it listening more to independently produced pieces rather than the tunes with big money behind them.
1980-1983 are the sweetest spot years for me. Those were my high school years and such a very special time period in my life. Great music was just everywhere and all over the charts. This top 10 is an excellent example of that fact.
@Anna Trail From one of your previous comments, I remember you saying that you were born in 1966. I was born in 1965 so we're in the same age group. That also explains why you and I have very similar taste in music.
Professor of Rock just wanted to say, all the cool kids of 70’s/80’s rock, appreciate your work. Our music was loved yet it had to come to an end. It now has aged like a fine wine. Sophisticated, edgy, sweet and salty. Keep Rockin’ with all the greats!! You are appreciated.
My first live concert was The Little River Band back then. Absolutely loved them. I was the only fan in my school. So many good memories with most of these songs. I had a huge crush on Stevie Nicks back then. I still love Sheena as well. She is so pretty.
The 80s music seems more openly emotional, vulnerable, exciting, innocent and telling a story that they take you on unlike today's music which seems more down. Even grunge was electric and grabbed you emotionally.
The Supremes and Dianna Ross had hit after hit on the 60’s charts. The Commodores and Lionel Richie had a long run of top hits through the 70’s and 80’s. What a perfect pairing of pop royalty. And my favorite Bond song? McCartney’s rocker Live And Let Die. Lots of fun live.
@@TheWorldTeacher I agree. That's why I love the early 1980s much more than than the latter 1980s. It still had some similar sounds remaining from the 1970s which is my favorite decade of music.
Fogelberg is one of those artists I call "cleaning the garage" bands. Reminds me of being a kid in the late 70s and early 80s and balancing the tinny radio with a single speaker on a tire and listening to pop music while cleaning the garage. Summer Breeze will bring that nostalgia out every time.
Seeing Eddie Rabbit 🐰 reminds me that not only has Rock/Pop gone downhill but Country as well. Back then, artists like Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Charlie Daniels, Eddie, etc. were putting out alot of really catchy songs. Now, with a few exceptions, Country is mostly bland.
People think black people don't like country, we do, but old country from the 50s to the 80s, Caribbean people loved old country but alas, the genre has fallen
Too much Hip Hop influence in Country music. Drives me nuts with these crossover songs. Stopped listening to Country 20 years ago. When I tune in now , there is nothing to draw me back.
Don't ever apologize. You know and we know what good, really talented music sounds like. The others don't know what they say or know the difference in quality, especially the ones that are not even music reviewers but are very loud about their lack of refinement and knowledge.
Journey Escape. My dad bought my first tape of this album. I ended up having to buy another tape after I literally wore the first tape out! Journey & Triumph were my go to's.
I love both of those bands. Triumph was always on my boombox but Journey was everywhere. I think for rock fans who liked to hear their favorite band on the radio, Journey's Escape was hard to top. But like another person mentioned, Rush released Moving Pictures that year and you and I know that Triumph released Allied Forces. it was a very good year for music!!
I really love this feature . I was 15 in ‘81 and these are the songs that formed my teen years. Now, even songs I didn’t particularly like back then get listened to with nostalgia.
I graduated from high school, in 1981… This look back on some very groovy songs! I was also a young apprentice DJ at a small town radio station, and I played some of these songs on Friday and Saturday nights… And boy to I remember the start up of MTV, which was cool back then, because they played music 🎶….
Christopher Cross had vocal issues after catching COVID last year.... he was down and out for a few months, but he's back now... glad he recovered! What a voice, what a performer ☺
Christopher Cross is out on his 40th anniversary tour and I have tickets to his concert. It’ll be my 15th C C concert only because he’s my all time favorite artist.
Lots of memories in this list, I was amazed that Dan Fogelberg's Innocent Age is 40 years old. I loved that album and all of Dan's music. Another coincidence is the fact that I was just thinking about Christopher Cross the other day and wondering where he is today. Good to hear he's still touring...
1981 is the year I fell in love with listening to the radio and all of these songs hold special memories of how good and eclectic the Top 40 was back then. Even as an early teenager, I really thought there waa something sophisticated about "Arthur's Theme." It hit it big the right time of the year. Think about driving at 5 pm and it's dark out, and this song comes on the radio. From the quiet piano intro to way the saxophone eventually jazzes it up, this is one heckuva record!
1981 was a difficult year 😪. I was 10 years old and my Dad got a new job. We moved from Spokane to Seattle area. I was sad because I leaving my Best friend behind. I started the new school full of anxiety because I didn't know anyone and the school was so much bigger. In October my Grandpa had a heart attack and died. This is the first time I experienced death and grieving. Our pets hadn't even died yet.. The following spring, my parents legally separated. Alot of things at once for a kid. My radio has always been my coping mechanism and distraction. Favorites from this video: 1. I'm a fan of Sheena Easton, Hall and Oates, and Christopher Cross. I hope you get to interview Chris. 2. Only For You is a great Bond song. Also View To A Kill by Duran Duran is another favorite. 3. Dukes of Hazzard was a classic. "We just the good Ole boys, nevertheless meaning no harm, having trouble from the law since the day we were born..." 🎶 Waylon Jennings. I love these countdowns. The early 80s had some real gems compared to today. Hit after hit and these songs are timeless and still get radio play. 👍😊❤
I have a tie for my favorite James Bond Theme song... Carly Simon's Nobody Does It Better, and Duran Duran's View To A Kill. Both songs are awesome to me.
The best Bond theme songs are in order: Skyfall - Adele Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney Nobody Does it Better - Carly Simon A View to Kill - Duran Duran Goldfinger - Shirley Bassey The rest are forgettable.
One of the best Bond songs was bumped to the end credits by Sheryl Crow's Tomorrow Never Dies, as she was the more commercial of the two singers. k.d lang's Surrender is such a classic Bond-style theme and should have been the opening song, and the official theme. Watch the rescored opening scene here: ruclips.net/video/6zIbOL8SSCY/видео.html
I was eleven in 1981 and I loved Hall and Oats. My older sister would give me a hard time because she said that they weren’t cool. I still like them. My memories are wrapped in the music of the time. Thank you for helping me remember.
Love Little River Band Time Exposure! It was my first vinyl record to go with my first turntable on Christmas that year. The songs: Night Owls, Take It Easy On Me, Man on Your Mind, etc etc. are some of the best LRB hits ever! So cool to see it finally get its props. Eddie Rabbitt Drivin my Life Away is in his “Horizon” album. I love the hits of the early 80’s. Every time Carrie’s great memories for me
Glad to hear love for John Farnham. One of the most phenomenal performers of all time, IMO. Right up there with Freddie. Shamefully unknown in the USA.
