Lost in the ’80s
264 Articles
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
After dipping his toe into the mainstream with his fourth album, Security, and its Top 40 hit, “Shock the Monkey,” it’s only natural that Peter Gabriel would continue to experiment…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Another example of a one-hit wonder in the States while huge in the U.K., paranoid android and Bowie Low cop artist Gary Numan can lay the blame for his lack…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
It’s a shame The Lucy Show picked an awful sitcom to name themselves after, since the duo of Mark Bandola and Rob Vandeven had little in common with the strained…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
It’s a shame that U.K. synthpop duo Soft Cell became the epitome of an ’80s one-hit wonder.Á‚ While they charted with several singles overseas, “Tainted Love” was their sole American…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
There’s never been a musical trend that Cher has been afraid to jump upon.Á‚ From watered down hippie-dippy love songs to disco to adult contemporary schlock, the Dark Lady has…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Starting out as a trio called the Strutters, singer/songwriter Mark Kjeldsen along with rhythm section Bobby Irwin and Ron FranÁƒ§ois re-branded themselves as the Sinceros, trading in New Wave and…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
It’s an old pop joke that winning the Grammy for Best New Artist is pretty much the kiss of death for long-term success. See the Starland Vocal Band, Milli Vanilli,…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Here’s an oldie but a goodie, in a whole new style: the classic video for a-ha’s “Take On Me,” redone literally. What does that mean, you ask? Watch and learn,…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
It may be the height of over-sharing to admit this, but Revenge of the Nerds was a movie that really spoke to me in high school.Á‚ As a computer-loving, comic…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Y’know, if you name your kid Herbert or Poindexter, you’re just setting that child up for a lifetime of teasing and ridicule.Á‚ And if you name your band Kajagoogoo, well,…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
What’s up, every bizzle? It’s Jizzle-ohn in the hizzouse with another Lost in the Izzle. Before you grab the flaming torches and pitchforks, let me just say that’s my li’l…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Hardcore David Bowie fans are probably familiar with the name Ava Cherry, but for the benefit of everyone else, Ava was Bowie’s lover in the early to mid ’70s, as…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
If at first you don’t succeed … fail a second time.Á‚ Third time’s the charm! That twist on two hoary old clichÁƒ©s pretty much sums up the long struggle of…
John C. Hughes
2 Min Read
Let’s get all the cute little jokes about the title of today’s featured song out of the way first, shall we?Á‚ I’ll pause while you do so. G’head, get ’em…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Riding a rockabilly/Motown revival during the early ’80s that also included the Polecats, Roman Holliday and the Stray Cats, Britain’s JoBoxers (with American lead singer Dig Wayne) barely scraped the…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
We’ve talked before about songs we loved in our younger days that just don’t quite hold up to an older ear’s scrutiny. Unfortunately (or not, if you still love it),…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
One of the first acts mentioned whenever someone brings up the subject of “’80s One-Hit Wonder,” Dexys Midnight Runners actually had quite a few hits in the UK, including a…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
A friend of mine the other day brought up Pat Benatar as a potential Lost in the ’80s “When New Wave Happens to Old Artists” post, since she flirted with…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
I’ll be up front about this one: I really never got Nitzer Ebb. Back in my DJing days, I’d get tons of requests for “Join in the Chant,” “Murderous,” or…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
I’d been a big fan of Midge Ure-era Ultravox since the first time I saw “Vienna” on MTV early one Sunday morning in 1982, so when I spotted the new…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Y’know, if Josie Cotton’s best-known single had become more than just a regional hit on the west coast, my high school life would have been a living hell. But thankfully,…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Anyone who’s been hanging around these parts with any frequency for the past few months has probably picked up on my unabashed love for pop candy peddlers Mike Chapman and…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Before getting lost in the world of orchestral strings and Tim Burton soundtracks, Danny Elfman was the singularly strange lead singer/songwriter behind guitar/horn section new wave hybrid Oingo Boingo. Big…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Shalamar began life as a studio project by Soul Train booker Dick Griffrey, but after the success of their first single, “Uptown Festival,” Griffrey had to put some faces with…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
I know what you’re thinking … how can a Duran Duran song possibly be considered Lost in the ’80s? How about when the band itself basically dislikes the single so…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
The Cars were on an extended hiatus in 1986 and its members were off doing their own thing. Ric Ocasek and Elliot Easton had both released solo discs since the…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Ah, the age-old struggle of Art vs. Commerce. Many a critically acclaimed band has succumbed to the pressure for that all-elusive hit, sacrificing credibility for a chance at some cold,…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
German new wave combo Nena secured their place in rock history with the one-hit wonderdom of “99 Luftballons” in 1984, but I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for…