1980s music

I was born in the mid-’60s so I pretty much missed out on that decade musically. I was a child of the ‘70s and got my first real taste of music during that period. But the ‘80s is where my musical tastes matured and where it still seems to be anchored.
I was looking at the Billboard charts for the most recent years and I can barely identify many of the performers much less claim to have even heard the music. It’s really sad. Was the music better back in the ‘80s or is that just the way it is with everyone - that they tend to like the music they heard in high school/college and pretty much stick with that?
Today when I go to the mall or a restaurant I am liable to here piped in music playing the hits of the ‘80s. I realize what is going on. They are targeting my demographic group because we are now at the age where we have most of the spending power. But I can’t help but think at these times that the music from that period was just better in some ways.
Here are the songs that I think were the best from my high school years starting in 1980 through 1983:

1980
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
What I Like About You - Romantics
Call Me - Blondie
Whip It - Devo
Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me - Billy Joel
Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
Brass in Pocket - The Pretenders
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Coming Up - Paul McCartney
Master Blaster (Jammin) - Stevie Wonder
You May Be Right - Billy Joel
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
Cars - Gary Numan
I Love A Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbit
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
My Sharona - The Knack
Stomp - Brothers Johnson
Magic - Olivia Newton John
Emotional Rescue - Rolling Stones
Drivin’ My Life Away - Eddie Rabbit
Sailing - Christopher Cross
I Can’t Tell You Why - The Eagles
Lookin’ For Love - Johnny Lee
Don’t Do Me Like That - Tom Petty
Refugee - Tom Petty
Tennessee River - Alabama
On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
Good Ol’ Boys (Dukes of Hazzard Theme) - Waylon Jennings
Smokey Mountain Rain - Ronnie Milsap
Don't Stand So Close To Me - The Police
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da - The Police
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osborne
Ant Music - Adam Ant
Fame - Irene Cara
Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
Turning Japanese - The Vapors



1981
Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
Jessie’s Girl - Rick Springfield
Love Is Alright Tonight - Rick Springfield
Waiting For A Girl Like You - Foreigner
Don’t Stand So Close To Me - The Police
Back in Black - AC/DC
Elvira - Oak Ridge Boys
Super Freak - Rick James
Don’t Stop Believin’ - Journey
Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go Go’s
Urgent - Foreigner
The Stroke - Billy Squier
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
Spirits in the Material World - The Police
Invisible Sun - The Police
The Waiting - Tom Petty
Woman - John Lennon
Watching the Wheels - John Lennon
Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon
Take It On the Run - REO Speedwagon
Physical - Olivia Newton John
All Those Years Ago - George Harrison
Celebration - Kool and the Gang
Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads
Under Pressure - Queen/David Bowie
Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood
Abacab - Genesis
You Make My Dreams - Hall and Oates
Private Eyes - Hall and Oates
Shake It Up - The Cars
Rapture - Blondie
Tempted - Squeeze
Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) - Christopher Cross
America - Neil Diamond
Too Much Time On My Hands - Styx
You Better You Bet - The Who
Old Flame - Alabama
Feels So Right - Alabama
Love In the First Degree - Alabama
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Texas Women - Hank Williams Jr.
Unwound - George Strait
Kiss On My List - Hall and Oates
For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton
Angel in the Morning - Juice Newton
Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton
The River - Bruce Springsteen
All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down - Hank Williams Jr.
Louisiana Saturday Night - Mel McDaniel


