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Posts tagged ‘1980’s’

Mar 5

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A Year in the 80’s – 1981 No. 1’s

A Quick Look Back

Population: 229,465,714
Life expectancy: 74.1 years
New Home: $68,900
New Car: $7,500
Median Income: $13,773
Stamp: $ .18
Regular Gas: $1.13
Bread: $ .54
Gal of Milk: $1.69

 And here are the Number One’s for 1981!

Movies

Oscars
Best Picture: Chariots of Fire
Best Director: Warren Beatty, Reds
Best Actor: Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond
Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond

Highest Grossing Films
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark ($212,222,025)
2.  On Golden Pond ($119,285,432)
3.  Superman II ($108,185,706)
4.  Arthur ($95,461,682)
5.  Stripes ($85,297,000)

Remember These Movies?
Taps
The Cannonball Run
Continental Divide
Endless Love
The Fan
The Four Seasons
The Howling
Absence of Malice
Sharky’s Machine
Pennies from Heaven

Music

Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: Christopher Cross for Christopher Cross
Record of the Year: Christopher Cross for Sailing
Best New Artist: Christopher Cross
*The only Artist (so far) to sweep all categories in the same year

Pop Female Vocal: Bette Midler for The Rose
Pop Male Vocal: Kenny Loggins for This Is It
Pop Duo/Group: Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb for Guilty

Rock Female Vocal: Pat Benatar for Crimes of Passion
Rock Male Vocal: Billy Joel for Glass Houses
Rock Duo/Group: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band for Against the Wind

Country Female Vocal: Anne Murray for Could I Have This Dance?
Country Male Vocal: George Jones for He Stopped Loving Her Today
Country Duo/Group: Emmylou Harris & Roy Orbison for That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again

Billboard Top Singles
1.  Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
2.  Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
3.  Lady – Kenny Rogers
4.  (Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon
5.  Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield

Remember These Songs?
Morning Train (Nine to Five) by Sheena Easton
Queen of Hearts by Juice Newton
Elvira by The Oak Ridge Boys
Passion by Rod Stewart
Somebody’s Knockin by Terri Gibbs
America by Neil Diamond
Another One Bites the Dust by Queen
Don’t Stand So Close to Me by The Police
Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen

Television

Emmy Awards
Outstanding Drama: Hill Street Blues (NBC)
Best Actor, Drama: Daniel J. Travanti as Captain Frank Furillo, Hill Street Blues (NBC)
Best Actress, Drama: Barbara Babcock as Grace Gardner, Hill Street Blues (NBC)

Outstanding Comedy: Taxi, (ABC)
Best Actor, Comedy: Judd Hirsch as Alex Reiger, Taxi (ABC)
Best Actress, Comedy: Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson, The Jeffersons (CBS)

Top Shows
1981 – 1982    (Households with TV: 81,500,000)

1. Dallas (CBS) 23,146,000
2. 60 Minutes (CBS) 22,575,500
3. The Jeffersons (CBS) 19,071,000
4. Three’s Company (ABC) 18,989,500
5. Alice (CBS) 18,500,500
6. The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS) 18,419,000
7. Too Close for Comfort (ABC) 18,419,000
8. ABC Monday Night Movie (ABC) 18,337,500
9. M*A*S*H (CBS) 18,174,500
10. One Day at a Time (CBS) 17,930,000

Remember These Shows?
Lewis & Clark (81 – 82)
The Two of Us (81 – 82)
Father Murphy (81- 83)
Bret Maverick (81 – 82)
Flamingo Road (81 – 82)
Harper Valley P.T.A. (81 – 82)
Strike Force (81 – 82)
McClain’s Law (81 – 82)
Private Benjamin (81 – 83)
Walt Disney (81 – 83)
Greatest American Hero (81 – 83)
Fall Guy (81 – 86)
Gimme a Break (81- 87)
Simon and Simon (81 – 95)

What else do you remember from 1981?

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References:
Music Outfitters
The Cost of Living
1980’s Flashback
In the 80’s
Classic TV Hits

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Feb 12

4 Comments

A Year in the 80’s – Some 1980 History

January 27
Six American diplomats, who had evaded capture during the seizure of the US embassy, successfully board a Swissair flight to Zurich and escape from Iran. Popularly called the “Canadian Caper”, this was a covert operation by the Canadian government and the CIA, in which the diplomats and agents pretended to be part of a fake film crew scouting locations for a science fiction movie called Argo.

Jan/Feb
Rubik’s Cube makes its debut at international toy fairs in London, Paris, Nuremberg and New York. It’s a hit.

Feb 13 – 24
Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York
– One of the most thrilling moments include the “Miracle on Ice” when a team of U.S. amateur ice hockey players defeated the vaunted Soviet Union professional all-star team in the semi-final game, then won the gold medal over Finland.
– U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden also concluded one of the most amazing feats in sports history when he won all five speed skating medals from the sprint at 500 meters to the marathon 10,000 meter event. (America’s Best History) 

March 27
Mt. St. Helens begins venting steam, becoming active for the first time in 123 years. This event occurs after the mountain experienced a 4.2 magnitude earthquake on the 20th. By the end of April, the north side of the mountain has begun to bulge.

