Profile avatar
jettywalker58.bsky.social
Abandoned as an infant next to a pile of Monkees albums, I was later raised by Casey Kasem and fed a diet of shredded Billboard magazines soaked in milk.
71 posts 296 followers 605 following
Prolific Poster
Conversation Starter
Posts 36 Comments 14

BEST 80s #312 “Tell It to My Heart” by Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne received a well-deserved Grammy nomination for her performance on this frantic, demanding dance hit about body-rocking passion. Her muscular voice swoops and soars as she makes lust-crazed demands with shameless abandon. A giddy debut.

submitted 8 hours ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #313 “Shake It Up” by The Cars A fun and simple dance tune propelled by a relentless engine of synths, drums, and guitars. As Ric Ocasek urges night-long dancefloor abandon, the instruments, especially Elliott Easton’s guitar, are having their own raucous and rhythmic adventure.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #314 “Don’t Go” by Yaz Danger on the dance floor! Don’t even try to escape Alison Moyet’s powerhouse vocals, you are the one she needs and She Will Have You. Vince Clarke’s synths are the hypnotic soundtrack to Moyet’s fevered mania. A #1 club classic that should’ve been a Top 40 radio hit.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #315 “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire When some said disco was dead, EW&F replied, “Let’s Groove.” A bright romp that struts into the vocoder-vocal new wave era with funky club horns and backing vocals that sound like The Emotions (one of whom wrote it with her husband & Maurice White.)

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #316 “If I Could Turn Back Time” by Cher Best Actress Oscar winner Cher can tell a story. Written by Diane Warren, this is a day-after-the-blowout apology from a now-lonely hothead. Sung within a standard 80s light-rock framework (with less mania than her 70s hits), but she sells the drama.

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #317 “Summer of ‘69” by Bryan Adams A well-crafted blast of nostalgia, built to last. Amid ringing guitar chords and slamming drums, Adams rekindles the fiery energy of youth, when music and desire and the promise of the future were everything. “Those were the best days of my life.”

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #318 “Under the Milky Way” by The Church Melancholy reflection under heartless, distant stars. Lead singer and co-writer Steve Kibley has been dismissive of the track, written with Karin Jansson of the band Curious (Yellow), but its ingredients combine to create something coolly affecting.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #319 “Hero Takes a Fall” by The Bangles The first Top 40 hits for the Bangles were written by others (including Prince), but this, their debut single, is a band-written pop gem that made clear their abundant charm and talents. Susannah Hoffs & the band harmonize with gleeful schadenfreude.

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #320 “Der Kommissar” by After the Fire Originally a hit for Falco in German, this English language version was a peek behind the Iron Curtain where kommissars lurked, drawn by the scent of forbidden fun. “If he talks to you then you’ll know why, the more you live, the faster you will die.”

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #321 “The Stroke” by Billy Squier A hard-rocking, sleazy-sounding ode to manipulation and manhandling in the rock industry with a slashing guitar hook and a thunderous stomping drum beat. In his first hit, Squier adopts the persona of the leering industry exec with apparent familiarity.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #322 “Shout” by Tears for Fears Originally billed as inspired by mental health therapy, singer Roland Orzabal now says that “Shout” is really about political protest and that certainly lines up. Orzabal and Curt Smith chant for revolution throughout, and they’re talking to *you.* Come on!

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #323 “Tender Love” by Force MDs In the midst of taking “Control” of the pop charts in 1986, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wrote and produced this gorgeous ballad for the New York City R&B group. Crystal-clear piano wraps around earnest vocals – the whole effect is like a deep, cleansing exhale.

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #324 “Supersonic” by JJ Fad The first female rap group nominated for a Grammy? Wrong! It was JJ Fad, for “Supersonic,” a piece of undeniable ear candy that’s all-brag, no-drag. A well-produced link in a goofy chain that runs from “Rapper’s Delight” to the Fat Boys and on to “Just a Friend.”

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #325 “Shadows of the Night” by Pat Benatar With a voice like opera-trained Benatar’s, bombast is at least an occasional must. On “Shadows,” originally written for a film about teenage runaways, she partners her soaring vocals with big drums & ripping guitars to power through pain and fear.

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #326 “Runnin’ Down a Dream” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers It’s the jolt of euphoria that erupts when clouds break & anything seems possible. Petty’s narrator is behind the wheel singing along with Del Shannon as trees sail by. When Mike Campbell’s guitar takes over, the dream’s in sight.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #327 “Is It a Crime?” by Sade A warm and elegant track that commands attention with Sade Adu’s rich and mesmerizing vocals draped over the band’s languid, rolling horns and measured drums. The recording is a sensual oasis - and a welcome escape from the insane chaos of the current moment.

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #328 “Wild Wild Life” by Talking Heads A hurried drum beat launches into a punchy rhythm overlaid with quick guitar noodles. This is pop-friendly Talking Heads, but David Byrne’s concepts of a wild, wild life are far outside the usual: ‘I’m wearing fur pajamas,’ ‘I ride a hot potato.’

