pitchfork is dumb (#34985859340293849494 in a series.)

I would have picked "Parkside 5-2" over "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?"

I knew you were hating (on him)

That's cool. If I were paring a list down to 200, I might not include any George Michael or Wham! either because I could probably find 200 things I like more. And I can't think of any GM or Wham! song that is THE song that has to be there, either.

if anything the types of blind-spots we're pointing out underscore that this isn't an "all-things-to-all-people" list of the "HEY REMEMBER THE 80s" variety, but rather the expression of a certain critical mindset. one that, just like the rock mags before it, is distinctive in both its interests and its weakenesses.

"careless whisper"

(My likely choices would be I Want Your Sex and Freedom).

well then i suppose no one aligned behind one single (i would've actually picked "one more try")

An all-things-to-all-people list would be published by Buzzfeed. This list is identifiably Pitchforkian from beginning to end, but the Pitchfork of 2015 and not the Pitchfork of 2003. They're doing a good job and making a list full of songs with straight lines to the music they're reviewing on a daily basis.

also the quiet storm rise is probably in part because of drake, right :\

really think this actually just corresponds to the tastes of the ppl who ended up writing the blurbs

the degree to which the list ignores the music between r&b radio and 120 minutes - with the exception of some diamond-selling icons - is actually kind of amazing when you compare it to how many people think of "the eighties"

Was George Michael on the ILM '80s results?

They really should have put "Stand" on there; then they could have it both ways, including a historically important band AND trolling aging REM fans who hate this song.

(I mean, also, "Stand" is a tremendous pop single that belongs on this list anyway, very much of the '80s but completely absent from people's reflexive "hey remember the '80s" mental playlist as far as I can see.)

Like I said in the Slicing Up Eyeballs comments, if you were looking at a list that properly reflected the eighties, you'd see Mr. Mister and Taylor Dayne and Bonnie Tyler and Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, but that's not the kind of list they were making.

really anyone who isn't of the "pixies were great but oh man have you heard cherelle" brand of nerd is going to be very, very disappointed if they click on this thing

i bet daryl hall is mad he didn't make the top 50 so i hope someone lets him know he's above peter gabriel and that paul simon didn't even make the list

I like that this list is taking a somewhat different look at the 80s, I don't need another list to just enumerate all the hits of the 80s that I already have permanently lodged in my brain. They definitely are trying to highlight 80s tracks that can be connected to sounds of 2015. If this were 2005, they would have included "Come On, Eileen" as a way to explain the popularity of The Arcade Fire and "Warm Leatherette" to remind you of Electroclash.

Wait, how did nothing from Graceland make the list? OUTRAGEOUS!!!

Other than that, I like the list. Lots of interesting stuff in the lower half that I didn't know about, and a fine mix in the upper half. But lack of Graceland...

david lee roth started the list like "this...is...awesome...i haven't thought of that 12-inch in YEARS! YES!" but then gradually turned "fuckin college rock...oh more new order, fuck me" by the end, before making his assistant tell him the top 20

Vampire Weekend no longer popular, hence no need for Graceland.

i hope roth shows up at the pitchfork office for a photo op before announcing "you fucks better remember running with the devil when you do the 70s"

Warm Leatherette is from 1978, but point taken. xps

grace jones did warm in 80

I am totally outraged that Stacy Q's Two Of Hearts failed to make the pitchfork list.

Hey, Vampire Weekend topped pitchfork album list two years back. Of course, it wasn't a Graceland rip-off anymore (or ever, or whatever, but y'know, other discussion), but still.

And seriously, how can you have an 80s list without any plight of the family farm songs? And absolutely nada in terms of songs about CIA involvement in Central America.

Farmer and Central America songs...that's what the 80s were all about, man. I was there, Goddamnit!!!

grace jones did warm in 80

True, but if the intention of including it was to tie it into electroclash in 2005, The Normal would've been the more direct line of sight.

Farmer and Central America songs...that's what the 80s were all about, man. I was there, Goddamnit!!!

and i cannot forget from where it is i come from

one PSB track.. hm.

Top Charity Singles Accompanied By "Check Your Ego At The Door" Videos Of The 1980s

If this were 2005, they would have included "Come On, Eileen"

Even worse though, if this were 2005 they would have included "Don't Stop Believing."

i don't have a problem with multiple songs by artists on a list like this. i would have three wide boy awake songs on any top 200 songs of the 80's that i did.

Someone might have, but not Pitchfork. Not in 2005.

just noticed that WHAM/ Everything She Wants sneaks in the 'See Also' bit under Hall And Oats. not sure if that makes it better or worse.

xp "DSB" is one of the '80s picks in The Pitchfork 500 (published in 2008).

glad 2 see that the pitchfork list has launched successfully

xp oops!