May 18
Mount St. Helens erupts. It is the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in US history, killing 57 people and destroying 250 homes. Also destroyed are 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways, and 185 miles of highway.

April 6
Post-It Notes debuts in US stores.

April 12
At the request of President Carter, the US Olympic Committee votes to boycott the Moscow Summer Olympics. This due to the Soviet Union’s continued involvement in Afghanistan.

April 24 & 25
Operation Eagle Claw, an attempt to rescue American hostages who had been captured in the US Embassy in Iran, is aborted because three of the eight helicopters sent in have been damaged. As they leave, a helicopter crashes into a transport aircraft, killing eight US servicemen and wounding five. Many believe that a failure to free the hostages cost Carter the re-election.

May 8
The World Health Organization declares the global eradication of smallpox, “which was a most devastating disease sweeping in epidemic form through many countries since earliest time, leaving death, blindness and disfigurement in its wake”.

May 22
Pac-Man arcade game is first released in Japan by Namco. Released in the US in October, Pac-Man quickly overtakes Asteroids as the most played arcade game in North America, grossing over one billion dollars (in quarters!) within a decade.

June 1
The Cable News Network (CNN) launches at 5pm EST, becoming the first 24-hour news channel (and first all-news channel in the US).

July 31 through August 11th
Hurricane Allen hits the Caribbean, eastern and northern Mexico and southern Texas, killing 270 people. The first hurricane of the 1980 Atlantic season, it is also one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history. Allen is one of the few hurricanes to reach Category 5 status and spent more time as a Category 5 than any other Atlantic hurricane. It is the second of only two hurricanes in the recorded history of the Atlantic basin to achieve sustained winds of 190 mph.

September 22
Iran-Iraq war begins. Known as the First Persian Gulf War, it lasts from September 1980 to August of 1988.

September 23
Bob Marley performs his last concert this night, at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He will succumb to cancer eight months later, at the age of 36.

November 4
Ronald Reagan wins election to the US Presidency in a landslide victory over Jimmy Carter, with 489 to 49 votes in the Electoral College and an 8 million vote margin in the popular vote.

November 12
Voyager 1 space probe reaches its closest approach to Saturn, coming within 77,000 miles of Saturn’s cloud-tops. Its cameras capture the first high-resolution pictures of Saturn, detecting complex structures in Saturn’s rings.

November 21
An estimated 83 million people tune in to find out who shot J.R. on CBS’s prime-time soap, Dallas. It becomes the highest rated television episode in US history, and is only second now to the final episode of M*A*S*H.

December 8
John Lennon is shot and killed outside his home by Mark Chapman.

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So there’s a little history from 1980!
Do you remember any of that?

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Feb 5

7 Comments

A Year in the 80’s – 1980 No. 1’s

A Quick Look Back

Population: 227,224,681
Life expectancy:  73.7 years
New Home: $64,600
New Car: $7,200
Median Income: $ 12,513
Stamp: $ .15
Regular Gas: $ 1.25
Bread: $ .48
Gal of Milk: $ 1.60

And here are the Number One’s for 1980!

Movies

Oscars
Best Picture: Ordinary People
Best Director: Robert Redford for Ordinary People
Best Actor: Robert De Niro for Raging Bull
Best Actress: Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner’s Daughter

Highest Grossing Films
1.  The Empire Strikes Back ($209,398,025)
2.  9 to 5 ($103,290,500)
3.  Stir Crazy ($101,300,000)
4.  Airplane! ($83,453,539)
5.  Any Which Way You Can ($70,687,344)

Remember These Movies?
Little Darlings
My Bodyguard
Private Benjamin
The Blues Brothers
The Jazz Singer
American Gigolo
The Fog
Altered States
Stardust Memories

Music

Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: Billy Joel for 52nd Street
Record of the Year: The Doobie Brothers for What a Fool Believes
Best New Artist: Rickie Lee Jones

Pop Female Vocal: Dionne Warwick for I’ll Never Love This Way Again
Pop Male Vocal: Billy Joel for 52nd Street
Pop Duo/Group: The Doobie Brothers for Minute by Minute

Rock Female Vocal: Donna Summer for Hot Stuff
Rock Male Vocal: Bob Dylan for Gotta Serve Somebody
Rock Duo/Group: The Eagles for Heartache Tonight

Country Female Vocal: Emmylou Harris for Blue Kentucky Girl
Country Male Vocal: Kenny Rogers for The Gambler
Country Duo/Group: The Charlie Daniels Band for The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Billboard Top Singles
1.  Call Me – Blondie
2.  Another Brick in the Wall, Part II – Pink Floyd
3.  Magic – Olivia Newton-John
4.  Rock with You – Michael Jackson
5. Do That to Me One More Time – Captain & Tennille

