Act Members Notable 1980’s Songs Notable Facts
Michael Jackson* “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,”
“Wanna Be Startin’
Somethin’”
Jackson’s 1982 albumThriller
is the second-biggest-selling
album of all time.Joan Jett and the
Blackhearts
Joan Jett, Ricky Byrd, Lee
Crystal, Thommy Price, Gary
Ryan“Crimson and Clover,” “I
Hate Myself for Loving You,”
“I Love Rock ’n Roll”Jett costarred with Michael J.
Fox, Michael McKean, and
Gena Rowlands in the 1987
filmLight of Day.Billy Joel “Tell Her About It,”
“Uptown Girl,” “We Didn’t
Start the Fire”
Joel played piano on the
Shangri-Las’ 1964 hit “Leader
of the Pack.”Elton John “I Don‘t Want to Go on with
You like That,” “I Guess
That’s Why They Call It the
Blues,” “I’m Still Standing”
Originally a hit in the 1970’s
as a tribute to Marilyn
Monroe, John’s “Candle in
the Wind” would become an
even bigger hit in 1997 when
rewritten as a tribute to the
late Princess Diana.Journey* Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain,
Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon,
Steve Smith, Ross Valary
“Don’t Stop Believin’,”
“Open Arms,” “Who’s
Crying Now”Schon and Rolie first played
together as members of
Santana; Cain, who replaced
Rolie in 1981, was also a
member of The Babys and
Bad English.Kool & the Gang James “J. T.” Taylor, Robert
“Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell,
George Brown, Robert
Mickens, Claydes Smith,
Dennis Thomas, Earl Toon
“Celebrate,” “Cherish,”
“Misled”Kool & the Gang’s “Celebrate”
was used as the theme song of
the 2004 Democratic
Convention.Cyndi Lauper* “Girls Just Want to Have
Fun,” “Time After Time,”
“True Colors”
Lauper’s “True Colors” was
featured prominently in a
1980’s Kodak advertisement; a
version by Kasey Chambers
was used as the theme song of
the 2003 Rugby World Cup.John Lennon* “(Just like) Starting Over,”
“Watching the Wheels,”
“Woman”
Lennon, a former Beatle, was
assassinated on December 8,
1980, in New York City.Huey Lewis & the News Huey Lewis, Johnny Calla,
Mario Cipollina, Bill Gibson,
Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper
“Do You Believe in Love,” “I
Want a New Drug,” “The
Power of Love”Lewis played harmonica on
1970’s solo albums by the pub-
rock pioneers Nick Lowe and
Dave Edmunds.Kenny Loggins “Danger Zone,” “Footloose,”
“I’m Alright”
During the 1970’s, Loggins
was one half of the hit duo
Loggins & Messina.1124 Music: Popular Musicians The Eighties in America