(I'd honestly forgotten that THe Pitchfork 500 even existed.)

journey, don henley, paul simon all among the artists on the pitchfork 500 not on this list. tears for fears went from zero songs on the list to two!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pitchfork_500#1980.E2.80.931982

i would also substitute carly track with cruisers creek and fugazi track with oblivious. oblivious should really be in the top ten.

specific song selections/order aside, i like list! (well enough)
afaict (maybe missed it) biggest omission for me is 80s the fall, i mean really
(more subjectively, wd've like to see the clean, but at least chills are there)

also (maybe missed it) nothing in spanish?
tbh don't know what i'd include; all my favorite salsa is from the 70s

(ha xp with scott)

For comparison's sake, our own 80s tracks poll (which is ten years old now): ****************THIS IS A JOURNEY INTO SOUND - IT'S THE ILX 1980s SINGLES POLL RESULTS COUNTDOWN WHAMBAM FOOFARAW****************

1. Prince and the Revolution – "When Doves Cry"
2. Joy Division – "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
3. Michael Jackson – "Billie Jean"
4. New Order – "Temptation"
5. Madonna – "Into the Groove"
6. New Order – "Blue Monday"
7. Talking Heads – "Once in a Lifetime"
8. The Smiths – "There is a Light that Never Goes Out"
9. Sonic Youth – "Teenage Riot"
10. The Cure – "Just Like Heaven"
11. Pixies – "Debaser"
12. Public Enemy – "Fight the Power"
13. Pet Shop Boys – "West End Girls"
14. The Smiths – "This Charming Man"
15. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock – "It Takes Two"
16. The Smiths – "How Soon Is Now?"
17. Prince – "Little Red Corvette"
18. Prince and the Revolution – "Kiss"
19. Public Enemy – "Bring the Noise"
20. New Order – "Bizarre Love Triangle"
21. M/A/R/R/S – “Pump Up the Volume"/"Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance)"
22. A-ha – “Take On Me”
23. Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force – “Planet Rock”
24. Human League – “Don’t You Want Me”
25. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – “The Message”
26. Madonna – “Like a Prayer”
27. The Specials – “Ghost Town”
28. Kate Bush – “Running Up That Hill”
29. Prince – “1999”
30. Go-Gos – “Our Lips Are Sealed”
31. Dexys Midnight Runners – “Come On Eileen”
32. R.E.M. – “Radio Free Europe”
33. Salt ‘n’ Pepa – “Push It”
34. Joy Division – “Atmosphere”
35. The Jesus and Mary Chain – “Just Like Honey”
36. My Bloody Valentine – “You Made Me Realise”
37. Funky Four + 1 – “That’s the Joint”
38. New Order – “Ceremony”
39. Grandmaster and Melle Mel – “White Lines (Don’t Do It)”
40. Cyndi Lauper – “Time After Time”
41. Prince and the Revolution – “Raspberry Beret”
42. The Cure – “InBetween Days”
43. The Clash – “Rock the Casbah”
44. The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl – “Fairytale of New York”
45. Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield – “What Have I Done To Deserve This?”
46. Queen & David Bowie – “Under Pressure”
47. Pet Shop Boys – “Always On My Mind”
48. Madonna – “Borderline”
49. Motorhead – “Ace of Spades”
50. Madonna – “Holiday”
51. Guns ‘n’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
52. Michael Jackson - "Beat It"
53. Talking Heads - "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)"
54. Soft Cell - "Tainted Love"
55. Cameo - "Word Up"
56. Bronski Beat - "Smalltown Boy"
57. George Clinton - "Atomic Dog"
58. Tom Tom Club - "Genius of Love"
59. Lipps Inc. - "Funkytown"
60. Eric B. & Rakim - "Paid In Full"
61. New Order - "Age of Consent"
62. Duran Duran - "Rio"
63. The Stones Roses - "Fools Gold 9.53"
64. Violent Femmes - "Blister in the Sun"
65. N.W.A. - "Express Yourself"
66. Blondie - "Call Me"
67. Cybotron - "Clear"
68. Depeche Mode - "Never Let Me Down"
69. The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Never Understand"
70. Public Enemy - "Night of the Living Baseheads"
71. Pixies - "Monkey Gone To Heaven"
72. Fugazi - "Waiting Room"
73. Pixies - "Gigantic"
74. De La Soul - "Me Myself and I"
75. R.E.M. - "Fall On Me"
76. Rick James - "Super Freak"
77. New Order - "True Faith"
78. The Smiths - "Ask"
79. Hall & Oates - "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)"
80. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force - "I Wonder If I Take You Home"
81. The Smiths - "Bigmouth Strikes Again"
82. Young MC - "Bust a Move"
83. The La's - "There She Goes"
84. Soft Cell - "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye"
85. Echo & the Bunnymen - "The Killing Moon"
86. Associates - "Party Fears Two"
87. Crowded House - "Don't Dream It's Over"
88. The Beat - "Save It For Later"
89. Young Marble Giants - "Final Day"
90. The Cure - "A Forest"
91. The Primitives - "Crash"
92. Modern English - "I Melt With You"
93. Don Henley - "The Boys of Summer"
94. Guns 'N' Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle"
95. The Fall - "The Classical"
96. Morrissey - "Suedehead"
97. Prince - "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"
98. Shannon - "Let the Music Play"
99. Eric B. & Rakim - "Follow the Leader"
100. Grandmaster Flash - "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel"

this exercise has taught me that "karma chameleon" isn't 80s canon

ridiculous amount of New Order in that ILM poll

Wanna Be Startin'.. not even featured!

those ilm poll results are like... good songs, but all super predictable/boring as a list, all the way down to the ones barely scraping the bottom of the top 100. have the normalizing forces of 'the canon' become so powerful even that far back that ppl were not aware of anything else from the time to vote for? i feel like ilm poll results tend to have a few more 'surprises' or w/e

i am sure the p4k list is just as bad if not worse but i don't really care enough to find out

ha yeah I guess there were only 2 good metal songs in the 80s, both of them by Guns'n'Roses.

What's Ace of Spades?

oh is the list called "The Only 200 Good Songs of the Entire 1980s"? I missed that.

glad I brought you up to speed (was talking about the ILM 100 tho)