Saga's video for their song "On The Loose" got airplay on MTV, but beyond that they were highly underrated and underappreciated. Their album "Worlds Apart" is a masterpiece.
Hey Jon Paleologos , Worlds Apart is my favorite album, love SAGA. On the Loose has that spectacular intro just like Rush' Tom Sayer, right? Time's up, Wind Him Up, etc, the album is like Thriller, all the songs are awesome! No fillers =)
I'm simultaneously writing comments on SAGA's fb page right now! 😁 One of my all-time favourite bands! Canada has produced some great Music over the years! 🙂
I was 13 in '81 and getting an interest in music, I now realize I was horribly spoiled early on. Hall & Oates were great, Journey, LRB, Phil Collins, Cross overs like Islands in the Stream, and Eddie Rabbit.. radio was a gem in those days.
Islands in the stream which had the melody lifted for Ghetto Superstar. I remember hearing that song when it was new and thinking I know this chorus. AHA Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton! (did not know at the time Kenny and Dolly had only covered it)
Now that I’m 55 and lived carelessly in the 80’s as a teen, I have came back in touch with the song “The Boys of summer” Don Henley and think of teenage love that I never would stop loving. This song I can see a few girls I date that fit the lyrics. “I can see you, your brown skin shinning in the sun, your hair slicked back with your Way farers on! We all have made contact with each other and stay in contact with old friends and girlfriends. Music is what will give you memories and break your heart!
#8 _Who's Crying Now_ is my anthem for the fall of 1981. It takes me back to 11th grade Yearbook group when I would teach people the steps to solve the Rubick's Cube with the payment of $1 in Putt-Putt arcade tokens per step. The simple notes at the end were so perfect to hum along with matching those notes in time to the song. It made the song so much fun to the final fadeout or start of the next song coming on the radio.
My God! I haven't listened to the modern chart for years. So thanks professor! You have now reminded me why lol. Those clips you played was so monotonous. They all sounded the same. WTF has happened to music. 🤦♂️
@@BNEradio great voice, no doubt about it. But the music is terrible. I start listening to an adele song feeling depressed, and finish it feeling suicidal. 😂
These were high school staples.... loved those classic albums... although it was cassettes for me... Graduated 1982... so these were classic songs I'd pop in the cassette player to hear on my Jenson Triaxials in my 67 LeMans
My dad had Dan Folgerberg’s Greatest Hits and I had that tape memorized. Loved DF. STILL DO!!!! Have to say Sheena and FYEO held my attention the entire decade. Love everything about the song. CC is the king of yacht rock. Arthur’s Theme is still amazing to hear.
1981, I was a Freshman/Sophomore in high school.....the 1980s were my formative years....while I'm constantly discovering great, new music here on YT, the stuff from the 1980s is incomparable....some of my peers and I know why the youth of today is so miserable.....it's the "music" they listen on the whole....80s music is timeless.
The thing I remember most about 1981, aside from graduating from High School, is that 1981 was the start of the "Power Ballad" era of music. Which for me being a Rock n' Roll guy was a bit hard to stomach. But at least I got Def Leppard "Let it go", Styx "Too much time on my hands", Phil Collins "In the Air tonight", Billy Squier "The Stroke" (and Too Daze Gone), Pat Benatar "Promises in the dark", Pretenders "Message Of Love", and Rush "Limelight" to name a few. In my opinion the "Power Ballad" almost killed Rock music, but it helped get the record sales from the other gender group.
I graduated in 1982. All the songs you mentioned are light years better than most of the songs on this top 10 list. Yeah the power ballad (aka bubble gum rock) is what makes some 80's rock music just plain awful.
@@roryclague5876 The 90s were better...LMFAO 😆 if you call rap ..grunge..generic waterd down annoying garbage from that sorry ass decade good...80s music still had groups and artists from the 50s 60s 70s still producing and songwriters lyrics that had decent music you can understand with catchy beats ..90s was a horrible decade for music and the birth and beginning of todays music plus down fall of music 90s is when stopped listening to the radio went back to 50s60s70s80s music that made sence.
Poll: What is your pick for the greatest album and song of 1981, the year MTV was born?
....GOTTA make this fast, so I'll just say...... "STREET SONGS" by Rick James! ....My Step-dad got this LP back then, and I freaked OUT! ...SO scary, so 'street'....and, so FUNKY! ...HA-HAAA!! ...I'll come back later, and add some '81 tunes, so, C-ya!
Billy Squier 'Don't Say No'
Fantastic rockin album from start to finish. Unappreciated signer/songwriter and guitarist imo.
Song, Squier "In The Dark"
That was the year of Journey - Escape. I'll take Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by the Police. I only saw LRB before I posted.
Song: Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie
Album: Greatest Hits by Queen
Best album of 1981: Face Value by Phil and the best song In The Air Tonight. Face Value is one of the best debut albums of all times and Phil Collins is the most prolific and talented music genius!!
What made the 80's so magical was that you were exposed to different genres of music. You had Pop, Rock, Hard Rock, Soft Rock, Heavy Metal, New Wave, Country Crossovers and artist collaborations; just good quality stuff being released. Nowadays, it's ALL ABOUT/Revolves around Hip Hop and R&B.
😁👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
It's what I always say about the 80's. Add the tail end of Disco, punk, and folk from the late 70's. At the end of the 80's you also have the start of alternative, grunge, and - yes - Hip Hop.
Not everyone likes Hip Hop and Rap. You said R&B but I would argue that it's not even R&B because you have to actually sing and play an instrument. What this new top 40 stuff is, is just CRAP.
Yes! Everything was played. I miss that.
And, whether it was radio, or TV show guest spots with the artists appearing, or the featured music programs like Solid Gold, Star Search, Dance Fever, or your local/national music and/or video show, or Friday Night Videos, Night Flight...or even Puttin' on The Hits...you were sure to get that variety, each time...and not just the one or two 'same ol, same ol'!
1981 was the beginning of a five-year arc where pop/top 40/new wave music was really unparalleled and never will be matched: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985. Glad i lived to experience it while it was unfolding.
Apologies to 1980
While likely true, I think the "period" of good music occured between 1975 through 1995. That entire 20 year period just had so much good stuff, but it was leveling off starting in 1990 and was pretty much gone by 1995 and totally so by the 2,000's. I just put together my digital music collection of my most favorite songs of the last 60 years, and the 80's alone had like 6 TIMES or more the number of good music as the last 20 or 30 YEARS has had.
@@leeuniverse Agreed about 75 through 95, but I would widen it to 70 through 95. The peak years I mentioned (81 thru 85) are for pop/top 40/new wave. I think for rock (including hard rock, metal and grunge) and pop and new wave broadly, then 70 through 95. That 25-year period will not happen again. I would love to be a fly on a wall a hundred years from now to see how music fans in 2121 like music from 1970 to 1995.
