Top 10 80s Bands: Part II

It's the 1980s again here at the Nugatorium, with Part 2 of "Top 10 80s Bands," featuring bands five through one. You can check out the first half of the countdown in Part I (10-6).

That post also has the whole long, drawn out explanation of what I considered when deciding who made the list. Suffice it to say it's not a list for the most influential bands, or the most critically acclaimed, or even most popular (though they often are that as well), but just the bands that I associate most with the eighties. So, yes, I suppose it's overly personal, like a whole lot of the other "content" you'll find around the Internets.

Anyway, let's get to it ...

5. Simple Minds

Biggest Songs: Don't You Forget About Me, Sanctify Yourself, Alive and Kicking, All The Things She Said, Somewhere In Summertime

Did someone mention John Hughes? Once again, one of his movies (in this case "The Breakfast Club") led to a band's biggest hit. For a lot of people who were in their teens back then, the decade's defining moment is likely a toss-up between hearing Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" while watching "The Breakfast Club" or listening to OMD's "If You Leave" during "Pretty In Pink."

Despite it being their biggest hit, the band always dismissed the song, likely because they didn't write it. It was written specifically for The Breakfast Club by the unlikely duo of producer Keith Forsey (who won an Oscar for "What A Feeling" from Flashdance) and Steve Schiff, guitarist for Nina Hagen's band. Simple Minds recorded it at the urging of their label, and only after it had been turned down by both Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol.



4. Pet Shop Boys

Biggest Songs: West End Girls, Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money), It's A Sin, What Have I Done To Deserve This, Always On My Mind, Domino Dancing

While "West End Girls" was Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe's only number one hit (in the U.S.), they followed it up with a number of jaunty electronic hits throughout the eighties. While you could argue that was their peak (except in certain clubs known for their colorful flags), they've continued to put out albums every year or two ever since. In fact they've sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.

The video for "West End Girls" isn't terribly compelling. Mostly just the Boys walking and standing around London (including, one assumes, the West End). Though Chris does make something that could very loosely be defined as a dance move about 2:30. See if you can catch it.



3. Depeche Mode

Biggest Songs: Just Can't Get Enough, People Are People, Strangelove, Behind The Wheel, Personal Jesus

To be honest, I've really never liked these guys. But it's hard to argue with over 72 million albums sold, and over 30 Top 20 singles (in the UK, granted). Though a strike against them (at least for this list) is that even though they'll always be associated with the eighties in my mind, three of their biggest albums actually came out in nineties (Violator, Songs of Faith and Devotion, Ultra).

Here they are doing some kind of naval-based Stomp routine in the video for "People Are People."



2. Duran Duran

Biggest Songs: Girls On Film, Hungry Like The Wolf, Rio, The Reflex, The Wild Boys, A View To A Kill, Notorious

I suppose many people would consider Duran Duran "pop," and they certainly were popular throughout much of the eighties, with nine top ten hits in the U.S. (plus another couple in the nineties). In fact, they'd look at Depeche Mode's 72 million records and say: "Nice start." DD has currently sold somewhere north of 100 million.

As further evidence of just how big they became, one summer during the late eighties, an ex-girlfriend of mine asked a teenage girl what she'd learned during a week at a church camp. She responded: "That I shouldn't pray to Duran Duran."

The mortals known as Duran Duran were also known for their elaborate, high-concept videos, a dramatic change from the many "band on stage" videos that were the norm at the time. In 1982, they were receiving almost no radio airplay. Then MTV put this video into heavy rotation, and the rest is eighties rock n' roll history ...



1. New Order

Biggest Songs: Temptation, Blue Monday, Bizarre Love Triangle, True Faith, Touched By The Hand of God

You'll likely recall my warning earlier about this being a personal list, and I guess this could be considered Exhibit A. New Order didn't have any where near the success of Duran Duran or Depeche Mode (or even Tears For Fears for that matter). And while certainly very influential, I don't really have any justification for putting them at number one other than when I hear them, it puts me back in my dorm room at college, cranking Substance (their greatest hits compilation from '87) on what we then very politically incorrectly called a "ghetto blaster." And yes, there's a very good chance I was wearing a skinny leather tie at the time.

I'll leave you with the potentially seizure-inducing video for my favorite New Order single and favorite eighties song of all time. You could say every time I hear it, I feel shot right through with a bolt of blue.