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© The 80s Mixtaper
Description
In 2016 I started listening to every single UK chart entry from January 1st 1980 to December 31st 1989. This is the story of that journey, the bands, the music and how 80s music unfolded through lots of lovely playlists. If you’re new to 80s music, consider this a great entry point. If you’re here for nostalgia, you’re in for a treat! Wham! Duran Duran, Billy Ocean, Bros, The Smiths - you name it, I have you covered. As midlife crises go, it could be worse!
Cover art by Florian Schmetz. Go check him out at Unsplash!
Cover art by Florian Schmetz. Go check him out at Unsplash!
70 Episodes
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If you're looking for a pod describing the rhyming scheme of "truly" and "Julie", look no further! Yes as we begin our ascent of the 1982 charts, the 80s Mixtaper acts as our musical sherpa. We'll be stopping along the way to muse on the Stranglers' multi-meaning Golden Brown, feeling the chill of the cold war with Mobiles' Drowning in Berlin before Lindsey Buckingham gets us into trouble, amongst others (including Shakin Stevens' Julie and it's rhyming scheme). 1982 starts with a bang, join the musical expedition today!
Links to Playlist 35:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. The Stranglers - Golden Brown
2. Mobiles - Drowning in Berlin
3. Lindsey Buckingham - Trouble
4. Mike Post feat. Larry Carlton - Theme from "Hill Street Blues"
5. Elkie Brooks - Fool If You Think It's Over
6. Shakin Stevens - Oh Julie
7. Stevie Wonder - Thart Girl
Bonus Track - Rhoda & The Special AKA - The Boiler
Get down on this podcast! Today, we reach the end of 1981! Can you believe that we're a fifth of the way through this journey already?! And as such, we feature but one song, the only remaining song to mention for 1981 and playlist 34 (the one that stupid here should have just tacked on to episode 33.5). Yes folks, we get cool with Kool and the Gang and their classic hit Get Down On It. Then, a little revue of 1981 and what it meant in the pop zeitgeist, before we hand out some metaphorical awards to the artists of the day. Who will win best solo artist? Who will scoop the most important song of the year? All will be revealed and then we look forward to 1982 and I make the specious claim that 1982 - 1986 are the bit of the 80s we all love the most. Tune in as we celebrate 1981!
Links to playlist 34:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. Kool and the Gang - Get Down On It
(yup, it's just one song, the lesson as always is I'm an idiot)
Step right up as we complete the last full playlist of 1981 and the back end of playlist 33. What an episode we have. Are the Rolling Stones going to break up? Do Foreigner know they have one of the most iconic ballads of the 80s? Are Altered Images happy?Will Jon & Vangelis find their way home? Does Rod Stewart want to be a young turk and do ABBA simply want to go their separate ways? We'll probably answer none of this but have a bloody good go at speculating based on the facts, opinions and fun stuff as we reach the denouement of the 2nd year of the decade.
Links to playlist 33:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
8. The Rolling Stones - Waiting On A Friend
9. Foreigner - Waiting For A Girl Like You
10. Altered Images -I Could Be Happy
11. Jon & Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home
12. Rod Stewart - Young Turks
13. ABBA - One Of Us
This episode will transport you back to the land of make believe (or the 80s, same difference) as we hit December 1981. In playlist 33 we get a Christmas Number one which the band didnt even want to release but which becomes one of the legendary songs of the decade. Duran Duran fill time between their debut album and Rio with a disco throwback, Status Quo get all misty eyed about rock and roll and Madness write cover a love song which by 1994 has me crooning outside a balcony at 3am. Yes folks, playlist 33 is a monster, give it a listen now!
Links to playlist 33:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. Bucks Fizz - Land of Make Believe
2. Status Quo - Rock n Roll
3. Duran Duran - My Own Way
4. Sheena Easton - You Could Have Been With Me
5. Dramatis & Gary Numan - Love Needs No Disguise
6. Madness - It Must Be Love
7. The Human League - Don't You Want Me
Don't go to sleep on this episode! For one it ends with Meatloaf's Dead Ringer For Love, so you'll be wide awake again.
In the second half of playlist 32, we transport you back to the end of November 1981. The Pretenders kick off proceedings with a desperate lament about love in a song which would take on sadder meaning in their future. Soft Cell then transport us to a lonely Bedsit after the party has ended, before Queen and David Bowie release one of the greatest almost accidental duets ever (great story behind this one!). We then introduce those jazz funk pioneers SHAKATAK to the mix before hearing some wedding bells with Godley and Creme. And finally, as mentioned, we introduce Meatloaf and bring along Cher for the ride. Get ready for some rock and roll and brew as we end with Dead Ringer For Love!
