1988 is a wild year in music. Most of the big names that defined the 1980s are taking a break, leaving the door open for a number of new faces to break in and help define the sound that’ll take us into the 1990s. This is a year of rap, of freestyle- and house-inspired dance, of alternative rock, and of off-centered mainstream pop.
Join Tim and Chris as they pick their top-12 songs of 1988. These are nominees for the prestigious Hall of Songs, the hall of fame for songs that currently includes 72 songs.
After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1988, plus tunes from 1987, ’86, ’85 and ’84 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! VOTE BELOW and come back on September 9, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE. Then, come back on September 9, 2022 to find out the voting results, and September 11, 2022 for our discussion on 1989.
We have been dreaming of this moment since starting Hall of Songs. It’s time to enter 1985, when the biggest names in pop music converge for charity spectacles like “We Are the World” and Live Aid, and when some of the most enduring songs of a generation hit pretty darn hard.
Come along for the ride as we select our top-12 songs from 1985. After listening, head to hallofsongs.com to vote for the songs you think deserve to be in our hall of fame for songs called the Hall of Songs.
After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1985, plus tunes from 1984, ’83, ’82 and ’81 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now at hallofsongs.com and come back on July 29, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1985 nominees:
“King of Rock” as performed by Run DMC
Written by Darryl McDaniels, Jason Mizel, Joseph Simmons, Larry Smith and Russell Simmons; recorded mid-1984; released January 1985
“How Will I Know” as performed by Whitney Houston
Written by Geroge Merrill, Shannon Rubicam and Narada Michael Walden; recorded fall 1984; released February 1985
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” as performed by Tears For Fears
Written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley and Chris Hughes; recorded November 1984; released February 1985
“Voices Carry” as performed by ‘Til Tuesday
Written by Robert Holmes, Aimee Mann, Michael Hausman and Joey Pesce; recorded January 1985; released March 1985
“Raspberry Beret” as performed by Prince and the Revolution
Written by Prince; recorded September 1984; released April 1985
“Money For Nothing” as performed by Dire Straits
Written by Mark Knopfler and Sting; recorded December 1984; released May 1985
“Running Up That Hill” as performed by Kate Bush
Written by Kate Bush; recorded early 1985; released August 1985
“Conga” as performed by Miami Sound Machine
Written by Enrique E. Garcia; recorded early 1985; released August 1985
“Take on Me” as performed by A-Ha
Written by Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Pal Waaktaar; recorded late 1984; released September 1985
“Bastards of Young” as performed by The Replacements
Written by Paul Westerberg; recorded June 1985; released September 1985
“I Can’t Live Without My Radio” as performed by LL Cool J
Written by James Todd Smith and Rick Rubin; recorded early 1985; released October 1985
“Crush on You” as performed by The Jets
Written by Jerry Knight and Aaron Zigman; recorded summer 1985; released October 1985
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down to vote. Then, come back on July 29, 2022 to find out the voting results, and July 31, 2022 for our discussion on 1986.
OK, maybe we’re guilty of using a little hyperbole. 1984 is, however, a year of huge stars, big sounds, and even bigger songs.
In this episode of Hall of Songs, Tim and Chris select their top-12 from this year, and you’ll get huge names like Bruce, the highest of NRG, and one dominant force whose fingerprints are all over this year.
After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1984, plus tunes from 1983, ’82 and ’81 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now at hallofsongs.com and come back on July 8, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1984 nominees (spoilers below; highlight to reveal):
“What’s Love Got to Do With It” as performed by Tina Turner
Written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle; recorded fall 1983; released May 1984
“The Glamorous Life” as performed by Sheila E.
Written by Prince; recorded early 1984; released May 1984
“Dancing in the Dark” as performed by Bruce Springsteen
Written by Bruce Springsteen; recorded February 1984; released May 1984
“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” as performed by Wham!
Written by George Michael; recorded February 1984; released May 1984
“When Doves Cry” as performed by Prince
Written by Prince; recorded March 1984; released May 1984
“Purple Rain” as performed by Prince
Written by Prince; recorded August 1983; released June 1984
“Smooth Operator” as performed by Sade
Written by Sade Adu and Ray St. John; recorded ;ate 1983; released July 1984
“Fade to Black” as performed by Metallica
Written by Cliff Burton, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett; recorded February 1984; released July 1984
“I Feel For You” as performed by Chaka Khan
Written by Prince; recorded early 1984; released October 1984
“Unsatisfied” as performed by The Replacements
Written by Paul Westerberg; recorded late 1983; released October 1984
“You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” as performed by Dead or Alive
Written by Pete Burns, Steve Coy, Wayne Hussey, Tim Lever and Mike Percy; recorded July 1984; released November 1984
“How Soon is Now?” as performed by The Smiths
Written by Johnny Marr and Morrissey; recorded July 1984; released November 1984
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down to vote. Then, come back on July 8, 2022 to find out the voting results, and July 10, 2022 for our discussion on 1984.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are back with a ferocious new single about environmental chaos and youth uprising. We’ll go into that, plus we’ll look back at the band’s outstanding career. Also, we’re recommending some relatively new Angel Olsen and the newest Maggie Rogers single; finally, we’ll dive deeper into Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.”
