As an eighties kid, synth pop has been pumping in my blood ever since that first day I turned on my MTV. There’s some debate as to who’s considered a synth pop band and who isn’t. For this September Music Twitter challenge – #SynthPopSeptember – I’m focusing more on what’s considered synth pop, not who. The songs I’m featuring on Mental Jukebox this month aren’t solely composed of synthesizers. There may be drums, bass, and dare I say, electric guitars. But each of these songs were picked because the synthesizer is core to its being.
I wrote earlier about the synth pop resurgence at the tail end of the 80’s. When In Rome. Anything Box. Kon Kan. Information Society. Each of these bands managed to squeeze in one major synth pop hit. And the latter hit it big with “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)” on just about every chart – modern rock, dance, and even the Top 100. I was in high school when this song came out. And I can attest, it was everywhere.
“What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)” was the soundtrack of keg parties and pep rallies. It was universally loved by pretty much everyone. And despite being played to death on radio, it had a resilience about it. I didn’t dread it popping up on the radio again as I should have after the thousandth listen. The drum machine. The sputtering synth. The irresistible vocals. Thinking about those verses and chorus right now. I might need to add it to my karaoke repertoire.
“Here I am in silence it's a game I have to play. You and I in silence with nothing else to say.”