1982
Mickey - Toni Basil
Maneater - Hall and Oates
I’m So Excited - Pointer Sisters
We Got the Beat - The Go Gos
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
I Love Rock and Roll - Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
Jack and Diane - John Mellencamp
Hurt So Good - John Mellencamp
Working For the Weekend - Loverboy
Lucky Ones - Loverboy
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Get Down On It - Kool & the Gang
Who Can It Be Now - Men at Work
Rock This Town - Stray Cats
Don’t You Want Me - Human League
Centerfold - J. Geils Band
Freeze Frame - J. Geils Band
Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
I Can’t Go For That - Hall and Oates
867-5309 (Jenny Jenny) - Tommy Tutone
I Ran - A Flock of Seagulls
Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band
You Got Lucky - Tom Petty
Steppin’ Out - Joe Jackson
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
Take It Away - Paul McCartney
Tom Sawyer - Rush
Red Barchetta - Rush
Juke Box Hero - Foreigner
She’s Tight - Cheap Trick
If You Want My Love - Cheap Trick
Heat of the Moment - Asia
Only Time Will Tell - Asia
Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant
I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
Hold Me - Fleetwood Mac
Love Plus One - Haircut 100
The Look of Love - ABC
Black Coffee in Bed - Squeeze
Rock the Casbah - The Clash
Twilight Zone - Golden Earring
Allentown - Billy Joel
Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel
Our House - Madness
Only the Lonely - The Motels
Shakin’ - Eddie Money
It’s Raining Again - Supertramp
Rosanna - Toto
I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) - Hall and Oates
Pass the Dutchie - Musical Youth
Africa - Toto
Words - Missing Persons
Kids In America - Kim Wilde
Shake It Up - The Cars
Chariots of Fire - Vangelis
You Can Do Magic - America
Think I’m In Love - Eddie Money
Do You Believe In Love - Huey Lewis and The News
Mountain Music - Alabama
Take Me Down - Alabama
Close Enough To Perfect - Alabama
Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
Fool Hearted Memory - George Strait
I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton
A Country Boy Can Survive - Hank Williams Jr.
Listen To the Radio - Don Williams
Up the Ladder to the Roof - The Nylons
Shock the Monkey - Peter Gabriel
Open Arms - Journey
You've Got Another Thing Coming - Judas Priest



1983
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Beat It - Michael Jackson
1999 - Prince
Little Red Corvette - Prince
Come On Eileen - Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Flashdance (What a Feeling) - Irene Cara
Rock of Ages - Def Leppard
White Wedding - Billy Idol
Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
Electric Avenue - Eddie Grant
Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
Got Me Under Pressure - ZZ Top
Let’s Dance - David Bowie
Modern Love - David Bowie
Every Breath You Take - The Police
King of Pain - The Police
She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby
Everybody Wants You - Billy Squier
New Year’s Day - U2
Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band
Down Under - Men at Work
Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club
Burning Down the House - Talking Heads
Radio Free Europe - REM
Tell Her About It - Billy Joel
One Thing Leads To Another - The Fixx
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
True - Spandau Ballet
Back on the Chain Gang - The Pretenders
She’s A Beauty - The Tubes
In A Big Country - Big Country
Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
You Can’t Hurry Love - Phil Collins
Der Kommissar - After the Fire
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ - Michael Jackson
Affair of the Heart - Rick Springfield
Come Dancing - The Kinks
I’m Still Standing - Elton John
Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes
Marina Del Ray - George Strait
Amarillo By Morning - George Strait
The Closer You Get - Alabama
Swingin’ - John Anderson
I've Got a Rock-n-Roll Heart - Eric Clapton


Next up, the college years.

Who really supports the troops?

Now we’ve had two Express-News columnists take shots at a Washington Post blogger William Arkin for his post last week in which he referred to U.S. troops in Iraq as “mercenaries” in the midst of berating some of them for expressing their dismay that so many Americans disapprove of their mission.

First, Jonathan Gurwitz calls Arkin an “ungrateful jerk” for writing such “garbage.”
Then the next day, Ken Allard chimes in saying that his former NBC colleague had “slipped the surly bonds of sensibility.”

Both comments were fair, in my opinion. Arkin was flooded with more than 900 e-mails in response to the blog post to which he responds here.
But what upsets me is that neither Gurwitz nor Allard stopped with just bashing Mr. Arkin. They carried it over to bash everyone who is critical of the war in Iraq.

Gurwitz was the most blunt, stating outright that — “There is inherent tension in the concept of opposing the war in Iraq but supporting the troops.”
This is wrong on so many levels I’m not sure where to begin, but let me start with my initial gut-level response. I think it is people who are the most die-hard supporters of this war who have the most explaining to do about how they are supposedly “supporting the troops.”
People such as myself who criticized the war from Day 1 and who argued that Iraq did not pose an imminent threat necessitating a pre-emptive attack, invasion and occupation of the country, have been proven absolutely right. Our military is supposed to protect our national interests, not used as a pawn to advance the current administration’s political goals.
This administration sent our troops into Iraq based on outlandishly unrealistic expectations that it would all be over in a matter of months, if not weeks. They ignored the advice of military leaders who said we needed more troops. They did not provide the troops with adequate body armor and protective gear. And yet, four years later those of us who want to bring the troops home ASAP are accused of not supporting the troops. While those who insist that we leave our troops in the midst of a chaotic Civil War indefinitely are supposed to have our troops’ best interests at heart.