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It's clear that our way of life now is different than it was in the 1980s, with exception of lots of the fashion. 80s teens and kids would rarely be in contact with their parents throughout the day/night. In fact, as long as you were home by the time the street lights came on, you were good to go.

That's only a part of it though. Kids then could never imagine growing up as it's done now. The best of times for teenagers are as follows and it's crazy how different it really was.

What 80s Teens Did For Fun

Riding Bikes

Riding bikes was very popular and for lots of 80s kids this was how they got around. Teens now are more prone to riding in a vehicle, but not the bus or taxis , but rather their own car.

The Mall

The mall was the place to be for a teen in the 80s. You'd have to stop at the Orange Julius to grab a drink with friends. And then there was the arcade.

The Arcade

Video games were the epitome new and fun entertainment in the 80s. Kids and teens alike would pile into the arcades to play games like Pac Man. Colecovision and Atari were the height of technology and awesome systems at the time.

Sports

Teens of the 80s state they played lots of sports whether through school or within the community. Bowling was a fun group activity too.

Spending Time With Friends

During the summer especially, time was spent at friends houses or at the pool. Hanging out with the best way to pass a warm day in the 80s.

Talking On The phone

Teenagers throughout the 80s needed to use the house phone that was corded to the wall to contact and talk with their friends. If someone was using the phone, you'd have to wait your turn.

Seeing Movies

Going to The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and anything John Hughes was huge in the 80s. Tickets weren't available for purchase online though so you would have to look in the local paper or call for movie times and then buy your tickets the same night.

Are you a "teen of the 80s?" 90s teens had a similar experience to those of 80s teenagers did but it's easy to see how drastically different that is from today.

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It's clear that our way of life now is different than it was in the 1980s, with exception of lots of the fashion. 80s teens and kids would rarely be in contact with their parents throughout the day/night. In fact, as long as you were home by the time the street lights came on, you were good to go.

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30+

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More than anything, eighties music was heavily produced. Everyone knows the classic 80s sound: huge reverby snare drums, lots of delay on the vocals, electronic rhythms and synthesizers.

For the first time ever, musicians were regularly paying with a "click track", or metronome. Because many 80s instruments were synced via MIDI, it was very important that the backing tracks (typically rhythm) were recorded in perfect tempo.

While this change improved music in some ways, others may argue that music lost it's humanity because of this. Before the 80s, many bands recorded live together, or depended on the drummer to keep the tempo.

Music engineers and songwriters had more tools at their disposal than ever before. That's why a lot of music sounds like people playing ("experimenting") with toys. Especially compared to the music of today, much of the early digital technology was 8-bit and the tonal quality just wasn't that great. But it was a lively time for experimentation.

However the results can get quite comical when 60s icons first tried their hand at synthesizer (Paul McCartney comes to mind). The cheese factor simply blasted through the ceiling on more than one occasion.

But the new technology wasn't always cheesy. Analog synth sounds from the 1980s were really great and guitarists like The Edge (from U2, with a little help from producer Brian Eno) showed us all what could be done to a guitar with delay and reverb.

Unfortunately, the digital synthesizer took over for the analog synth in the early 80s and in my opinion a lot of good quality synths disappeared because of this.

The music industry in the 1980s was driven mostly by the success of a wildly popular new music cable channel called MTV.

For the first time in history, image was just as important as the music. A good music video could instantly catapult a new act to stardom. Cyndi Lauper was almost an overnight sensation due to her quirky looks as much as her quirky tunes.

Some artists were huge for most of the decade. Madonna, Michael Jackson, Def Leppard to name a few. Cher made a comeback and Guns N' Roses made a grand introduction.

The eighties also witnessed the infancy and eventual growth of hip hop. While not too many acts from the 80s stand up well against today's artists, they laid the groundwork for what would later be achieved by thousands of modern hip hop artists in the future. Guys like Slick Rick, Eric B. and Rakim, Public Enemy, LL Cool J and The Beastie Boys were all making legendary music at the time.
[ Skip to Complete List of #1 songs from the 1980s ]
Popular Artists from the 1980s
Who were the most popular musical artists in the 1980s?
Music in 1987

Technological advancements in audio and video recordings, record-breaking pop acts and high profiles for heavy metal and new age music highlighted 1987. Business boomed as sales of CD players encouraged record companies to reissue old albums on CD.

Paul Simon and South African musicians played eight benefit concerts in 1987 to aid South African and American children.

Madonna also held an AIDS benefit concert on July 13.

Female artists burned up the charts in 1987. In June, Whitney Houston's second album, Whitney, was the first album by a female to debut at number one.

In March, Janet Jackson's album Control became the second album ever - after brother Michael Jackson's Thriller - to produce five songs in the top five places on the chart of best-selling recordings.

Madonna's "Open Your Heart" became her 10th straight top-five single, the longest series of top-five hits since The Beatles.

Michael Jackson's album Bad debuted at number one. Jodi Watley, Smokey Robinson, LL Cool J and Freddie Jackson all experience great success in 1987.

Dance music grew musically and commercially. Among the most popular dance music artists were Kraftwerk, Mel & Kim, Company B and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam. In February the Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill became the first rap album to top the pop albums charts.

New Age music, described at the time as "impressionistic music designed to help create relaxation and a meditative spirit," rose sharply in popularity in 1987. VH-1 even adding a programming block of new age videos called "New Visions."

Mainstream rock also flourished in 1987, particularly in the heavy metal style. Pop metalists Bon Jovi released Slippery When Wet, which topped the album charts for 7 weeks and the music video chart for 28. Bon Jovi helped pave the way for other top-10 metal acts like Poison, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Cinderella and Whitesnake.

Oldies were big money makers in 1987. Four album reissued by The Beatles soared to the top of the Billboard CD charts in March.

