MUSC 100 SJSU Significant Epoch in American Popular Music Discussion

The decade of the 1980s continues to be a major site of memory and reference in American popular music and

culture. In terms of music, the rise of MTV; blockbuster film music; hip-hop, heavy metal, new wave, and club

culture are just some of the major developments. The use of CDs and VHS formats, as well as Walkmen and other

mobile devices, further resulted in new mass uses of music and media. From Ronald Reagan to George H.W. Bush, to

the escalating War on Drugs, and to the end of the Cold War, the consequences and legacies of this decade also

remain in present in key cultural debates and political struggles. Despite these complexities, decades such as the

1980s are often marketed to advertise culture in terms of nostalgia.

Here are some examples, but do not use it:

Do the 1980s even have a stamp or a specific musical and visual style? What is remembered and misremembered

about the 1980s in terms of nostalgia and music? How were international musical cultures addressing these

experiences compared with the United States?

Major styles of the 1980s to consider: Popular genres – metal / rock / hip-hop / electronic dance music (house,

techno, synth-pop) / new wave

Film & media – film scores / pop soundtracks & MTV / horror / action blockbusters / anime / cyberpunk / fantasy

(sword & sorcery) / drama / comedy