If You Grew up in the 80s, These 4 Songs Were Childhood Staples

Growing up in the 80s meant looking up to pop icons like Michael Jackson, watching MTV, and bearing witness to some of music’s most interesting hits. Here are some childhood classics from this era of music.

“Heaven Is A Place On Earth” by Brenda Carlisle

This one was written by Rick Nowels, who has also written songs for the likes of Stevie Nicks and Colbie Caillat. Ellen Shipley, who had released three albums of her own at the time, also worked on this one.

“It’s a very special song because when I was trying to write the music part of it, Rick said, ‘What would you do if this was your next song?’” Shipley told Songfacts. “Then I could hear the music of what to do. We worked on it and it really came pretty easily.”

“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper

Is there anything quite as fun and sparkly as Lauper’s feminist classic? The first single from Lauper’s debut album, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” was shockingly not a No. 1 hit. It only reached No. 2 on the Billboard chart. However, its legacy as a party anthem definitely outshines that of other 80s hits.

“Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles

The ultimate 80s track. “Video Killed The Radio Star” not only ushered in a new era as the first MTV video ever to air. It also, as corny as it might feel, gave The Buggles their biggest hit.

“I know the name’s awful, but at the time it was the era of the great punk thing,” Trevor Horn said of his group name, per discog.info. “I’d got fed up of producing people who were generally idiots but called themselves all sorts of clever names like The Unwanted, The Unwashed, The Unheard… when it came to choosing our name I thought I’d pick the most disgusting name possible. In retrospect I have frequently regretted calling myself Buggles…”

“Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder

“Break My Stride” is a painfully optimistic, punchy tune about not giving up. This one was inspired by Matthew Wilder’s struggles with the music industry after signing to Arista Records. Similar to songs like “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, this one is proof that sometimes your biggest obstacles can lead to your greatest triumphs.

Photo by: Ebet Roberts/Redferns