It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs
It’s impossible to revisit the 80s without encountering the imprint that Madonna had on the decade. She wrote, performed and produced one of the most prolific pop catalogs in history. Her style and persona were larger than life – like a modern day Marilyn Monroe. And she was not without her controversies, including her Confessions Tour where she managed to piss off a number of different religious groups and music critics alike with a single stunt. Madonna simulated Christ’s crucifixion, but she was the one with the crown of thorns and the one lying on the cross. I thought it was, well, unnecessary. But it doesn’t take away from the brilliance of the song she performed: “Live To Tell”.
Madonna has said that it was her greatest ballad. In the 80’s, she didn’t have many of them. Most of her catalog – especially the well known songs – were cruising along either as fast-paced dance tracks or mid-tempo radio darlings. I’m not a huge pop fan, but I can’t deny the gorgeous melodies and hooks from “Papa Don’t Preach”, “La Isla Bonita”, “Borderline”, “Dress You Up”, and the list goes on and on. But my favorite Madonna song from the era was “Live To Tell” because the ballad pace was absolutely gripping. Every snare hit and keyboard chord carried this weight to it. It truly felt like Madonna’s personal confession, one that I couldn’t avoid listening to intently even if I tried.
“I know where beauty lives. I've seen it once, I know the warmth she gives.”