@@zoso73 ... Ya, depends. For me a lot of that early 70's music was a bit to "wonkey" for me.
I will say that there maybe has been a bit more "New Age" and Ethnic type music in the last 20 years than we had back then. I do still need to find and download some of that. While we DID have some good stuff like Cusco, Kitaro, Giovanni, John Tesh, Yanni, etc. there wasn't the amount back then that might exist today that I'm not as familiar with and still need to research and download to find again etc.
As to further what the future will be, I'm scared crapless now. Music changing so much seems to be a reflection of society itself, and we all know how that's going to ****.
The period of good or great music preceded the 1980s and in some cases survived the end of 1980s music. 1980s music didn't appear from a vacuum but was inspired by preceding artists. Burton Cummings was inspired by predecessors but charted his own course. Randy Bachman was inspired by a jazz musician and other musicians. He charted his own course and was in two very successful yet different bands, The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive!
Listening to this great 80's stuff makes us realize most of the "artists" today, who are trying to pass their stuff off as music, should be ashamed of themselves. 😎
It seems the best "modern" artists seem to do is steel from great past decades music like 60s, 70s and 80s
I agree I seen some band on Jimmy Fallon's show and I got maybe 30 seconds into it and I couldn't stand it .
No one can answer the question, "what the f*** is wrong with today's music?" My local station happened to play "California Dreamin'" as their song before the six o'clock news today, and I was thinking, why, oh why, is there nothing that is remotely as riveting, interesting, or engaging being put out now? It is years since I have heard anything the slightest bit interesting musically. There are no hooks, there is no musical content at all any more. And I have not yet seen an explanation that makes sense. Is it something in the water that has erased musical inspiration? Is it just gone?
@@bumpyroad3251 I don't think they even do that. If they just stole at least part of the music would be good. They can't even do that right.
I remember a book review from years ago. "Good and origional. However, what is good about it is not original, and what is original is not good."
Stealing and doing a variation is sometimes called "creativity". Some great stuff came out of that. But it's not happening now. NOTHING is happening now.
Lol, Adele’s new song is better than any of those songs in that list. I don’t even like Adele, but quality is quality.
"Today's music ain't got the same soul, I like that old time Rock n' Roll" -- No better way to describe it!!
Couldn't have said it any better
Amen to that!
as someone who loved the 50,and 60s music I agree
The worst part of that 2021 top 3...THEY ALL SOUNDED THE SAME
Exactly
I've always loved Dan Fogelberg. His tribute to his Dad, Leader of the Band, shows the tender heart this songwriter was made of. Gone much too soon. R I P Dan.
loved Longer
Todays music just reflects how far society has fallen. The music today is pure SHIT! Glad I am in my fifties and got to live during some of the best periods of music.
So you heard Biebers Yummy too?
@@gaywizard2000 I can't listen to todays garbage. Sounds like white noise
AMEN brother...
Okay Boomer
@@magenlin proud to be (actually Gen X) but enjoy your shit music
You weren't being negative saying today's music is bad; You were being generous. Today's music is unbearable. Truth hurts gen Z. Truth hurts.
Thank you my friend.
You mean that stuff he played near the end of the video is "MUSIC"?!?? :-o
@Invisible Man ...it always sounds like rap crap to me ....
@@DocXango again talking about top 40 music. There is plenty of good music today... you just won't hear it in the charts except for a rare occasion like when Adele comes out with something... Please don't misunderstand me.
It's not gen z's fault. It is Marxist Boomers pushing the toxic music on them.
In addition to Eddie Rabbit, Dan Fogelberg and Tom Petty, don't forget we also recently lost Charlie Watts who was responsible for a good chunk of the Rolling Stones' sound.
Yeah, it was a bit of an oversight not to dedicate the video to Charlie as well.
Dan Fogelberg ‘s been dead for 14 yrs.
@@SydneyGreenstreet1227 I guess it was Part of the Plan.
@@SydneyGreenstreet1227 Ummm, right, he's no longer with us, that kind of means he's dead, right? How long someone's been dead for was not at all in any way/shape/form part of the Professor's equation here bud... perk up yer ears!
@@aimformyheadplease Perk up your reading skills,bud. I wasn’t responding to the Professor.
The comparison of current music and the classics speaks for itself.
You weren't being negative, you were just being honest 😆 I mean your signoff IS "three chords and the truth!"
There IS no comparison between today’s “music” and the music listed in this video alone! Yesterday’s music had soul, heart, and it took talent. Not so much in today’s realm of cookie cutter, auto-tune vocals, etc. I seriously doubt you’ll remember where you were the first time you heard W.A.P…….. But I digress. I’d bet a years salary there’s more people that can recall where they were, what they were doing, or what they were feeling the first time they heard a song like Start Me Up. I’d guarantee it! There’s a damn good reason a lot of these bands and artists are still touring today. It’s because there’s an audience still for good music. Keep up the good work Professor!
The Stones' Tattoo You concert was my first ever at the iconic Madison Square Garden. Happy days, simpler times. Man, I wish I could write a letter to myself and deliver it to the cocky me in 1981.
Auto tune can be crap but It can be great. Look at hyper pop artists like the Late Great Sophie or 100 Gecks. Auto tune can be pushed so far it becomes artistic
What has happened to music is that it has been kicked into a corner,
because it was becoming too powerful for the powers-that-be. FIGHT BACK and SHARE THIS.
Two more to share: and
If you want to hear complicated hard rock music that is being produced today all you have to do is listen to Band Maid from Japan, it's music that will definitely be talked about in 40 year's.
I think there is good stuff out there , you just have to dig around the internet to find it. But yeah for the most part I would have to agree with ya.
For me, the pinnacle of 1981 music is Rush's 'Moving Pictures' album.
nb have to agree friends and i saw the band on the m.o. m.p. tour roanoke va. unlikely place got there early stood right in front of geddy for entire show he came down greeted pretty sparse crowd including us and went back on stage said in to thanks us for coming he said we are going to play 2112 they performed the entire song start to finish blew our minds what a band never saw them again
Saw Rush on that tour in June ‘81, memory is seared
yeh kat irish was 2nd concert ever attended was 18 yrs old just out of h.s. they were so umique and dynamic unforgettable even 40 years later other highlights recall was xanadau and of course yyz neil was amazing to.hear that close red barchetta was an alex highlight ironic was only time saw the band even so years later no way would be up close again if ever had another opoortunity to see the band by contrast for example hank jr came 81 mob packed rush we came early 1000.folks ar best walked right to the stage looking back no way couldvt happened again
@Norwegian Blue... You have just become the new Professor of Rock sir!
