The 1980s were perhaps the most unique musical decade in the history of popular culture. Somehow, the 1970s, with its powerful amplifier-busting rock music, led to synthesizers and larger-than-life bubblegum pop stars. Diversity is the spice of life, so why not celebrate the big sonic swings? Here, we wanted to do just that. Let’s explore three examples of pop artists from the 1980s who rose to global status thanks to impossibly catchy tunes!
These artists are a trio of songwriters and performers who knew how to both pen sticky hits and dazzle audiences with glitzy, colorful shows. Indeed, these are three artists who personify the pop-crazy 80s.
Madonna
In the 1980s, Madonna boasted a whopping seven no. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Some of those include “Like aAVirgin” in 1984, “Papa Don’t Preach” in 1986, and “Like A Prayer” in 1989. She also released several other tracks that came close to the top spot in the decade, including “Material Girl”, which hit no. 2 on the Hot 100.
But more than any song, Madonna was the 80s. A pinup beauty who liked to push boundaries and shock fans, Madonna also spoke out about issues like HIV/AIDS and social equality for those in the LGBTQ+ community. More than anyone else in the decade, Madonna knew how to draw your attention.
Michael Jackson
It’s hard to explain just how humongous Michael Jackson was in the 80s. He earned praise and attention in the 1970s as the teenage lead singer of the family band, The Jackson 5. But when he went solo and released albums like Thriller in 1982, the world became his oyster.
Somehow, Jackson continued to up the ante with sequin gloves and signature dances like the moonwalk. But it was songs like “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, and “Thriller” that made him a global icon for the ages. Regardless of how people view him off the stage, when he was on it, the artist was incandescent.
Cyndi Lauper
There were a lot of music artists and stars during the decade of the 1980s, but perhaps no one summed up the era like Cyndi Lauper. With her lovely-yet-piercing cartoonish voice, Lauper was a mainstay in the time period thanks to songs like “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and “Time After Time”.
But if you want to get even more 80s, Lauper sang the theme song to Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Does it get any more of the era than that? Whenever fans saw Lauper, it seemed like she had just thrown an outfit together, with big sunglasses, wild hair, and a colorful coat. But it was all a calculated look, like she just woke up in a thrift shop and somehow created a timeless work of art.
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