Modern Songs is a music discovery podcast reviewing new music and songs released since 2006.
This is a long one, but it’s only because we simply love this music. Our picks for the top-12 songs of 1983 include legendary new wave tracks, massive pop ballads, the early stages of Heartland Rock and two records that will come to define 1980s dance.
After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1983, plus tunes from 1982, ’81, ’79, ’78 and ’76 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now at hallofsongs.com and come back on June 24, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1983 nominees (spoilers below; highlight to reveal):
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” as performed by Eurythmics
Written by Annie Lennox and David Stewart; recorded summer 1982; released January 1983
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” as performed by U2
Written by U2; recorded fall 1982; released February 1983
“True” as performed by Spandau Ballet
Written by Gary Kemp; recorded fall 1982; released March 1983
“Blue Monday” as performed by New Order
Written by Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner; recorded late 1982; released March 1983
“Between the Sheets” as performed by The Isley Brothers
Written by Rudolph Isley, O’Kelly Isley Jr., Ronald Isley, Ernest Isley, Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper; recorded February 1983; released March 1983
“Blister in the Sun” as performed by Violent Femmes
Written by Gordon Gano; recorded July 1982; released April 1983
“Every Breath You Take” as performed by The Police
Written by Sting; recorded early 1983; released May 1983
“Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)” as performed by Talking Heads
Written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth; recorded late 1982; released June 1983
“Let the Music Play” as performed by Shannon
Written by Chris Barbosa and Ed Chisolm; recorded summer 1983; released September 1983
“Time After Time” as performed by Cyndi Lauper
Written by Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman; recorded June 1983; released October 1983
“Pink Houses” as performed by John Cougar Mellencamp
Written by John Mellencamp; recorded July 1983; released October 1983
“Jump” as performed by Van Halen
Written by Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth; recorded summer 1983; released December 1983
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down to vote. Then, come back on May 20, 2022 to find out the voting results, and May 22, 2022 for our discussion on 1983.
Celebrated rockers Arcade Fire is back with a new album, “We,” set to be released this May. The album’s first single is “The Lightning I, II,” and Tim and Chris settle in to discuss the new track. And considering the moment, they go even deeper into Arcade Fire history and talk about the arresting “Neon Bible” closer “My Body is a Cage,” which just end up being the band’s legacy.
Modern Songs is a podcast devoted to the discovery of new music and the discussion of the greatest songs of the last 15 years.
Harry Styles has finally given 2022 its big pop smash. On this episode of Modern Songs, Tim and Chris talk about “As It Was,” the first song to come out of Styles’ forthcoming album “Harry’s House.” Spoiler: They like it. Then, they talk some Kanye by going deep into “Black Skinhead,” a song from his 2013 album “Yeezus.” Following that, Tim and Chris discuss some recent favorites, including music by Orville Peck and Maggie Rogers.
Modern Songs is a podcast devoted to the discovery of new music and the discussion of the greatest songs of the last 15 years.
Everyone is talking about Wet Leg, the duo out of the Isle of Wight whose witty, ribald brand of punk and power pop took music lovers by storm over the last several months. On this episode of Modern Songs we join the conversation and talk specifically about “Ur Mum” from the new self-titled album. Plus, we’ll go back nine years to discuss another all-female rock band, HAIM, and its sensational “The Wire.”
Modern Songs is a podcast devoted to the discovery of new music and the discussion of the greatest songs of the last 15 years.
We talk about a lot of new, lightly explored music in this episode of Modern Songs. Gang of Youth’s has a new album called “Angel in Realtime.” We discuss one of its singles, “In the Wake of Your Leave.” We stay in Australia to talk about Camp Cope’s “Caroline,” then dig into the newest from Sam Outlaw, Soccer Mommy, and California indie band Wallows. In our segment looking farther back in time, we chat about the strengths and weaknesses of Jay-Z’s anthem “Empire State of Mind.”
Modern Songs is a podcast devoted to the discovery of new music and the discussion of the greatest songs of the last 15 years.
