The music we hear in our late teens and early twenties has a way of sticking with us longer than the mainstream music we catch in small snippets as we get older. Listening to these songs can make us feel like we’re our 20-something-year-old selves again. For baby boomers who were born in the 1960s, some of their best “time machine” tracks are songs from the 1980s.
“Jump” by Van Halen
Van Halen’s “Jump” captured such a specific time in rock ‘n’ roll history that it’s hard not to feel like you’ve been transported back to 1983 when you listen. The song has a powerful groove and an equally powerful message that tends to resonate even more deeply when you’re young and fearless with seemingly nothing to lose.
“Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen
It’s hard not to feel like the coolest person in the room when listening to Queen’s iconic hit, “Another One Bites The Dust”. Of all the songs to come out of the 1980s, this is one that has maintained its freshness despite being incredibly well-known. For baby boomers who were around to listen to this song as a new single on the radio, clad in tight denim and sky-high hair, this song is like a miniature time machine.
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston
Regardless of whether you listened to pop music in the 1980s, songs like Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” were hard to escape. This song captures the youthful feeling of wanting to love and feel loved without all of the serious humdrum that long-term, “grown-up” relationships can entail. Twirling on the dance floor feels different when you’re a 20-something. Songs like Houston’s help us find those feelings again.
“Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles
Speaking of twirling on the dance floor, most baby boomers can remember what a cultural phenomenon the “Walk Like An Egyptian” dance craze was. If you were in your twenties in the 1980s, chances are you were participating in all of the dance songs that came with their own choreography baked in.
“Kiss” by Prince
Prince was one of the biggest names in pop music in the 1980s, and “Kiss” was a significant reason why. This No. 1 track embodies Prince’s essence: sexual, flirty, seriously unserious, and confident. For many of us, we might find ourselves relating most closely to these characteristics in our 20s, when we’re figuring out our own identities and sexual and romantic preferences.
“Footloose” by Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins is another 1980s icon whose songs tend to evoke strong feelings and memories of their specific time period. Loggins’ sound isn’t the most timeless, but the way it just oozes the style of the 1980s makes these tracks highly effective time machines for baby boomers. “Footloose” is one of those songs that achieved double ubiquity by being featured in the 1984 movie musical starring Kevin Bacon of the same name.
Photo by Luciano Viti/Getty Images
The post 6 Songs From the 1980s That Will Take Baby Boomers Back to Their 20s appeared first on American Songwriter.