Links to Playlist 32:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
8. Pretenders - I Go To Sleep
9. Soft Cell - Bedsitter
10. Queen - Under Pressure (Feat. David Bowie)
11. SHAKATAK - Easier Said Than Done
12. Godley and Creme - Wedding Bells
13. Meatloaf - Dead Ringer For Love (Feat. Cher)
A lunatic has taken over the podcast! (Frankly he was never away). Or rather Fun Boy Three do, as we move forward into deepest November 1981 with Playlist 32. Messrs Hall, Staples and Golding become FB3 and launch their debut single as we explore the messy split from the Specials and what came next. Modern Romance then continue their formulaic party song rise through the charts and Diane Ross breaks from Motown. Earth Wind and Fire reinvent themselves for the new decade, Dollar with the help of Trevor Horn turn mirrors into magic and George Benson creates Grammy success from a compilation track. And finally Kim Wilde continues her conquering march through an epic year.
Links to Playlist 32:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum
2. Modern Romance - Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey
3. Diana Ross - Why Do Fools Fall In Love
4. Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove
5. Dollar - Mirror Mirror
6. George Benson - Turn Your Love Around
7. Kim Wilde - Cambodia
A modern day podcaster, mean mean stride, today's podcaster, mean, mean pride.
Lets not Rush (geddit?) through this episode, as we explore the back half of playlist 31. Yes folks, we enter November 1981 with an eclectic mix of funk, synthpop wizardry and more 80s flavours. Kool and the Gang kick off our show continuing their stretch of great 80s tunes with Steppin Out. We then pivot into introducing Saxon to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal picture with their steam powered song Princess of the Night. We then complete the Sheffield synth-triumvirate as we add the glamorous ABC to the mix alongside the Human League and Heaven 17, with their debut Tears are Not Enough. Rush then drop the iconic cultural behemoth Tom Sawyer - we really delve into that one, before we meet Pigbag with their funky sounds and Sunny Day. And we end today's show examining Japan's swansong, the album Tin Drum and the single, Visions of China.
Links to Playlist 31:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
8. Kool And The Gang - Steppin Out
9. Saxon - Princess Of The Night
10. ABC - Tears Are Not Enough
11. Rush - Tom Sawyer
12. Pigbag - Sunny Day
13. Japan - Visions Of China
It may be Autumn 1981 but you won't need your duffle coat where we're going! Hot holidays, hot driving in the california hills, hot reggae and hot funk all feature in the first half of playlist 31.
We start with perhaps one of the most polarising tracks of the decade, an art installation in its own right, O Superman by Laurie Anderson, raising questions about the purpose of the state and the superficial image of protection. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band then rev up the convertible and take us on a joy ride with Hollywood Nights. We then fly over to Spain, forget the sun block and look like a lobster in a british bar while listening to Begin the Beguine by Julio Iglesias as we remember the era of the package holiday. Trevor Walters then entertains with some delicious lovers rock and the beautiful song Love Me Tonight. We then introduce those funky youngsters Haircut 100 to the mix for their flirty foray into the charts with Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl). OMD take us on a history lesson with the almost choral Joan of Arc and The Police end the episode with a song very special to the 80s Mixtaper, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. It's a biggie!
Links to Playlist 31:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. Laurie Anderson - O Superman
2. Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band - Hollywood Nights
3. Julio Iglesias - Begin The Beguine
4. Trevor Walters - Love Me Tonight
5. Hair Cut 100 - Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)
6. OMD - Joan Of Arc
7. The Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
We're back with the back half of playlist 31 and stories of rock glory from the best decade in pop. In this episode we introduce arena rock giants Foreigner to the picture with their apocryphal tale of the fan who sees a concert and becomes a rock star in their single Jukebox Hero. We don our best spandex, head and wrist warmers and get Physical with Olivia Newton-John and send the 80 work out revolution into overdrive (who's mum went to a Jazz and Tap class?). We get one of the most under-appreciated singles from the Human League's Dare album in Open Your Heart. Lovers and fans of Dudley More will appreciate our next track, the epically beautiful Arthurs Theme by Christopher Cross. The Cure take up time skipping with Charlotte Sometimes and we end the episode with the Four Tops big comeback with When She Was My Girl.
