In the 1980s, genres expanded tremendously with then-modern technology. Analog slowly gave way to digital, and synthesizers dominated. Aside from that, alternative music was bubbling to the surface, which ultimately dominated the following decade. Due to these factors, these three genre-defying songs from the 1980s sounded weirdly ahead of their time.
“Blue Monday” by New Order
Without knowing when this song was released, it’d be hard to pinpoint. Many wouldn’t assume 1983. New Order predicted the rise of EDM in the 2000s, with “Blue Monday” peaking at No. 5 on the US Hot Dance Club Play in 1983. This synth-driven track used a sequencer mixed with a heavily processed drum machine beat. The result is a timeless club track that was futuristic in 1983 and has stood the test of time as EDM artists such as Daft Punk turned EDM into a worldwide phenomenon.
“walk this way” by run-dmc and Aerosmith
By 1986, the rock and rap worlds hadn’t intertwined yet. The defining hip-hop trio Run-DMC had used Aerosmith‘s 1975 hit “Walk This Way” for the song’s beat, not knowing the hit at all. Not only did producer Rick Rubin identify the track, but he also brought in Steven Tyler and Joe Perry to help re-record it. This crossover was effective, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ultimately, it helped revitalize Aerosmith’s career. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, many hip-hop and rap artists crossed over into rock and vice versa. Rap rock grew in popularity in the mid-to-late 90s and early 2000s with bands such as Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, and Limp Bizkit capitalizing on the blended genre.
“blister in the sun” by violent femmes
In 1983, Violent Femmes penned a bold debut album that is classified as folk punk. Without ever knowing it, you’d place these tracks as 90s hits. They were a full decade earlier, with their best-known song not even released as a single in 1983. It would later be released as a promotional single in 1997, as it was used in the film Grosse Pointe Blank. Violent Femmes accidentally predicted the rise of alternative music in the 90s, influencing bands such as Weezer, Cake, and Beck.
Photo by Bob Berg/Getty Images
The post 3 Genre-Defying Songs From the 1980s That Sounded Weirdly Ahead of Their Time appeared first on VICE.
