The 1980s sure was a weird decade. It had a way of turning a single jacket or haircut, maybe even a music video, into something everybody suddenly wanted.
Nobody dressed quite like Grace
Even in just a sharply cut suit, Grace Jones had a way of making everyone else in the room look underdressed. A lot of that has to do with her flat-top haircut and dramatic makeup. She carried that same kind of presence into her movies, such as her role as Zula in 1984’s Conan the Destroyer.
She also appeared opposite Roger Moore in A View to a Kill the following year. That’s not even mentioning her music, which was equally hard to box in because it mixed all sorts of genres. Jones didn’t try to disappear into a crowd, and that’s what made her so cool.
Purple ruled everything
1984 was a year that practically belonged to Prince. That was the year that Purple Rain hit theaters, where Prince played a version of himself, and the film’s soundtrack sat at the top spot of the Billboard charts for 24 weeks.Â
Shortly after came the purple motorcycle and lace shirts, along with the high heels. Let’s not forget that guitar. It doesn’t sound like they would’ve worked together quite that well, but it did, and Prince even won an Academy Award for the movie’s song score.
The year Madonna was everywhere
It wasn’t hard to spot Madonna during the 80s. Her song ‘Like a Virgin’ reached number 1 in 1984, and ‘Material Girl’ got constant play on then-new MTV. The singer-songwriter also appeared in Desperately Seeking Susan, wearing the kind of clothes she became known for.
Everyone tried copying her lace gloves and stacked bracelets, as well as her messy hair, boots, and layers of black. It was during the 1980s that Madonna launched her first concert tour. The rest, as they say, was history.
Pastels, loafers and a Ferrari
Don Johnson had a way of making socks look unnecessary. It started with his role as Sonny Crockett on Miami Vice, which began in 1984. He wore pastel jackets over T-shirts and left his face slightly unshaven while driving around in a flashy Miami car. He was the definition of cool.
One of his cars was a Ferrari Testarossa, and he also lived on a sailboat with an alligator called Elvis. That just makes sense, somehow. Johnson received an Emmy nomination in 1985 for his role and won a Golden Globe the following year.
One dance move was enough
You can’t get more ‘80s than Michael Jackson. All he needed was a few seconds during Motown 25 in 1983 to give people something to practice in their kitchens for years. Yes, that’s right, the moonwalk. It didn’t take long for everybody to know all about that backward glide.Â
Then came Thriller, a nearly 14-minute mini-movie that revolutionized music videos completely. Jackson also won eight Grammys in one night in 1984. The white glove and red jacket helped Jackson look pretty cool.
Leather without the fuss
Joan Jett had a way of looking like she’d just stepped off a motorcycle, even when there wasn’t one nearby. It’s all thanks to her styling. She’d dress in black leather, with dark hair and a guitar turned up to the loudest setting.
Her signature song, ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll,’ reached No. 1 in 1982 and stayed there for seven weeks. The album itself sold over 10 million copies, and Jett’s star power alone managed to sell the video. All she needed were the Blackhearts, a bar and a jukebox.
The stubble arrived
The early days of George Michael’s Wham! sure were bright and cheerful. They were the definition of clean-cut. But then Faith came along in 1987 and George’s image completely changed, with jeans, leather jackets and sunglasses.Â
There was also the deliberate stubble. The album went to No. 1 and had four U.S. No. 1 singles, including ‘Faith’ and ‘One More Try.’ George Michael wasn’t pretending to become a rock guitarist, but he sure had the cool energy of one.
Jeans and a white T-shirt
Blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a red baseball cap would sound pretty basic on anyone else. But Bruce Springsteen managed to seriously rock it, and the image became the cover of his album, Born in the U.S.A.
The album was released in 1984 and became enormous, leading to a tour that filled major stadiums and arenas. Then the ‘Dancing in the Dark’ video gave him another 1980s moment. He pulled actress Courteney Cox from the crowd to dance onstage, proving he didn’t need elaborate costumes to seem cool.
Bowie changed clothes again
Image changes were nothing new for David Bowie, even during the 1980s. He’d already done them a dozen times before. He released Let’s Dance in 1983 with an image featuring blond hair and oversized suits. The title track became a No. 1 hit in several countries.
Other singles from the album, like ‘China Girl’ and ‘Modern Love,’ were also major hits. But Bowie wasn’t just a singer. No, around the same period, Bowie appeared in The Hunger and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, too.
Blondie kept changing the rules
Debbie Harry had figured out one thing by 1980. Sticking to one sound was boring. Her band, Blondie, released ‘Call Me’ that same year and it hit No. 1, while ‘The Tide Is High’ did the same. ‘Rapture’ came the next year and was also a major success.
Harry had instantly recognizable platinum hair and a style that could look glamorous one minute and thrown together the next. She even appeared on The Muppet Show at one point. ‘80s music owes a lot to her, honestly.
He could actually dance
One of the reasons that the lift in Dirty Dancing looked so good is because Patrick Swayze actually knew what he was doing. He’d trained in dance long before the movie, meaning that Johnny Castle’s moves weren’t simply Hollywood pretending.
Swayze co-wrote and sang ‘She’s Like the Wind,’ too. The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly after came Road House, and Swayze made the switch from dance instructor to bar bouncer with impressive speed. Both versions were just as cool as each other, and yes, his mullet survived them both.
Whitney made it look easy
Most singers couldn’t get three No. 1 singles from an album. Whitney Houston managed to do it with her debut album, featuring the singles ‘Saving All My Love for You,’ ‘How Will I Know,’ and ‘Greatest Love of All.’
Houston’s album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard dance chart in 1987 and became the first female artist to do so. Then came ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’ She’d go on to score seven straight U.S. No. 1 singles and be one of the coolest figures of the decade.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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