@@marktait2371 m.o.m.p.? what's that? all i could find was "mitochondria outer membrane permeability", lol!
I love when you go back to the music in a specific year. So many great ones in 1981.
Thanks my friend!
One aspect of 80s music that I loved was it’s sense of humor. It didn’t take itself too seriously. Just look at the videos for “Our Love’s in Jeopardy”, “She Blinded Me with Science” and “Safety Dance” as some examples.
Even when songs tried to get serious, the artists put out videos that made us laugh. Look at "It's a Mistake" by Men At Work or "Land of Confusion" by Genesis, two songs about the Cold War and the threat of nuclear destruction, but those are highly entertaining tunes. Less entertaining was Sting's "Russians," a brilliant song with similar themes but so dry and painful that I wanted to drink a bottle of bourbon and slash my wrists every time I heard it (at least until I dropped Van Halen's first album on the turntable to snap me out of the malaise). Damn, I miss the almost nihilistic joie de vivre of the 1980's.
I'm a 70s teen (1972 was an amazing year for music!) and the 80s didn't fail us though disco made us worried that was the future of music. We shouldn't have worried, the music now is more worrisome than disco ever was!
You carry on Casey Kasems' legacy well. It's one of the reasons I watch this channel. You sort of sound like him but you have the gift of being able to make every song sound epic and personal at the same time.
I used to work in radio and we got the Casey kasem show on CD. I still have a bunch of them. Once in awhile I put them in and it takes me back to those days. He had such a great show.
You captured the sentiment PERFECTLY. It's like I'm being transported back in time. I feel like I'm back at the exact moment in time. Leader of the Band? With my High School girlfriend who had a red Vega. Talk about not having a worry!
Rhaggy! Rhaggy! Eee hee hee heeee!
1¹++
He sounds nothing like Casey
God, what I wouldn't give to go back to a time when "I was playing with my Star Wars figures without a care in the world." Not a day goes by where I don't covet those magical halcyon days.
Did you ever build shit for them with your LEGO’s or Lincoln Logs? Or pit Star Wars vs GI Joe guys? Ahhh the days of yore…..
@@ps5392 Dam Straight Pat! 👍
If anyone has access to a time traveling DeLorean, come pick me up would ya? I've absolutely positively had my fill of present day.
Sucks how we only get to be care free kids for about a decade. Then it's pretty much adulting for the next 80 years.
@@MrM-u3h As sad as this may sound to some, I'd rather have spent my past thirty years reliving my first sixteen years. "Adulting" is definitely not for me. Never been good at it. Never going to be good at it. Don't want any part of it.
I think I've listened to Journey's "Escape" (in it's entirety), way over 842 million times, since I bought the album.
Such a great album. I can listen to it from start to finish without skipping a single song. Same with Frontiers except, I do skip Back Talk though.
81, Jr. High days, just lost Lennon in 80. Music helped. Did not realize the younger days would end so fast. Thanks Professor for being back the good days of music.
I know. Time flies, and you just don't know where it went. I was 10 in 1981 and don't clearly remember the music of that year first hand. But that's the great thing about channels like the Professor. He does a great job of recapturing the past, even if it only for a few moments.
I had so many memories watching this - I turned 13 in 1981 - I remember my mom driving me and my friends home from the movies and "Who's Cryin' Now" and The Police "Spirits in the Material World" playing on the radio. I remember how popular "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" was - those beads Stevie Nicks wore in her hair in the video were so popular - all the girls were wearing them. We would go to the mall on the weekends and buy all different colors of beads from the store Spencer's to wear in our hair. I remember "My Endless Love" being a super popular song, but my mom wouldn't let me see that movie. I remember my friend and I would steal her mom's cigarettes and smoke in the woods in the back of her house and listen to "Tattoo You" on a boom box - of course, we never inhaled...LOL! I remember we had just put in cable at my house - we lived in NY - so we actually had MTV, and the videos were everything, although, Casey Kasem's "America's Top 40" was still really pertinent. The 80s were the best! I can't believe this was so long ago - like a lifetime ago. Very different times. Well, off to watch the "Who's Cryin' Now" video - one of the best guitar solos ever. Also, my favorite Bond themes are "Live and Let Die," "Nobody Does It Better," "View to a Kill," and "You Know My Name."
Looking forward to your conversation with Christopher Cross! 👍👍
I heard that he didn't have "the look" for MTV so he popularity waned after that era.
@@libena1973 he is touring. Saw him last night. Was going to see him 2 years ago but he got Covid
None of this week's top 10 music will be remembered 40 years from now.
They won't be remembered next year hahahaha
If the last minute of this video is a sign of anything, it's that there will be no "40 years from now."
Perfectly true statement, puppetsnob!!!
Totally agree. That garbage I hear being spewed out of car speakers is like nails on a chalkboard.
@@petergunn3614
👍🤣🤣👍
They may not be remembered next month!
40 years ago, music was how muaic waa supposed to be. Beautiful melody, meaningful lyrics, and catxhy tunes.
With rare exceptions, exactly the opposite of today's "music," which is really anti-music.
A lot of simple pop songs ,ugh.
@@l.rongardner2150 Just another example here, Back then liberals was Liberals and Nazi's where....Nazi's. Today they, way to often, are exactly the same thing. Yet they still pretend to be the antithesis of each other.
Things have been ruined by Hypocrisy and Ignorance it would appear.
I LOVE the "Arthur Theme"! Such a great song. Christopher Cross has quite a FEW classics in his repertoire. Man, he could write hit songs with seemingly, little to NO effort. "Ride Like the Wind" and "It's Alright"...both, fantastic tracks! :)
Remember Burt Bacharach had his fingerprints all over Arthur's Theme; I thought it should have won the Academy Award, and song of the year.
Im 51, makes me miss the 80s so much, the music seemed to glue us all together in one way or another. Strange how a song can bring on such strong feelings and memories you pretty much have forgotten about
I have all the Casey kasems top 40, and year end top 100 songs, bought them off ebay
@@shawnmyers1880 it was such a simple treat just to listen to that countdown back in the day
Favorite Bond theme - “A View to a Kill” by Duran Duran. The absolute best!!!
I agree. It’s the perfect Bond theme.
It's a tie for me between "A View to a Kill" & "The Living Daylights"
Would have to choose between the spy who loved me or for your eyes only. Would give a slight nod to for your eyes only
Duran Duran was everything
Live and let die
LMAO! Almost p*ssed myself laughing! There is NO comparison between today’s music and music from 70’s & 80’s! Continue to love the Redux series... always looking for the next one... Thanks for the video... Rock on Professor!