Links to Playlist 30
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
8. Foreigner - Juke Box Hero
9. Olivia Newton-John - Physical
10. Human League - Open Your Heart
11. Christopher Cross - Arthurs Theme
12. The Cure - Charlotte Sometimes
13. Four Tops - When She Was My Girl
Eclectic Much?
Yup playlist 30 continues to demonstrate that even towards the end of 1981, the new decade is still embryonic in it's flavours. We kick off with The Police pivoting away from the reggae punk style as they focus on their next album Ghost in the Machine and break out the single Invisible Sun. Next we don our stripper heels and swing on the pole to Billy Squier's Stroke Me, which actually is a song more aligned with greasy politicians and magnates! Elvis Costello goes country with Good Year For The Roses and pops up again in Squeeze's production of Labelled With Love at the end of the episode. And inbetween we get the Siouxie and Budgie side project The Creatures, more Toyah and more Tom Tom Club. It's gonna be an extravaganza! (Johnny Briggs quote).
Links to Playlist 30
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. The Police - Invisible Sun
2. Billy Squier - The Stroke
3. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Good Year For The Roses
4. Toyah - Thunder In The Mountains
5. The Creatures - Mad Eyed Screamer
6. Tom Tom Club - Genius Of Love
7. Squeeze - Labelled With Love
It's my podcast and I'll cough if I want to! Actually, I manage to hold it together for this entire episode despite the Autumn sniffles as we dive into Autumn 1981. We kick things off with Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin's synthy rework of "It's My Party" before questioning whether Japan's "Quiet Life" may have been the inspiration for a lot of the new romantic sounds. "Just Can't Get Enough" is both the next song and an apt description of how the single kicked off Depeche Mode's meteoric rise. To cool off, we go "Walking In The Sunshine" with Bad Manners (one of my faves) before ripping into "Happy Birthday" by Altered Images. And we end the pod with yet more Madness and "Shut Up" proving that the ska revival wasn't quite over yet.
Links to Playlist 29
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
8. Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin - It's My Party
9. Japan - Quiet Life
10. Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
11. Bad Manners - Walking In The Sunshine
12. Altered Images - Happy Birthday
13. Madness - Shut Up
Dont you ever, dont you ever, stop listening to this podcast! Yes folks, we're back after a short holiday and we're into the early offings of Autumn 1981 as we break into the first half of Playlist 29. We kick off with Joan Armatrading evolving her sound with "I'm Lucky", before meeting San Francisco rockers The Tubes. We then explore Godley and Creme's significant impact on the pop culture media of the decade and their song "Under Your Thumb".
Then, the moment we've all been waiting for (well, 5 of us), a critical analysis of "The Birdie Song" (seriously) by The Tweets, before diving into the Lionel Richie and Diana Ross classic, "Endless Love". As we reach our climax we throw on our warpaint and finest dandy threads for the apex of the Adam and the Ants experience, "Prince Charming" and end the episode in Wolverhampton with Slade! Remember folks, ridicule is nothing to be scared of!
Links to Playlist 29
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. Joan Armatrading - I'm Lucky
2. The Tubes - I Don't Want To Wait Anymore
3. Godley & Creme - Under Your Thumb
4. The Tweets - The Birdie Song
5. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross - Endless Love
6. Adam & The Ants - Prince Charming
7. Slade - Lock Up Your Daughters
We rejoin the 80s Mixtaper as summer comes to an end in 1981. As we hit the back six of playlist 28 we start with school disco classic, Hands Up by Ottawan before slipping into something more comfortable with the deeply introspective Souvenir by OMD. We then discuss whether Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones was their large great song, before strapping on our roller skates for a tour round Milton Keynes and Cliff Richard for Wired for Sound. We then capture the end of Linx's hit run with So This Is Romance and end the episode by introducing Quincy Jones to the mix with Betcha Wouldnt Hurt Me.
Links to Playlist 28:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
8. Ottawan - Hands Up
9. OMD - Souvenir
10. The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
11. Cliff Richard - Wired For Sound
12. Linx - So This Is Romance
13. Quincy Jones - Betcha Wouldnt Hurt Me
Justin Lewis discusses his new book, Into the Groove, a month-by-month exploration of 1980s music that blends major events with overlooked moments.
They cover his record-shop roots, influences like Annie Nightingale and Janice Long, the rise of video and hip-hop, Live Aid and the decade’s lasting impact on modern pop. This one's a cracker! Enjoy.