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #329 “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac Complex nostalgia from Stevie Nicks with supportive harmonies from Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie. “Gypsy” celebrates the anything-could-happen optimism of young adulthood, when the challenges of life seem simple and the sunset is light years away.

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #330 “New Attitude” by Patti Labelle Patti’s mid-80s comeback kicked off with this empowering, Oprah-esque lesson in wearing your mindset. With soaring, declarative vocals complemented by over-the-top styling, Labelle celebrates the transformative power of ‘new dress, new hat.’

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #331 “Johnny Come Home” by Fine Young Cannibals FYC introduce their jazzy take on new wave ska with an urgent vocal from Roland Gift. Bursts of trumpet, pounding drums, skittish guitar & insistent piano surround the tale of a young runaway, with Gift as both lost teen and panicked parents.

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #332 “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult For one minute we hear only the “hey hey hey”’s of lead singer Ian Astbury over simmering, shimmering guitar. Suddenly the track explodes into full gallop. Although the lyrics are nearly indecipherable, the atmosphere is desperate and perilous.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #333 “Dance Hall Days” by Wang Chung The lyrics offer a litany of questionable romantic recommendations (including taking your baby by the hair, the heels, the ear; making her ‘do a high handstand’) but the lush production and thick, swaying groove support these gymnastic ideas nicely.

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #334 “Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder Wilder, languishing at Arista Records, self-produced this song, which was then rejected by the label. But nothing was going to break his stride: he eventually landed the tune, with dream analysis & an earworm chorus, on U.S. radio and had a smash.

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #335 “Ain’t Even Done with the Night” by John Mellencamp A young Johnny Cougar, eager to get lucky. The charming, hopeful melody bounces along as jittery as his novice romantic hero, and then develops into a confident jaunt with a sax solo that says that it really is going to be alright.

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #336 “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister Introduced with the sizzle created by the sound of cymbals played backwards, the music is stretched taut, a downbeat accompaniment to lead singer Richard Page’s pleading vocals. The effect is hypnotic & signals that romantic disappointment is sure to come.

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #337 “The Voice” by The Moody Blues A great number of acts that emerged in the ‘60s charted in the ‘80s, including the Moody Blues, who delivered this urgent, driving song about listening to the voice within. A sweeping and energetic take on the group’s trademark mystical drama.

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #338 “Only the Lonely” by The Motels It sounds like film noir. Martha Davis, wielder of a rich and melancholy tone, leads you by the hand into a world of shadows and secrets. She maintains a sad steadiness throughout, ultimately goosed into extra desperation by a wailing sax break.

submitted 26 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #339 “People Have the Power” by Patti Smith A modern-era “This Land is Your Land.” Smith’s ringing declaration has felt poised to explode since its release. Pairing sincere idealism with musical muscle, this urgent song might someday – finally? soon? – drive listeners from apathy to action.

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #340 “Early in the Morning” by The Gap Band The rooster calls and the Wilson Brothers are up and on it. This fast-paced funk with slamming drums and zippery synths doesn’t allow for any extra time on the mattress—it’s off and running to find, well…a good reason to get back on the mattress.

submitted 28 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #341 “Never” by Heart Heart re-emerged in the mid-80s with a string of factory-made rock candy. The lyrics here tell a muddled tale (“we can’t go on runnin’ away” & also “if we stay any longer, we will surely never get away”) but the vocal commitment & shiny hard-driving hooks are fierce.

submitted 29 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #342 “That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne & Friends On this fundraiser for AIDS research, Dionne, Stevie, Elton & Gladys show off with big-hearted vocal flexes. The sincere warmth that these pros bring to a song about friendship creates a loving musical hug, needed in an era of coldness.

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #343 “Queen of Hearts” by Juice Newton Country crossover hits were big in the early 80s and this irresistible rockabilly tune with silly lyrics and a playful vocal was among the best. Dave Edmunds did it first, but his version got no US radio play, so Juice Newton got the royal flush.

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #344 “Living in America” by James Brown A callback to his “Night Train,” Brown adapts to the 80s pop machine with aplomb, celebrating America and calling out its worthy destinations in his trademark rasp. The tune, spoofed by Weird Al as “Living with a Hernia,” was the Godfather’s last hit.

submitted 32 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #345 “Just Be Good to Me” by The S.O.S. Band One of the decade’s epic grooves. Singer Mary Davis had one of the richest voices of the era & on this dance classic, she sells the desperation of a woman who doesn’t care how bad her man is outside the sheets, because he’s just so good in them.

submitted 33 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #346 “Good Thing” by Fine Young Cannibals Sounds like a sweaty pub on a reckless night. The old Motown trick of pairing an energetic dance track with lovelorn lyrics brought FYC to #1 in summer ’89. Roland Gift skips above the beat with a sob in his voice, pausing only for the piano man.

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

BEST 80s #347 “Forever Young” by Alphaville Not that the threat has gone, but the 80s were particularly fraught with nuclear anxiety, and that’s the backdrop for the German band’s enduring hit. Singer Marian Gold relates a modern teen dilemma - do I really want to grow old and inherit *this* world?

submitted 35 days ago • 0 comments