Randy Travis hit it big in 1987 and won almost every country music award available. Other popular country artists in 1987 include George Strait, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Reba McEntire, Dwight Yoakim and Hank Williams, Jr.

#1 Songs (1980-1989)

Music in the 1980s had its great moments. It really did. But sometimes eighties music knew how to suck worse than any music has ever sucked in the history of sucking.

That's probably because it was cheaper to record a single than ever before and there was more music being released than ever before, which inevitably leads to more garbage being released.

Also, when you consider the influx of new digital instruments and recording equipment, many artists were experimenting with sounds they had no experience using. Sometimes experiments are genius, sometimes they're not.

All that aside, the talent still shone through the dozens of layers of digital reverb and delay. Big splashy snare drums. Poofy man-hair ballads. Drug use was rampant. It was a decade of decadence in every possible way.

Guns N' Roses bailed everyone out at the very end, right before the '90s kicked in and kicked all memory of the '80s to the curb for about 8 years.

Check out the complete list below of every #1 song in the 1980s spanning from January 1980 to December 1989. Bet you can smell the hairspray and cheap tequila just reading the list.

#1 Songs in 1980
What were the most popular songs in 1980?
#1 Songs in 1981
What were the most popular songs in 1981?
#1 Songs in 1982
What were the most popular songs in 1982?
#1 Songs in 1983
What were the most popular songs in 1983?
#1 Songs in 1984
What were the most popular songs in 1984?
#1 Songs in 1985
What were the most popular songs in 1985?
#1 Songs in 1986
What were the most popular songs in 1986?
#1 Songs in 1987
What were the most popular songs in 1987?
#1 Songs in 1988
What were the most popular songs in 1988?
#1 Songs in 1989
What were the most popular songs in 1989?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
More than anything, eighties music was heavily produced. Everyone knows the classic 80s sound: huge reverby snare drums, lots of delay on the vocals, electronic rhythms and synthesizers. For the first time ever, musicians were regularly paying with a "click track", or metronome.

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Female artists burned up the charts in 1987. In June, Whitney Houston’s second album, Whitney, was the first album by a female to debut at number one.

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Michael Jackson

Blondie

Billy Joel

Hall & Oates

Olivia Newton-John

Survivor

Journey

Joan Jett

Lionel Richie

David Bowie

Culture Club

Duran Duran

Cyndi Lauper

Prince

Madonna

Foreigner

REO Speedwagon

Whitney Houston

Janet Jackson

Bon Jovi

U2

R.E.M.

Billy Idol

INXS

Rick Astley

Phil Collins

George Michael

Def Leppard

Van Halen

Poison

Paula Abdul

New Kids On The Block

Fresh Prince & Jazzy Jeff

Fine Young Cannibals

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For the first time in history, image was just as important as the music. A good music video could instantly catapult a new act to stardom.

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The music industry in the 1980s was driven mostly by the success of a wildly popular new music cable channel called MTV.

# data[].attributes.body
Everything was neon and ugly. Color combinations were the worst. Fashion was weird, music was over-digitized and commercialism consumed everyone.

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Like cockroaches or the styrofoam in your takeout container, the best '80s songs will be around long after you and I have shuffled off this mortal coil. The decade, which yielded some of the greatest pop anthems in history ("Livin' on a Prayer," "Don't Stop Believin'"), as well as a good portion of the best karaoke songs and best workout songs out there, refuses to go quietly into obscurity. And why should it? These tunes, some of the best party songs ever, stand the test of time. So do up your hair, prep your dance routine, and get ready to wear your heart on your shoulder pads-here are the best '80s songs ever made.

Listen to the best '80s songs

"When Doves Cry" by Prince

As a cocksure teenager, Prince passed on four major-label record deals, demanding artistic autonomy until Warner Bros. granted it. Years later, he would infamously scrawl "slave" on his cheek, and emancipate himself from his given name, referring to himself by a proto-emoji. And yet, the sharp crack of a proverbial whip yielded some stunning results in 1984. The Purple Rain soundtrack was thought to be complete, but the director needed a power ballad to lay over a montage of domestic discord. Prince whipped up two tunes overnight, the winner being "When Doves Cry." With such little time, he didn't bother with a bassline. Debussy once noted, "Music is the space between notes." Prince decked the emptiness with eyeliner and silk. It would be the pinnacle of his career. There's something to be said for having a boss.- Download on Amazon

"Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen

The Boss pinched the title of an old crooners' standard to write his own classic, the finest single from his massive "Born in the USA" album in 1984. Bursting with ambition, frustration and sex, "Dancing in the Dark" is also Springsteen's dance-floor peak, with a typically stunning sax solo by the late Clarence Clemons to top it all off. And there aren't many songs from the era that come with an important warning about fire safety in the chorus. Download on Amazon

Hit the road, Jack, and crank up the dial with our definitive list of the best road trip songs ever made

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Like cockroaches or the styrofoam in your takeout container, the best '80s songs will be around long after you and I have shuffled off this mortal coil. The decade, which yielded some of the greatest pop anthems in history ("Livin' on a Prayer," "Don't Stop Believin'"), as well as a good portion of the best karaoke songs and best workout songs out there, refuses to go quietly into obscurity.

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•Colours

•Pop art – andy warhol

•Influencers within pop – Lady Gaga, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, George Michael, Queen

•Fashion influencers – twiggy, kate moss, naomi campbell, cindy crawford, princess diana

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•Polaroid of individuals

•People dressed in style of pop

•Take abstractness from the music video and make it more street style – taking inspiration

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•Colourful

•Block colours

•Name in centre of pop image

•Poster in style of andy warhol

•Karaoke night with music from key pop artists

•Photo booth

•Dress code from pop era

•80s music

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could be used for wall display with group name?
could make our own in photoshop?