Music - The Facebook 80's

With a bit of a social media rant included, Steve Taylor-Bryant remembers the 1980's and shares with you all some of his songs that spark memories...

Ah Facebook, the social media equivalent of looking in that dark cupboard that scares you and having a feckin great spider jump on your face. Or it's like when your told not to stick scissors in a plug socket, you just can't help yourself and spend the rest of the day hoping the burns will heal. I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. If I could just convince those few close friends I have to move to Twitter I wouldn't use it at all. I have no interest in your cat. I'm sorry I don't and it's about time someone told you. I'm a dog person but I have no interest in your dog's latest escapade in the park or how brown it's pooh is either. What's with all the food pictures? When did society decide that you can't have a meal without uploading a picture of it for all to see? Did I miss that memo? Oh and political thoughts... Stop having them! Or have them but keep them to yourselves? Yes, we got along in school thirty years ago but did I really need reminding you're a bigoted racist? No, no I didn't. And while I'm on a roll take your online fucking farm and shove it so far up your arse I can't hear your chickens! Fucking farm invites, I haven't been 12 for a long time and even then I wouldn't have wanted daily invites to help you build the fucking thing, IT'S FUCKING IMAGINARY!

However... Just recently a fad started on the site which I do quite like. You write a little sentence about liking a particular decade of music and then post a video of a different song from that era each day, all the while you're nominating a friend to get involved and do the same. It lasts for seven days and you get to remember some great tunes you probably don't play any more or are reminded of an old classic via your friends' choice. A nice slice of memory for the ears before your day starts, where's the harm in that? Much more grown up and civilised than imaginary grain stores for digital hens. I took part in this musical chain letter just recently and each day searched my subconscious for a suitable ditty and a friend to nominate. I had a little fun, I had a song stuck in my head all day which helped with the monotonous grind of work, and I laughed at the memories that came flooding back. For your amusement here was my 'Seven Sounds of the 80's'.

The Alarm - 68 Guns



I loved this band and in various guises of musician I always managed to sneak a cover of The Alarm into a setlist. This was the one I played most...

A-Ha - Manhattan Skyline



Call me names, I really don't care. I am a fan of A-Ha, Morten particularly, and this has been a favourite of mine since it was first released...

Nena - 99 Luftballons



Being brought up in Germany there was a few songs you couldn't avoid, mostly released by David Hasselhoff (I don't know why he's so popular there either), and Nena was of these singers that was always on the radio...










OPUS - Live is Life



One of those songs mentioned above that was always played on German radio. It was number 1 for something like 4 million weeks. If you check now I can guarantee that in some part of Germany this is still in the charts...

Tears For Fears - Mad World



Much covered but never bettered. This is a fact. If you think differently then you need to go back to your online farm, enter the barn with a well endowed Bull and let him &*&* you *&*& in &*&*&**&&**&**&*&...

Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al



I was always listening to Simon and Garfunkel as I has really cool parents but Simon's solo stuff wasn't widely available on camp. Until a famous comedy actor named Chevy Chase made a video. The song was available everywhere after that...

Arcadia - Election Day



The best song Duran Duran ever wrote in the 1980's and was only released after Duran Duran split up. I was always a John Taylor fan and, whilst I loved The Power Station stuff he went on to do during the break up, it was this side project by Simon le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor that really gripped me...

Image - Facebook.