Five songs from the 1980s that were years ahead of their time
The 1980s were a monolithic era for music. If it’s true that the quality of music soars when society feels particularly dire, the surge of immense talent throughout the decade makes complete sense. After all, through several deeply ingrained political and societal crises and an industry in turmoil, the decade fought back with timeless tunes and immense, unthinkable musical innovation.
In fact, narrowing down the best tunes of the ’80s to a smaller number feels nearly impossible, which is also why hundreds of collected lists exist—there’s just too much. After all, in one corner you’ve got New Order, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and so on, and in another corner exist Annie Lennox, Eurythmics, Kate Bush, George Michael, and many, many more.
David Bowie also delivered timeless tracks like ‘Let’s Dance’, while The Police shattered pop-rock expectations with ‘Every Breath You Take’ and ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’. The point is, to many people, the ’80s were the best-ever decade for music. The familiarity is unparalleled and many of the songs still linger on radio airwaves today.
But what about the ones with a little extra sprinkling of magic that felt inexplicably ahead of their time? What about those that came from deeply connected minds, who knew, more than most, what would withstand the test of time? While many ’80s hits could be considered long ahead of their time, here are five that felt just that little bit more explosive beyond the confines of a simple, of-its-time recording.
Five songs from the 1980s that were years ahead of their time
‘A Little Respect’ – Erasure
A timeless masterpiece by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, ‘A Little Respect’ signalled everything great about the ’80s, complete with the right amount of headiness and cultural relevance to make it completely timeless. Hotwiring off the same appeal that enabled acts like Depeche Mode to charge ahead, ‘A Little Respect’ is immediately gripping with a playful edge that feels entirely appropriate emerging from the period it did.
The thing that makes ‘A Little Respect’ feel slightly ahead of its time isn’t just the dance-inspired synth-fuelled electronic aspect, but it also feels filled with a delicate mixture of hope and melancholy. In other words, it continues to hook its grooves into modern culture, providing a subtle respite from the day-to-day struggles of accepting identity in a flawed society.
‘Age of Consent’ – New Order
For some inexplicable reason, New Order feels like an ever-unique presence in the music industry that’s truly one of a kind. Rising from the ashes of a band most certainly on the rise, New Order signalled a different kind of resilience, hallmarked by genuinely great music that surpassed everything they achieved in Joy Divison.
When listening privately, ‘Age of Consent’ is a heart-filler. It’s warm in a nostalgic way, though entirely contemporary in every single way. When it plays unexpectedly in public, there’s also this moment of feeling as though you’re catching a special glimpse of a moment in time, punctuated effortlessly and beautifully by a less easily describable feeling of immense presence. Like it emerged from everywhere and nowhere.
‘Just Like Heaven’ – The Cure
Similar to New Order, The Cure feel like an endless presence that surprasses generic time constraints. Many bands and acts that emerged or blossomed in the 1980s feel products of the time, with great sounds and hooks that contributed to the broader stylistic sound of the era. While many songs by The Cure achieve the same feat, they also feel subtle enough in execution that it could exist any where, any time.
‘Just Like Heaven’ is one of those inexplicable time capsules. Whether it’s the formulaic beat, driving bass, gripping riff or Robert Smith’s familiar tones, the song emerged as a formless entity, grounded by days of old with rumblings of futuristic promise. In other words, it could be released today and still achieve the same hype.
‘This Must Be The Place’ – Talking Heads
There’s something about Talking Heads feels inherently enhanced by the hands of time. Even in their peak years, their embrace of diverse sounds, cultures, and genres made them stand out, though not in the performative way that many of their peers did. In their world, drawing from varying influences meant uniting music in the way it always intended to incite togetherness, bridging the gap between genuine artistry and straight-up fun.
‘This Must Be The Place’ is a testament to David Byrne’s unrelenting energy and genius mind. Starting strong with delicious notes of upbeat charm, the song slowly but surely blossoms into something less tangible and more palpable, like it could have existed in the 1970s or 2025. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics are just an added bonus in this wonderfully charming cocktail of fun.
‘Running Up That Hill’ – Kate Bush
It’s probably safe to say that, by now, Kate Bush is the ultimate saviour of the 1980s. The fact that ‘Running Up That Hill’ had such a monolithic resurgence in the 21st century speaks to its immense forward-thinking energy, the reasons for which appear hazy against the undeniable charm it always had, even back then, when some audiences didn’t know what to make of it.
Whatever the specifics of its re-emergence, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is and will always feel bigger than words, signalling the product of a mind that was always moving forward, always searching for something more visceral than mere cultural or societal expectation. Bush’s sound might be quintessentially ’80s, but ‘Running Up That Hill’ will forever be timeless.
