Get ready for some late-1970s and early-1980s overload.
YouTube user “The Hood Internet” has created what I’d say are the definitive mixes of music from 1979-1989. Using technology that couldn’t possibly have existed back then, they’ve mixed together fifty songs from each year into an amazing video mashup. Don’t believe me? Try any of these. Honestly they’re all great.
Start with your best year
Although I think these are all incredible, I think the production value of “1986” is probably the best. Not only do the songs work better together, the visuals do too. I think that may simply be due to the music choices available. Earlier years were still transitioning hard from the 1970s, while later years were starting to lean into hip-hop. That’s right, if you haven’t watched these yet, they mixed the videos not just the music. And it really makes a difference. I’ve listened to these without looking at them and it’s just not as good. I have to admit though, it’s still “wicked awesome.”
“Hey my favorite song isn’t in there.”
Yeah, I said that too a couple of times. And not only that there were songs I didn’t recognize, bringing into question my title of “80s master.” The problem with doing only fifty songs each year, especially in this time frame, is that there were a lot of distinct genres floating around back then. These videos attempt to merge pop, late disco, new wave, early rap, hip-hop, and a little bit of adult contemporary. That’s a lot of heavy lifting.
It’s also worth pointing out that these videos don’t really delve into country, R&B, or several other genres that were popular back then. They also don’t account for the large number of remakes that hit mid-decade.