It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs
There are more than a handful of songs that are truly representative of the 80s. These tracks sound like the 80’s. They celebrate the 80’s. And they remind us of the decade so many of us love maybe just a little too much. A-ha’s “Take On Me". Huey Lewis & The News’ “The Power of Love”. Dires Straits’ “Money For Nothing”. The list goes on. There are many obvious contenders. And the little known new wave gem “The Motion of Love” by Gene Loves Jezebel might be right up there.
Those who tuned in to Long Island’s WDRE in the late 80’s will remember the song. Every time I heard it, I had to turn it up. In the chorus, the whole band joins in. The melody was crafted to invite the listener to sing along, too. The instrumentation is textbook 80’s new wave with pulsing guitar riffs and shimmery synth hooks. The most distinctive aspect of the song are the yelps that accompany the lead vocals throughout the song. There’s nothing quite like it in pop music, but somehow they sound the way the 80’s should sound. Music aside, Gene Loves Jezebel also had the look to match – like poster boys with one foot in the glam rock world and the other in a new wave universe.
“Pretty angel You've got a rhythm that's blue.”