Join The 80s Mixtaper as he walks through Playlist 28 of his decade-long mission, spotlighting seven key 1981 tracks from bands — Human League, Modern Romance, Dollar, Simple Minds, Stevie Nicks, The Pointer Sisters and Genesis — with background stories, chart context and an extra guest interview coming about 80s music history.
Links to Playlist 28:
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. The Human League - Love Action
2. Modern Romance - Everybody Salsa
3. Dollar - Hand Held In Black And White
4. Simple Minds - Love Song
5. Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Stop Draggin My Heart Around
6. The Pointer Sisters - Slow Hand
7. Genesis - Abacab
In this episode of "I Completed 80s Music" we explore the back six tracks of Playlist 27 as we step into August 1981.
Host The 80s Mixtaper revisits Kim Wilde's "Water on Glass," Randy Crawford's take on "Rainy Night in Georgia," Classixs Nouveaux's "Inside Outside," the controversial one-hit wonder "Japanese Boy," UB40's protest anthem "One in 10," and U2's early single "Fire," tracing their chart runs and cultural context.
Links to Playlist 27
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
8. Kim Wilde - Water On Glass
9. Randy Crawford - Rainy Night In Georgia
10. Classix Nouveaux - Inside Outside
11. Aneka - Japanese Boy
12. UB40 - One In Ten
13. U2 - Fire
Join The 80s Mixtaper as he dives into Playlist 27 (mid‑July 1981), unpacking seven landmark tracks — from Bill Wyman's franglais oddity and Squeeze's soul‑tinged 'Tempted' to Duran Duran's provocative 'Girls on Film', Shakin' Stevens' chart‑topping 'Green Door', Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday' campaign anthem, Soft Cell's synth‑pop smash 'Tainted Love', and Siouxsie and the Banshees' haunting 'Arabian Nights'. Hear the stories, chart tales, and cultural moments behind each song.
Links to Playlist 27
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. Bill Wyman - Je Suis Un Rock Star
2. Squeeze - Tempted
3. Duran Duran - Girls On Film
4. Shakin Stevens - Green Door
5. Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday
6. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
7. Siouxie and the Banshees - Arabian Nights
In this episode of "I Completed 80s Music" we dive into the second half of Playlist 26 (mid‑July 1981), spotlighting tracks from Kate Bush, Candido, Carl Carlton, Spandau Ballet, ABBA and Paul Gardiner, and exploring how these songs shaped the club and pop scenes of 1981.
Find Spotify and Apple Music playlists and the full track listing in the episode description, and join us next week for more 80s favourites.
Links to Playlist 26
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
8. Kate Bush - Sat In Your Lap
9. Candido - Jingo
10. Carl Carlton - She's A Bad Mama Jama
11. Spandau Ballet - Chant No 1
12. Abba - Lay All Your Love On Me
13. Paul Gardiner - Stormtrooper in Drag
Playlist 26 takes us through July 1981, unpacking the music and stories behind seven standout tracks. Highlights include The Specials' Ghost Town and its link to Britain’s social unrest, REO Speedwagon's arena-rock hit Take It On The Run, Sheena Easton’s Bond theme For Your Eyes Only, the Psychedelic Furs’ Pretty in Pink and its later film legacy, Bad Manners’ ska romp Can Can, a nostalgia-fuelled Beach Boys medley from Gideon Park, and Kraftwerk’s influential synth-pop classic The Model.
The episode blends musical analysis, band histories and cultural context to show how these songs reflected and shaped the era’s mood.
Links to Playlist 26
Spotify
Apple Music
In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:
1. The Specials - Ghost Town
2. REO Speedwagon - Take It On The Run
3. Sheena Easton - For Your Eyes Only
4. Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
5. Bad Manners - Can Can
6. Gidea Park - Beach Boy Gold
7. Kraftwerk - The Model
A stream-of-consciousness recap of Rewind South 2025: a sun-baked, neon-filled weekend where fans of all ages sing along to 80s classics, dress up, and celebrate the music that shaped them.
The episode mixes joyful scene-setting and standout performances (Roachford, Heaven 17, Holly Johnson, Blue and more) with a bittersweet reflection on aging artists, cancelled tours, and how the festival might evolve by adding newer acts to keep the nostalgia alive.
Ultimately it’s a loving, personal take on why Rewind matters—and what it means to hold on to those songs and memories while time moves on.
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