{"id":585049,"date":"2026-04-04T13:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T13:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/585049\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T13:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T13:21:09","slug":"if-you-grew-up-in-the-80s-these-9-songs-probably-raised-you-to-see-the-world-a-little-differently","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/585049\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Grew Up In The 80s, These 9 Songs Probably Raised You To See The World A Little Differently"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gen-X was raised on MTV<\/a>, and I was no exception. We didn\u2019t just listen to music \u2014 we absorbed it. The videos flickered on our living room televisions while our parents were busy doing their own thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unsupervised and impressionable, I let these songs wire themselves into my nervous system. I didn\u2019t understand most of the lyrics; I just knew they evoked a certain feeling in me as an 80s kid.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you grew up in the 80s, these 9 songs probably raised you to see the world a little differently:1. Faith, George Michael, 1987<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 2006, and the elevator doors open. Instantly, I\u2019m disappointed when I see it\u2019s full, but I squeeze in anyway. Then I hear it. The guitar riff plays as I slap the button to my floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Without thinking, I shake my body while singing the chorus. I remember the first time I saw the video at 8 years old. George Michael<\/a>, in a leather jacket, swivels his hips with swagger. I didn\u2019t know what confidence and sensuality were at that age, but it felt electric.<\/p>\n

2. Raspberry Beret, Prince, 1985<\/p>\n

\"80s Kateryna Hliznitsova \/ Unsplash+<\/p>\n

Before Prince was an unpronounceable symbol, I was a six-year-old dancing in the living room to Raspberry Beret. My mother\u2019s obsession began after Purple Rain was released the previous year<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t understand the lyrics, but I felt the quirky energy of this song long before I knew Prince was crooning about a woman in a dark pink beret. In 2011, I was lucky enough to witness him dance across the stage in seven-inch heels at The Forum in L.A., sparking the familiar feelings of pure joy. I kind of wished I\u2019d worn my heels that night.<\/p>\n

RELATED: People Who Were Kids In The 1980s Learned These 11 Life Lessons That Are Sadly Rare Today<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Under Pressure, Queen\/David Bowie, 1981<\/p>\n

The second the bassline thrums, I\u2019m in the backseat of my mother\u2019s car. Air conditioning blasting as her hand drums the steering wheel. Her solid-gold bangle bracelets dance to the rhythm. Every time I hear Freddie Mercury and David Bowie<\/a> sing together, I\u2019m home again.<\/p>\n

4. Thriller, Michael Jackson, 1983<\/p>\n

This song was my first brush with horror. At four years old, my parents watched the debut of the iconic music video<\/a> as I shivered, whimpered, and buried my face in my mother\u2019s lap. \u201cMama, this is scary.\u201d<\/p>\n

She insisted it was make-believe, and by the time MJ zombie danced his way across the screen, my claws were up as I shimmied side to side. No wonder I\u2019m a horror fan. Thanks, Mom.<\/p>\n

5. I\u2019ll Tumble 4 Ya, Culture Club, 1982<\/p>\n

\"80s A. C. \/ Unsplash+<\/p>\n

The horns blast, and I\u2019m back on the living room carpet. Jumping up and down in front of the television as Boy George<\/a> glides across a stage. Wide-brimmed black bowler hat, long ratted bangs, heavy black eyeliner, rouged cheeks, and I loved it. I thought he was so pretty.<\/p>\n

Something about his androgynous style and British accent intrigued me. Now, when this song pops up, I immediately sing the chorus and shoulder roll with a smile on my face. A few years later, I may have rouged my own cheeks with my cousin\u2019s blush.<\/p>\n

RELATED: 11 Ways Parents In The 1980s Had It Way Easier Than Parents Do Now<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson, 1989<\/p>\n

Ten-year-old me was determined to master every dance move Janet executed with force, precision, and control. My bestie and I practiced the military-reminiscent moves fused with her brother MJ\u2019s flair.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I envisioned myself hopping in military boots, my arms in perfect X formation with every step. The fire this song evokes gets my shoulder moving and head bobbing every time. \u201cWe are a part of a rhythm nation.\u201d I didn\u2019t know it then, but that was my first taste of feminist energy<\/a>. This song lit a fire that never went out.<\/p>\n

7. Wanna Be Startin\u2019 Somethin\u2019, Michael Jackson, 1983<\/p>\n

Mom would grab my tiny hands and swing them back and forth. \u201cMama-say mama-sa mama-coo-sa,\u201d as we\u2019d clap our hands together like each repeat of the song was a party of our own.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d sing it over and over again like it was a children\u2019s song. Even now, as a forty-something woman, I\u2019ll still sing my heart out. If I ever miss Mom, I click on my Spotify list, and there she is.<\/p>\n

8. Kickstart My Heart, Motley Crue, 1989<\/p>\n

\"80s Lisa from Pexels \/ Pexels<\/p>\n

Spring 1989. I was nine going on ten when my cousin\u2019s daughter blasted \u201cKickstart My Heart\u201d on repeat. Back then, the music felt fast, loud, and rebellious. When I saw Vince Neil on MTV, I begged her to do my eyeliner just like his.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When she did, she got in trouble for turning me into a mini metal groupie. I had never felt so grown up. I can\u2019t listen to this song without air drumming \u2014 and wondering how my mom didn\u2019t care I was belting lyrics about drugs<\/a>. Seeing Vince Neil run across the stage and Tommy Lee flip upside down with his drum kit in 2013 was an absolute dream.<\/p>\n

RELATED: If You Grew Up In The 1980s, You Likely Have These 11 Personality Traits That Are Hard To Find Today<\/a><\/p>\n

9. Pictures of You, The Cure, 1989<\/p>\n

The Cure was constant background music for as long as I can remember. The second I hear the melancholy guitar, I\u2019m instantly in my bedroom scribbling out my angst in purple ink. Robert Smith\u2019s emotional state mirrored mine, and by the time I was 16, this song was on regular rotation. Even now, the sad guitar and synthesizers transport me to the days I\u2019d pour my emotions on the page. It was the only place I felt safe.<\/p>\n

The Cure<\/a> was also the first concert I ever went to. I was sixteen, watching Robert Smith drift across the stage, his hair wild, his voice heavy with ache. I stood there completely undone. I would go on to see them several more times. They will always be in my top five favorite bands of all time.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t understand most of these songs when I first heard them. I just knew how they felt. Decades later, they still hit the same way. Many songs fade into the ether with time, but these never did. They\u2019re stitched into my nervous system, in the backseat of my mom\u2019s car, the living room floor, and the bedroom where I learned how to write.<\/p>\n

I was born in 1979, but the 80s practically raised me. And if one of these songs comes on? I\u2019m still not skipping it.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Kids Raised In The 80s Developed These Tough Personality Traits That Children Today Don’t Naturally Learn<\/a><\/p>\n

Sherene Jensen is a writer, educator, and editor whose work explores grief, creativity, emotional healing, and human connection. Her essays are featured in several Medium-based publications, including The Memoirist, Write A Catalyst, and Age of Empathy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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