There's no good music being promoted any longer... today's music isn't music!
@@richardflorence3927 No guff! The record companies are too busy scouring the internet for people playing a song in the background of a video, just to rock block them and take down the video! I have to say, that side by side reeeeeally drove that point home lol
@@richardflorence3927 Right on! More like audio spectrum pollution! :)
@@richardflorence3927 If you can't find any good music in 2021, you're just not bothering to look. Granted, it isn't in the top 40.
1981 - I remember Betty Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes , Morning Train by Sheena Easton , Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon , Cool Night by Paul Davis (RIP), and The Best Of Times by Styx when I was a little 9 year old (my dad loved playing the AM radio 📻 a lot )
It was a superb year, 1980 pretty good too, but 1981 was just a sliver better in my opinion. Every genre in popular music had so many strong album releases; in pop in rock in metal, etc. For me it's probably the strongest year of the whole decade, considering all the great albums of so many different genres on both continents.
Classics!!
Paul Davis was a gem.
I love Paul Davis
" I Go Crazy" It's so beautiful and sad at the same time. Didn't want to cry but can't bear to stop listening...like - The Cure
"Pictures of You"
Dan Fogelberg - "Longer"
"Who's Cryin' Now?" ❤
Really want to tell my recent ex that one day..cheating A.
Ugg! Oh well...
@@LarryFleetwood8675
True. Later R&B came on strong later with everyone.
Luther ❤🧡, Anita, Baby Face, Boyz to Men, "Rappers' Delight"
Aerosmith + RUN DMC =
Walking THEIR Way, bringing us all together!
For that week "Our Lips Are Sealed", the first single by the Go-Go's, was just off the Top 40 by one position at #41.
Dan Fogelberg is one of my all time favorites. Nice Dedication at the end to him and to Eddie Rabbit and Tom Petty
Best James Bond theme song in my opinion: “Live and Let Die.” It’s a rock symphony.
The original, not the remake
Agree, if a tie with Skyfall
I agree, & it's also the most exciting part of a McCartney concert with the massive fire cannons blasting.
@@trout211 I was in the 10th row for a show a few years back. My eyebrows still haven't grown back completely.
Paul is my favorite Beatle
Still listen to Escape religiously. Not only the greatest album of the year but one of the greatest of all time.
Not just that but the best AOR/“Corporate Rock” album of all time.
I agree. They’ve always been my fav group of all time. I get so tired of ppl making fun of them or comments made that they weren’t anything greater than bubblegum pop 😠 how many of us celebrate their songs as our teen soundtrack? I’ll admit some of their music videos leave me wondering now… like, who came up with that concept, 😂. .. but there were a lot of goofy video ideas back then. For lyrics & music writing, Journey just can’t b beat! All their music brings back so many great memories & times n my life! It carried me thru all my life’s hard times and good times. There will never b another Steve Perry!!!! Love that man, and they created magic together 🥰
Definitely in the Top 10 (maybe even Top 5) of best AOR Albums of all time.
@@staceyroberts3468 Yes I miss when he was actively singing.
In the heat with a blue Jean girl. She pulled me down, oh, in the clover we’d go round !!!
How can anyone, who isn’t with a biased mind, listen to today’s monotone “music” and think it was comparable to past classics???
What they made in the 80s were musical compositions with verses and choruses and bridges. What he contrasted it with is more like lifestyle noise, a bunch of sounds placed over a beat.
Kids today who don't have a reference, we gotta introduce it to them.
Every generation wants its own heroes. I detest House music and any derivative but there is a generation high on the drug of the day that has memories of their younger days and the music of that time. That’s nostalgia for you.
@@iainstirling1475 Yea, mushrooms and house go hand in hand. Good shrooms will make any song seem great.
@@andrewflanders262 Yep, to be honest, kinda like that free form jazz rock that Journey originally played. there's a reason they are remembered, and that's because they were forced to ditch that free form crap and craft actual songs with a good signer.
Though I will say, I'm pretty sure I'd rather listen to the original Journey lineup with the free form jazz rock than today's stuff.
Christopher Cross song Sailing reminds me of my Dad teaching me how to sail
I miss my Dad but this song always makes me smile with the memory
I was at the Live in Houston concert for Journey in 1981! So, essentially, I am on that DVD as well! One of my earliest concerts that I went to here in Houston! Turned me into a life long Steve Smith fan!
Nice to see Sheena Easton mentioned. I live in Glasgow and she's largely forgotten / disliked here for basing herself in the USA so early in her career. I went down to London to see her staring the West End a few years ago. Her voice is still amazing, a massive range. I met her at the stage door after the performance, she was very warm and likable
I'd rather hear her singing. Staring isn't worth the ticket price. Prince was a fan of Miss Easton. I presume he bedded her. Esther Rantzen discovered her.
@@canturgan She doesn't tour the UK anymore, so this was the next best thing 👍 We'll worth going, she was great that night, singing, acting and chatting after the show👏👏👏
One of my old buddies attended the Johnny Carson show in the late 80’s and saw her perform “The Lover in Me”. He said he and many other guys needed a cold shower right after that. Haha. She has a helluva good voice too.
I’ll take 1981 music over 2021 any day. Thank you for the episode
Me too it was my birth year
Music today can't stand up to what we had back in the day. Our parents probably said the same. 😄
Me too I was born in 1981
AWOMON TO THAT😀❤️😀❤️
We had to learn line dancing to Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love A Rainy Night” in gym class in the mid-80s.
UGH.
Love Eddie Rabbit!
I was 16 in 1980; this is the music I loved :-). Also loved the 70's music.
My sister contracted COVID-19 last month. She became so ill she was hospitalized and things were going downhill fast. She did have her cellphone with her so I got the idea to share with her a music video from Journey, her favorite band. She told me that she immediately began to cheer up and began to fight back against this awful disease. So each day I would send her another Journey video to keep her spirits up. She was hospitalized for 2 weeks and spent another week in a rehabilitation facility to get her strength back. She thanked me for sending her the videos and credits the music and prayers for helping her pull through.Who's Crying Now is one of her best loved Journey songs and she never gets tired of it. If Journey is able to see this, thank you for your part in saving my sister's life.
Sorry Doug, but have to ask - did she get the injections prior?
@@thedys70 She did not because she is allergic to one of the ingredients in the vaccine and her doctor recommended that she not take it. Otherwise she probably would have.
@@dougclark7077 Doctor's advice might have saved her life here; it could have been much worse. So glad to hear she is recovering.
@@thedys70 Thank you. I am so glad that she is recovering too.
