When you think back to your favourite songs, there’s a chance that your list will contain a few throwbacks from the eighties, don’t pretend you haven’t got a guilty pleasure or two! You might think of the King of Pop Michael Jackson, or even the powerhouse that was Whitney Houston. Though it’s now been 25 years since that decade of catchy synth pop, it seems to be making a comeback with the help of current mainstream acts. Could eighties music be making a return? Prepare to be taken back with our picks below!
Carly Rae Jepsen – All That
When you hear a track from Carly Rae Jepsen, you’re probably used to the catchy, bubblegum pop heard in ‘I Really Like You‘. However, if you take a listen to ‘All That‘, you’ll immediately be transported three decades behind. The alluring number sees Jepsen slow her usual pace, asking her lover to give his all to the relationship. Thanks to the song’s continuous use of a sysnthesizer, the track screams retro, and if this is anything to go by, we can’t wait to hear what else Carly has lined up in upcoming album Emotion.
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Kelly Clarkson – Nostalgic
If you’re going to have a song about reflecting on the past, it’s only fitting to have a sound that takes you back a few years. ‘Nostalgic‘ is a brazen cut from Kelly Clarkson’s latest record Piece by Piece. To match the euphoria that comes with those feelings of nostalgia, the track is high in energy and unashamedly 80s, kicking off as if it has just had been tuned on a vintage jukebox. Of course synths are far and wide in this uptempo gem, but there’s also a rockier edge that makes you want to turn the volume up just that little bit more.
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Maroon 5 – Sugar
It’s not the first time we’ve heard them go 80s, but it’s for sure one of their best. Maroon 5’s ‘Sugar‘ thrives off its combination of rhythmic funk with guitar-driven synth-pop. Of course no Maroon 5 would be complete without Adam Levine’s falsetto to glide over the track’s infectious chorus, particularly making it easy listening. But if ‘Sugar’ isn’t sweet enough for you, you’ll find several other sounds of the past in last year’s album release V in tracks such as ‘It Was Always You‘ and ‘Coming Back For You‘.
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Brandon Flowers – Can’t Deny My Love
When music is said to evolve, it doesn’t necessarily have to sound completely fresh. In fact, it can benefit from past influences, such as Brandon Flowers‘ latest single ‘Can’t Deny My Love‘. Heavy on its percussion and its echoey vocals, the track could easily pass as an atmospheric Phil Collins anthem. The track leads Flowers’ upcoming album The Desired Effect, and considering it’s been five years since 2010’s Flamingo, we’re particularly looking forward to what the singer has next up his sleeves.
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Natalie La Rose – Somebody (ft. Jeremih)
In an interview with Billboard, Natalie La Rose says: “I’m a huge fan of ’80s music and grew up listening to that” and you can certainly tell in her hit ‘Somebody‘. Paying tribute to Whitney Houston’s dancefloor classic ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody‘, newcomer Natalie puts her own contemporary spin on the track with a gripping hook and pulsating beats. Even the video offers a glimpse back into the eighties, the dance routines in particular reminding us of the moves we’ve long been trying to replicate since their emergence.
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Well if there’s one thing we’ve learnt from this feature, it’s that eighties music has had a great influence on today’s music, and it will continue to as the decades go by. If you have any of your own recommendations, give us a shout in the comments!