Remember These Songs?
Funkytown by Lipps Inc.
Steal Away by Robbie Dupree
Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia
Ladies’ Night by Kool & the Gang
Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders
On the Radio by Donna Summer
Fame by Irene Cara
Take the Long Way Home by Supertramp
Sara by Fleetwood Mac
Rapper’s Delight by Sugarhill Gang

Television

Emmy Awards
Outstanding Drama: Lou Grant (CBS)
Best Actor, Drama: Edward Asner as Lou Grant, Lou Grant (CBS)
Best Actress, Drama: Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing, Dallas (CBS)

Outstanding Comedy: Taxi (ABC)
Best Actor, Comedy: Richard Mulligan as Burt Campbell, Soap (ABC)
Best Actress, Comedy: Cathryn Damon as Mary Campbell, Soap, (ABC)

Top Shows
1980 – 1981    (Households with TV: 79,900,000)

1. Dallas (CBS) 27,565,500
2. The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS) 21,812,700
3. 60 Minutes (CBS) 21,573,000
4. M*A*S*H (CBS) 20,534,300
5. The Love Boat (ABC) 19,415,700
6. The Jeffersons (CBS) 18,776,500
7. Alice (CBS) 18,297,100
8. House Calls (CBS) 17,897,600
9. Three’s Company (ABC) 17,897,600
10. Little House on the Prairie (NBC) 17,657,900

Remember These Shows?
That’s Incredible (80 – 84)
Too Close For Comfort (80 – 86)
Magnum P.I. (80 – 88)
Bosom Buddies (80- 82)
Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters (80 – 82)
Facts of Life (79 – 88)
Trapper John, M.D. (79 – 86)
Real People (79 – 84)
Benson (79 – 86)

What else do you remember from 1980?

References:

Music Outfitters
The Cost of Living
1980’s Flashback
In the 80’s
Classic TV Hits

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Jan 22

9 Comments

A Year in the 80’s – One Hit Wonders

Continuing the music theme for another week, I present you with some one hit wonders!

For the most part, these are all true one hit on the US Top 40 Pop Chart and that’s all this band ever did wonders, the bands you never of before and then never heard from again.

Here we go!

1980
The Vapors – Turning Japanese
peaked at #36 on November 29th

When I saw this video, I realized I didn’t remember anything except the chorus. And listening to it I can see why: it’s pretty dumb and possibly a bit racist. But the chorus is catchy. I really think so.

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1981
Joey Scarbury – Believe It or Not (Greatest American Hero theme)
peaked at #2 on August 15th

I LOVED this song!! Loved it. And why not, it’s Solid Gold. (Get it? Solid Gold? I crack me up.) ANY-way, this video really is golden 80’s memorabilia, for so many reasons.

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1982
Buckner & Garcia – Pac-Man Fever
peaked at #9 on March 27th

American Bandstand, Dick Clark, skinny ties, Pac Man… I’ve got 80’s fever, ya’ll! I’m not even playing. As an interesting side-note, Buckner now has a show called The 1 Hit Wonders Show.

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1983
Taco – Puttin’ on the Ritz
peaked at #4 on September 3rd

I totally remembered most of the words when I watched this video, you guys! Or at least lots of them. Ok, some of them, but still. It seems a little weird now, but I really liked this video when I was 13. I thought it was super duper.

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1984
Ollie & Jerry – Breakin’… There’s No Stopping Us
peaked at #9 on August 4th

Break dancing is cool. That is all.

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1985
John Hunter – Tragedy
peaked at #39 on February 16th

I have no recollection of this song whatsoever, but this video made me laugh so I had to include it. Plus, cute doggie. This is so thoroughly mid-80’s! The hair, the makeup, the shoulder pads…they’re just a tragedy.

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1986
Boys Don’t Cry – I Wanna Be a Cowboy
peaked at #12 on June 21st

I do  remember this song – and it’s still awesome! Yippie-yippie-yi, Yippie-yi-yo-yo! Oh, Yippie!!

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1987
Danny Wilson – Mary’s Prayer
peaked at #23 on September 5th

I liked this song, but I had no idea until now that he was saying Mary’s prayer.

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1988
E.U. (Experience Unlimited) – Da Butt
peaked at #35 on May 21st

This is a little bit of a cheat because E.U. had other hits on the R&B charts too, but they’re a D.C.-based band, which is local to me. Also it’s old guys singing about butts.

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1989
Grayson Hugh – Talk It Over
peaked at #19 on September 9

This is the only song on the list I even recognized. And I played them all. Where was I in ’89? My favorite parts of this song and video are the background singers. They remind me of my time singing in chorus.

♦

This was the most fun, you guys!! I think I’ll be spending some money at iTunes in a minute. 🙂

Yippie-yi-yo-yo!

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