1981, several New Wave bands capitalized on the
new format to promote their music. They added a
“look” to their videos that garnered widespread me-
dia attention. During the early 1980’s, a subgenre
of New Wave known as “New Romantic” became
prominent. Such English bands as Duran Duran,
Boy George and Culture Club, ABC, Frankie Goes
to Hollywood, A Flock of Seagulls, the Thompson
Twins, Spandau Ballet, Haircut 100, Adam Ant, and
Bow Wow Wow produced striking videos, in which
colorful and outrageous costuming played a major
role in establishing the identity of the group. While
the irreverence found in punk rock still was evident,
New Wave bands were also interested in style, in cre-
ating something more akin to an art form. An elec-
tronic sound also was employed in many New Wave
songs. The synthesizer and drum machine were just
as essential as the guitar to an ever-increasing number
of New Wave bands. Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded
Me with Science” and Gary Neuman’s “Cars” are
prime examples of the importance of electronic in-
strumentation to the movement. By the mid-1980’s,
though, the popularity of New Wave bands had
waned.
Impact New Wave music achieved mainstream pop-
ularity for only a short period of time; as a result, the
genre became heavily associated with the 1980’s,
and it remained a staple of later, nostalgic represen-
tations of the decade. Several New Wave artists—
such as Elvis Costello and Talking Heads leader
David Byrne—did continue to be successful for de-
cades afterward, but they tended to evolve musically
rather than maintaining their original sound. Oth-
ers enjoyed periods of resurgence when the New
Wave sound itself became popular again. These in-
cluded the Pet Shop Boys, the Cure, Depeche Mode,
and New Order. Many of the later bands that were
called “alternative” (a marketing label similar to
“New Wave” in origin) took inspiration from the
New Wave of the past.
Further Reading
Harrington, Joe S.Sonic Cool: The Life and Death of
Rock ’n’ Roll.Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2002. Won-
derful overview of rock history that includes a
blistering chapter on the 1980’s.
Heylin, Clinton.From the Velvets to the Voidoids: A Pre-
punk Histor y for a Post-punk World. New York: Pen-
guin Books, 1993. Chronological snapshot of punk
rock and what happened after it in rock music.
Martin, Bill.Avant Rock: Experimental Music from the
Beatles to Björk. Chicago: Open Court, 2002. In-
cludes several insightful chapters on creative fig-
ures of the 1980’s who pushed the musical enve-
lope.
Masar, Brenden.The Histor y of Punk Rock. Detroit:
Lucent Books, 2006. Details how the downfall of
punk rock led to emergence of such genres as
New Wave and post-punk.
Reynolds, Simon.Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk,
1978-1984. New York: Penguin Books, 2006. Mu-
sic journalist Reynolds details the history of the
bands that gained prominence after the demise
of 1970’s punk rock. Some of the bands of this
period that the author focuses on are the B-52’s,
Joy Division, Gang of Four, and Devo.
Skancke, Jennifer.The Histor y of Indie Rock. Detroit:
Lucent Books, 2007. Traces the roots of Indie
rock back to 1970’s punk and New Wave.
Jeffr y JensenSee also Blondie; Boy George and Culture Club;
Devo; Go-Go’s, The; MTV; Music; Music videos; Pop
music; R.E.M.; Sting; Talking Heads; Women in rock
music.Nicholson, Jack
Identification American actor
Born April 22, 1937; Neptune, New Jersey
During the 1980’s, Nicholson consolidated his position as
one of Hollywood’s most talented actors and extended his
range of roles.
Jack Nicholson’s first film of the decade,The Shining
(1980), featured him in what would become one of
his iconic roles, that of mentally disturbed writer
Jack Torrance. Based on the 1977 Stephen King
novel and directed by Stanley Kubrick, the film fol-
lowed the repressed writer’s descent into madness
and violence. Although now regarded as one of the
best horror films ever made,The Shiningwas panned
by most reviewers.
Critics of Nicholson’s over-the-top performance
inThe Shiningfaulted him for abandoning the realis-
tic roles that had made him famous. His portrayal of
American playwright Eugene O’Neill inReds(1981),
which was directed by his friend Warren Beatty, was
greeted as a return to form, and Nicholson was nom-708 Nicholson, Jack The Eighties in America