"Stop Dragging My Heart Around" will ALWAYS be #1 to me! This single wins the battle hands down. I truly had never heard two people who sounded the way Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks did. I knew Stevie as the lady who sang "Dreams". I always LOVED that Fleetwood Mac classic. Had no clue, at least in 1981, who that Tom Petty guy really was. YES, I had heard "Don't Do Me Like That" and some of his other songs. But I was not following his career or anything about him. This was THE single that would make me stop what ever I was doing and truly listen. There was this vibe of sorrow and longing mixed with hope and passion. The playing was so tight by the Heartbreakers. Just hearing the music alone gives me serious flashbacks to people and places gone by. The innocence of being a child. A friend, a girl, and a place I can never go back to again. You can never go home again? This song was my home that I lived inside of.
Miss Tom Petty so much. Sooo much.
@@ProfessorofRock I finally got to see Tom perform with the Heartbreakers in Grand Rapids, MI several yrs ago and he really brought the house down. Definitely one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen an audience quite as excited as that one was. Even as we were all walking out of the arena, hundreds of ppl were clapping and shouting “Woo!”. Haha
"Stop draggin' my car around..." - Wierd Al's version. Can't help it.
@@PxThucydides Remember it well. Had the cassette tape.
👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏
I think Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" is my favorite James Bond theme.
What always impressed me about "Start Me Up" was the drumming of Charlie Watts. The man was a human metronome.
"The Night Owls" is a song I still listen to with much frequency to this very day. I'm very impressed with the high harmony vocals of Graeham Goble. He was so good in that role on so many of their songs.
Carly's song is definitely one of my favourites and it was really my intro to Bond themes as a whole. It was around that time that I started really getting into Bond movies, with the release of TSWLM, so obviously that song was around a lot.
I prefer "Live and Let Die".
'Start Me Up' along with 'Emotional Rescue' is my favourite Stones song 🙂 And there was an analysis on the Wings Of Pegasus YT channel only recently of the LRB performing 'Lonesome Loser' live on stage; Amazing how they all(!) could sing like that while also playing their instruments! 😀
Co-winner for me with Live and let Die.
Agree! Simon's was superb.
I'll offer an extended dedication to the great Charlie Watts, a true drummer for the songs, not for the show. I guess he probably passed after this was filmed.
1981 was a difficult year for me. I turned 13 that summer, my parents were divorced and my mom had moved 600 miles away. She had wanted to take us kids with her but a judge decided that we were going to stay in IN with our dad. The songs from 1980-83 stoke feelings in me that I can't explain, but I still enjoy hearing them. Grateful for this channel!!
what about the awesome music of 1984 thru 1989?
It is hard to pick top vocalists, but Dan Fogelberg is probably the best male artist!! He had such a dynamic and controlled voice. I went to lots of concerts back in the 70's and his was one of them. His was one of my favorites as I could not believe his voice on stage. Usually artists do not necessarily deliver as well as when they are in the studio and get to pick and choose the best rendition. His delivery on stage was perfect!!
Sadly I never saw Dan I almost did 2x but sadly never have but everyone always comments how his concerts were amazing. 😢😢
"Who's Crying Now" is the best song on this list.
I like Styx Too much time on my hands from 1981.
Someone tell me why doesn’t this channel have MILLIONS of Subs and Likes!!!???!!!
I just don’t get it. 🤔
Let’s keep spreading the word about this amazing channel and the great job Adam and his team are doing to bring us the very best content of the songs we all love and live to!
If I were Adam, I'd run some google, facebook ad campaigns...
It's really an awesome channel that's for sure.
I was living in Baltimore, and a new manager of an operations department with a large investment firm. I was picking up a few of my peers with my car, and realized that a cassette of Journey's greatest hits was in the player. So I hid it thinking that they would think I was playing too soft of rock. Then, and fortunately, the largest guy in the group (that had to squeeze into my front seat), say the cassette cover and was all jacked-up and was so happy because he loved Journey...I was a rock star after that.
Awesome story. Thanks for sharing.
Ever think of doing a ranking of the top 10 rock acts by popularity, and comparing them to the top 10 non-music people/acts in pop culture...ie: Ali, President Kennedy, Pele...
Thanks professor for another great segment, I always love your content. This is some of my earliest memories of music, I was 6 years old in ‘81. I remember hearing Arthur’s Theme, Who’s Crying Now, Step By Step, Endless Love a lot on the radio and we owned several of these songs on 45’s. I used to play those records a lot. Great memories from growing up back then. And all I listen too now is 70’s, 80’s, and very early 90’s. Thanks professor for the great job you do with these video segments, keep up the great work. 👍😎🎶💯
Who doesn't love Journey?
“Proves today’s music is bad.” Well, you weren’t wrong, and that’s not the only bad thing. 😂 It’s no wonder that today’s “artists” fight over tiny snippets of music created by musicians from the 70s and 80s. I was a fan of the Duran Duran Bond music, View to a Kill.
Worse than bad… it’s horrible
A good friend and I often say we are blessed to have been born when we were as it meant music from the '60s-'80s was such a part of our growth from kids to adults. I'm now in my mid-60s and there are songs I liked 40 years ago that affect me differently now. They were great then, but with life experience they take on new meaning and can hit me on a very emotional level, even bringing tears to my eyes ... usually just tears of sheer joy. I actually feel sorry for people growing up with the music that is popular today. I can't honestly see them having what currently passes for hits as being something that will move them in mind and spirit 40 years from now. There is still plenty of good music out there, but I find it listening more to independently produced pieces rather than the tunes with big money behind them.
1980-1983 are the sweetest spot years for me. Those were my high school years and such a very special time period in my life. Great music was just everywhere and all over the charts. This top 10 is an excellent example of that fact.
Me too! 😊
@Anna Trail From one of your previous comments, I remember you saying that you were born in 1966. I was born in 1965 so we're in the same age group. That also explains why you and I have very similar taste in music.
1977 to 1984 are probably the greatest eight years of music of all time.
@@TheDontflinch I agree. It was certainly the greatest 8 years that I lived through consistently following music.
Add me to this group! Class of 83!😀
SONiC memories...what a PRiViLEGE it was to be a 16 year old DJ in 1981 ❤️
Very cool!
Professor of Rock just wanted to say, all the cool kids of 70’s/80’s rock, appreciate your work. Our music was loved yet it had to come to an end. It now has aged like a fine wine. Sophisticated, edgy, sweet and salty. Keep Rockin’ with all the greats!! You are appreciated.
Yes, I would love to see an interview with Christopher Cross! Just look at the talent and creativity in the older songs!
My first live concert was The Little River Band back then. Absolutely loved them. I was the only fan in my school. So many good memories with most of these songs. I had a huge crush on Stevie Nicks back then. I still love Sheena as well. She is so pretty.
