The 80s-est

Today it’s pure rock spirit against country-pop crossover mastery.

Huey Lewis and the News' 5-seed "The Heart of Rock & Roll" celebrates rock music's grassroots power (from Cleveland!) with infectious horn arrangements and Huey's everyman charm.

Meanwhile, Kenny Rogers' "Islands in the Stream" represents the pinnacle of his crossover success, (and the best of his MANY duets) simultaneously topping the Hot 100, Country, and Adult Contemporary charts.

So, do you want rock, or this iconic duet? VOTE!

Rick Springfield's 8-seed, "Don't Talk to Strangers" captures the jealous paranoia of a deeply insecure touring musician. The #2 hit showcased Springfield's peak commercial power in the early MTV era, and cementing him as one of the decade’s biggest teen heartthrobs.

On the flip side, Weird Al Yankovic's 9-seed, "Eat It" represents the birth of a comedy legend. This note-perfect parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" became Yankovic's breakthrough moment, earning him both a Grammy and MJ’s personal blessing. The #12 hit proved that musical comedy could achieve mainstream success while launching one of the most enduring careers in the entertainment history.

Who gets your vote: an ACTUAL 80s superstar, or someone who made fun of superstars?

Since the Weird Al video is prohibited from re-posting, here’s a Side-by-side “Beat It” vs. “Eat It” comparison (it’s better anyway):

[OK Folks, well, it took 150+ episodes for me to screw up an episode this badly, but here is this episode being re-posted due to being deleted due to technical issues. PLEASE re-vote if you can, as the original post was wiped out. Thanks! Keith]

In this 30th episode of Season 3, we witness a fascinating clash between the number one seed and a rebellious 16-seed underdog.

Bruce Springsteen's (1)"Dancing in the Dark" represents everything quintessentially '80s about The Boss: a synthesizer-driven hook, MTV-ready video, and a classic saxophone ending.

Meanwhile, the Beastie Boys' (16)"Fight For Your Right to Party" embodies a different kind of '80s energy - the irreverent, genre-blending spirit that would define alternative culture.

It's a massive titan of the decade (who has a region named after him!) versus some rebellious newcomers just getting started on becoming legends. Which one will YOU choose?

[EDITOR’S NOTE: I mis-posted earlier by accidentally sending out Wednesday’s episode, because it’s 5AM! and I am still awake making posts. I have deleted that post for now, here is the actual correct show for Monday, July 7th! —Keith]

In this episode, we're diving deep into the final matchup of the Madonna Region with a fascinating clash between two completely different approaches to 80s greatness.

On one side, we have the (2) seed "All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie—a global party anthem that dominated 1983 with its infectious Caribbean-influenced groove.

Facing off against this powerhouse is the (15) seed "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx, a stripped-down, intimate ballad by a man with hair so powerful, his first 7 hits made the top 5!

What makes a song "80s"—the era's trademark bombast and production excess, or a timeless melody that happened to peak in the decade's final year? Both songs topped the charts, but they represent vastly different philosophies of what made the 80s special.

The Madonna Region continues with a fascinating clash between hard rock arena anthems and soft rock intimacy.

The 7th-seeded "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi represents the quintessential 80s rock experience - leather pants, big hair, and choruses designed for stadium singalongs. This was the song that launched Bon Jovi into superstardom and helped define the hair metal movement. Its immediate hook and anthemic quality scream "80s" from every power chord.

Facing off against this rock juggernaut is the 10th-seeded "I'm All Out of Love" by Air Supply, a song that captures the softer, more romantic side of the 80s. With its lush production, soaring vocals, and heartfelt lyrics about lost love, it represents the soft rock that dominated early 80s radio.

Which better captures the essence of the 80s - the hard-charging rock anthem or the sweeping ballad?

Two titans clash in the Madonna Region as Cyndi Lauper's vulnerable masterpiece "Time After Time" faces off against Elton John's resilient anthem "I'm Still Standing." Lauper's tender ballad epitomizes the 80s with its emotional synth production and clock-ticking percussion, becoming her first #1 hit and proving she could master both dance anthems and heartfelt ballads. The song captures the era's perfect blend of technology and emotion.