The 80s music seems more openly emotional, vulnerable, exciting, innocent and telling a story that they take you on unlike today's music which seems more down. Even grunge was electric and grabbed you emotionally.
AND FUN!
The Supremes and Dianna Ross had hit after hit on the 60’s charts. The Commodores and Lionel Richie had a long run of top hits through the 70’s and 80’s. What a perfect pairing of pop royalty.
And my favorite Bond song? McCartney’s rocker Live And Let Die. Lots of fun live.
81 was one of the better years of music in the past 40 years.
That's because it was VERY close to the greatest decade of popular music, by far. ;)
@@TheWorldTeacher I agree. That's why I love the early 1980s much more than than the latter 1980s. It still had some similar sounds remaining from the 1970s which is my favorite decade of music.
This vlog has the most 70's take on the 80's ever.
Fogelberg is one of those artists I call "cleaning the garage" bands. Reminds me of being a kid in the late 70s and early 80s and balancing the tinny radio with a single speaker on a tire and listening to pop music while cleaning the garage. Summer Breeze will bring that nostalgia out every time.
I’d like to see/hear a history of John Farnham. There’s a lot of interesting stuff there, and what a voice !
And he still has it💪🏻
This was during my senior year of high school. So many great songs released late 81 and early 82. Great memories!
I’m an 81 baby so I grew up on it
Seeing Eddie Rabbit 🐰 reminds me that not only has Rock/Pop gone downhill but Country as well. Back then, artists like Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Charlie Daniels, Eddie, etc. were putting out alot of really catchy songs. Now, with a few exceptions, Country is mostly bland.
People think black people don't like country, we do, but old country from the 50s to the 80s, Caribbean people loved old country but alas, the genre has fallen
It’s all just about Chris Stapleton now.
Too much Hip Hop influence in Country music. Drives me nuts with these crossover songs. Stopped listening to Country 20 years ago. When I tune in now , there is nothing to draw me back.
@@gordonborsboom7460 Chris Stapleton though
"country" is whiny ass "tear in my beer" compared to home sweet home bullshit
'81 was the high school years for me, freshman year '81/'82. It was a wonderful time to be a teenager, oh the memories are so many and so awesome.
Don't ever apologize. You know and we know what good, really talented music sounds like. The others don't know what they say or know the difference in quality, especially the ones that are not even music reviewers but are very loud about their lack of refinement and knowledge.
Although I appreciate a good ballad as much as anyone, I prefer more upbeat music. So my favorite Bond theme is "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney).
Journey Escape. My dad bought my first tape of this album. I ended up having to buy another tape after I literally wore the first tape out! Journey & Triumph were my go to's.
I love both of those bands. Triumph was always on my boombox but Journey was everywhere. I think for rock fans who liked to hear their favorite band on the radio, Journey's Escape was hard to top. But like another person mentioned, Rush released Moving Pictures that year and you and I know that Triumph released Allied Forces. it was a very good year for music!!
I really love this feature . I was 15 in ‘81 and these are the songs that formed my teen years. Now, even songs I didn’t particularly like back then get listened to with nostalgia.
I was 16... 17 in November 81! That era rocked! Unfortunately R&R is dead 💀.
I was 15 also, great time to be a teenager 😊
I was around the same age. Yes I listen to songs that I didn't like back then for various reasons and respond positively to them now!
I graduated from high school, in 1981… This look back on some very groovy songs! I was also a young apprentice DJ at a small town radio station, and I played some of these songs on Friday and Saturday nights… And boy to I remember the start up of MTV, which was cool back then, because they played music 🎶….
Christopher Cross had vocal issues after catching COVID last year.... he was down and out for a few months, but he's back now... glad he recovered! What a voice, what a performer ☺
Does he still live in Austin?
Christopher Cross is out on his 40th anniversary tour and I have tickets to his concert. It’ll be my 15th C C concert only because he’s my all time favorite artist.
But did you book him for your Millennium Party?
@@ps5392 ha ha , you must be a Seinfeld fan.
@@ps5392 ha ha you must be a Seinfeld fan.
Who's Crying Now guitar solo sounds like someone Crying. And it actually fits if you ask me.
Lots of memories in this list, I was amazed that Dan Fogelberg's Innocent Age is 40 years old. I loved that album and all of Dan's music. Another coincidence is the fact that I was just thinking about Christopher Cross the other day and wondering where he is today. Good to hear he's still touring...
Christopher Cross caught Covid and it nearly killed him. The last I knew he could barely walk.
Fall of '81 was a glorious time. I was 8. Things were better, in the past.
This channel is the best, it shows appreciation for good music.
1981 is the year I fell in love with listening to the radio and all of these songs hold special memories of how good and eclectic the Top 40 was back then. Even as an early teenager, I really thought there waa something sophisticated about "Arthur's Theme." It hit it big the right time of the year. Think about driving at 5 pm and it's dark out, and this song comes on the radio. From the quiet piano intro to way the saxophone eventually jazzes it up, this is one heckuva record!
1981 was a great year
1981 was a difficult year 😪. I was 10 years old and my Dad got a new job. We moved from Spokane to Seattle area. I was sad because I leaving my Best friend behind. I started the new school full of anxiety because I didn't know anyone and the school was so much bigger. In October my Grandpa had a heart attack and died. This is the first time I experienced death and grieving. Our pets hadn't even died yet.. The following spring, my parents legally separated. Alot of things at once for a kid. My radio has always been my coping mechanism and distraction.
Favorites from this video: 1. I'm a fan of Sheena Easton, Hall and Oates, and Christopher Cross. I hope you get to interview Chris.
2. Only For You is a great Bond song. Also View To A Kill by Duran Duran is another favorite. 3. Dukes of Hazzard was a classic. "We just the good Ole boys, nevertheless meaning no harm, having trouble from the law since the day we were born..." 🎶 Waylon Jennings.
I love these countdowns. The early 80s had some real gems compared to today. Hit after hit and these songs are timeless and still get radio play. 👍😊❤
You’re Gen X. We are resilient. Glad we had music and MTV to help us through tough times.
@@sgitell Thanks 😊. A good song can turn sadness into a moment of joy.
I have a tie for my favorite James Bond Theme song... Carly Simon's Nobody Does It Better, and Duran Duran's View To A Kill. Both songs are awesome to me.
I still have to go with "Gold Finger." Shirly Bassey really had a great voice.
I have to go with Nobody Does It Better.
Great songs. Another great Bond song was McCartney's Live And Let Die.
The best Bond theme songs are in order:
Skyfall - Adele
Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney
Nobody Does it Better - Carly Simon
A View to Kill - Duran Duran
Goldfinger - Shirley Bassey
The rest are forgettable.