Meanwhile, Elton John's colorful comeback single,. "I'm Still Standing," became Sir Elton's first major MTV hit with its iconic French Riviera music video filled with painted dancers and elaborate costumes, showing how veteran artists embraced the video era. The song is upbeat and full of synthesizers, proving that established stars could reinvent themselves for a new generation, in a way slightly better than Stevie Wonder’s attempt.

Today's matchup in the Madonna Region pits two distinctly different flavors of 80s excellence against each other.

In the blue corner, we have REO Speedwagon's 6-seed "Can't Fight This Feeling," a soaring power ballad that epitomizes the decade's love affair with this schlocky drivel. Kevin Cronin's heartfelt (but nasal) confession about falling for a longtime friend spent three weeks at #1 and became the soundtrack to countless awkward slow dances.

In the red corner stands Sheena Easton's "Strut" as the 11th seed - a fierce declaration of female independence that showcased the Scottish singer's bold transformation from sweet balladeer to pop-funk provocateur. "Strut" peaked at #7 and told men to keep their expectations to themselves! It took me all these years to realize the first two paragraphs are all a quote from the guy she is telling off. Still, “Take it slow like your daddy told you.” is one of the creepiest lines in music history.

Aaaaanyway, both songs capture essential 80s DNA: REO embodies the decade's power ballad obsession, while Easton represents the era's synthesizer-driven emergence of strong female pop voices. Which one will YOU vote for?

In today's Madonna Region matchup, we pit two distinctly different flavors of 80s against each other. The 4th-seeded "You Might Think" by The Cars represents the quirky, new wave side of the decade with its distinctive synthesizer-driven sound and Ric Ocasek's deadpan vocals that became synonymous with MTV's early years. Released in 1984, this track perfectly embodies the era's fascination with technology and visual innovation, and its groundbreaking music video helped define what an 80s music video could be.

Standing opposite is the 13th-seeded "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner, a power ballad that showcases the decade's emotional grandiosity and arena-rock sensibilities. With its gospel choir, soaring keyboards, and Lou Gramm's passionate vocals, this 1984 hit represents the 80s at its most anthemic.

While The Cars gave us the cool, detached sophistication of new wave, Foreigner delivered the big feelings and bigger sounds that made the 80s legendary. Both songs dominated 1984, but which one better captures the essence of what made the 80s so totally awesome? That's for you to decide! VOTE!

80s-est Note: Due to circumstances entirely within our control, this show went 15 minutes longer than usual…2 stories to start the show, a listener contribution, and who knows what else? We apologize for going long, but hopefully you will enjoy the extra content!?

This battle pits two fundamentally different approaches to conquering the 80s: raw nostalgia versus radical reinvention.

Bryan Adams' (5)"Summer of '69" weaponized the decade's obsession with looking backward, crafting what would become the ultimate anthem about "the best days of my life" (though whether those days involved teenage garage bands or adult bedroom activities remains ambiguous). The song's power was in making everyone feel personally connected to a golden age they may never have experienced. (It worked on Keith!)

Peter Gabriel's (12) "Sledgehammer," meanwhile, represented the 80s at their most forward-thinking, as the former Genesis frontman channeled his art-rock into an irresistibly funky soul homage, then paired it with stop-motion animation that redefined what a music video could be.

One song succeeded by making the complex simple; the other by making the simple magnificently complex. The real question is whether the decade's spirit was better captured by an artist selling universal nostalgia or by one using cutting-edge technology to create something genuinely unprecedented? VOTE NOW!

This Monday musical face-off presents a fascinating paradox: a song that deliberately reached backward to capture the innocence of a previous era, versus one that stared directly into the political chaos of its moment.

Billy Joel's (8)"Uptown Girl" arrived in 1983 as a loving homage to early-60s pop, complete with doo-wop harmonies and Frankie Valli-inspired vocals. Yet its massive success, and Christie Brinkley-starring video made it undeniably emblematic of MTV-era stardom.

Meanwhile, Genesis' (9)"Land of Confusion" emerged from 1986 as a pointed commentary on Cold War anxieties and political absurdity, wrapped in the band's most commercially accessible sound and paired with puppets that perfectly captured the satire.

The question isn't which song sounds more like the 80s, but which better embodies the decade's cultural DNA: the one that sold the dream of escaping to simpler times, or the one that confronted the complexity of living through them?