One of the best Bond songs was bumped to the end credits by Sheryl Crow's Tomorrow Never Dies, as she was the more commercial of the two singers. k.d lang's Surrender is such a classic Bond-style theme and should have been the opening song, and the official theme. Watch the rescored opening scene here: ruclips.net/video/6zIbOL8SSCY/видео.html
I was eleven in 1981 and I loved Hall and Oats. My older sister would give me a hard time because she said that they weren’t cool. I still like them. My memories are wrapped in the music of the time. Thank you for helping me remember.
Love Little River Band Time Exposure! It was my first vinyl record to go with my first turntable on Christmas that year. The songs: Night Owls, Take It Easy On Me, Man on Your Mind, etc etc. are some of the best LRB hits ever! So cool to see it finally get its props. Eddie Rabbitt Drivin my Life Away is in his “Horizon” album. I love the hits of the early 80’s. Every time Carrie’s great memories for me
Glad to hear love for John Farnham. One of the most phenomenal performers of all time, IMO. Right up there with Freddie. Shamefully unknown in the USA.
But greatly loved in my land down under.
I think the you tube reaction videos are bringing John to the US audience now
Saga's video for their song "On The Loose" got airplay on MTV, but beyond that they were highly underrated and underappreciated. Their album "Worlds Apart" is a masterpiece.
Hey Jon Paleologos , Worlds Apart is my favorite album, love SAGA. On the Loose has that spectacular intro just like Rush' Tom Sayer, right? Time's up, Wind Him Up, etc, the album is like Thriller, all the songs are awesome! No fillers =)
On The Loose is an Epic song.
I'm simultaneously writing comments on SAGA's fb page right now! 😁 One of my all-time favourite bands! Canada has produced some great Music over the years! 🙂
I still have my Worlds Apart cassette from high school when it first came out. I wore that tape out!
To me, it's the best album cover art ever, too.
@@trout211 Yeah, especially that back cover!
I was 13 in '81 and getting an interest in music, I now realize I was horribly spoiled early on. Hall & Oates were great, Journey, LRB, Phil Collins, Cross overs like Islands in the Stream, and Eddie Rabbit.. radio was a gem in those days.
Islands in the stream which had the melody lifted for Ghetto Superstar. I remember hearing that song when it was new and thinking I know this chorus. AHA Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton! (did not know at the time Kenny and Dolly had only covered it)
Now that I’m 55 and lived carelessly in the 80’s as a teen, I have came back in touch with the song “The Boys of summer” Don Henley and think of teenage love that I never would stop loving. This song I can see a few girls I date that fit the lyrics. “I can see you, your brown skin shinning in the sun, your hair slicked back with your Way farers on! We all have made contact with each other and stay in contact with old friends and girlfriends. Music is what will give you memories and break your heart!
When hip hop and rap came on the scene, the good music was lost...
No, I don't think so.
Some rap is good, even great, but about 90 % of it is repetitive and crap.
#8 _Who's Crying Now_ is my anthem for the fall of 1981. It takes me back to 11th grade Yearbook group when I would teach people the steps to solve the Rubick's Cube with the payment of $1 in Putt-Putt arcade tokens per step. The simple notes at the end were so perfect to hum along with matching those notes in time to the song. It made the song so much fun to the final fadeout or start of the next song coming on the radio.
The Night Owls is one of my all time top ten favorite songs.
I saw LRB a couple years back and Wayne Nelson still sounds great.
My God! I haven't listened to the modern chart for years. So thanks professor! You have now reminded me why lol. Those clips you played was so monotonous. They all sounded the same. WTF has happened to music. 🤦♂️
All you have to do is play them side by side and you really hear it. Thanks for commenting.
@@BNEradio great voice, no doubt about it. But the music is terrible. I start listening to an adele song feeling depressed, and finish it feeling suicidal. 😂
Love the 80’s!
Hall & oates were my number #1 fav band growing up. Still one of my all time favorite
1981, one of the all time greatest years for pop & rock music
In 1981 the answers to the ups and downs teenage romance can be found in two albums. Journey Escape and REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity.
These were high school staples.... loved those classic albums... although it was cassettes for me... Graduated 1982... so these were classic songs I'd pop in the cassette player to hear on my Jenson Triaxials in my 67 LeMans
My dad had Dan Folgerberg’s Greatest Hits and I had that tape memorized. Loved DF. STILL DO!!!!
Have to say Sheena and FYEO held my attention the entire decade. Love everything about the song.
CC is the king of yacht rock. Arthur’s Theme is still amazing to hear.
1981, I was a Freshman/Sophomore in high school.....the 1980s were my formative years....while I'm constantly discovering great, new music here on YT, the stuff from the 1980s is incomparable....some of my peers and I know why the youth of today is so miserable.....it's the "music" they listen on the whole....80s music is timeless.
I loved Little River Band and Night Owls was my favorite. Thanks for bringing that around for me.
Best Bond song? Hands down it’s “Live and Let Die”. I’ve been there when Sir Paul has played this in concert. Thrilling.
Saw Sir Paul perform this in concert twice. ABSOLUTE CHILLS.
The thing I remember most about 1981, aside from graduating from High School, is that 1981 was the start of the "Power Ballad" era of music. Which for me being a Rock n' Roll guy was a bit hard to stomach. But at least I got Def Leppard "Let it go", Styx "Too much time on my hands", Phil Collins "In the Air tonight", Billy Squier "The Stroke" (and Too Daze Gone), Pat Benatar "Promises in the dark", Pretenders "Message Of Love", and Rush "Limelight" to name a few.
In my opinion the "Power Ballad" almost killed Rock music, but it helped get the record sales from the other gender group.
I graduated in 1982. All the songs you mentioned are light years better than most of the songs on this top 10 list. Yeah the power ballad (aka bubble gum rock) is what makes some 80's rock music just plain awful.
“Music” today is an embarrassing abomination. The 80’s will always be the best decade!
Okay Boomer
60s70s80s those 3 decades were the BEST....
@@bqkmg2037 I AGREE ☝️! I just said that on a post lol
80s were terrible compared to 60s and 70s. 90s were better than 80s. Let me guess, you were coming of age in the 80s?
@@roryclague5876 The 90s were better...LMFAO 😆 if you call rap ..grunge..generic waterd down annoying garbage from that sorry ass decade good...80s music still had groups and artists from the 50s 60s 70s still producing and songwriters lyrics that had decent music you can understand with catchy beats ..90s was a horrible decade for music and the birth and beginning of todays music plus down fall of music 90s is when stopped listening to the radio went back to 50s60s70s80s music that made sence.
Great week in 81. New stuff doest hold s candle. Been listening to the Stones lately. And always like LRBand.