Albums of the 80s

Turning 40 this coming January puts me, as a teenager, right in the middle of the 80s. Being a true child of the 80s, and remembering the fun and unique songs of my teen years catapults me back and brings a number of memories, not all good necessarily, but definitely memorable.

In researching 80s albums, I saw many that made me smile, some that made me cringe, and a few that had me scratching my head wondering who they were and why they were included on these lists. Of all the "best albums of the 80s" lists in circulation, there are a select number that are unanimously considered iconic, and each one invokes a different memory for me as I'm sure they do in many people who grew up during that time period. Below are the albums I most remember. Are any of them on your list?

Purple Rain by Prince- This was the very first concert I ever attended. It was held in Madison Square Garden when I was just 17. To this day I am shocked I was even allowed to attend. Prince was just hitting his stride during the Purple Rain phase of his career and every song on this album had a sultry and mysterious feel, just like Prince himself did then and still does even today.

Thriller by Michael Jackson- Ahhh, a time when Michael Jackson looked like a man and sang songs that got people excited. I remember how groundbreaking this record and the MTV video were. It was an event just to watch the video and try to perfect his dance moves. I miss that Michael.

Like a Virgin by Madonna- Madonna blasted on to the music scene with her first album. She was edgy and different and girls immediately tried to emulate her style. She's one of the few 80s icons who persevered and proved their success was not a fluke.

Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen- I remember being a teenager and having such a crush on Bruce. My bedroom wall was plastered with pictures of him that I'd cut out of magazines, and my stereo always had this album playing in it. It still makes me laugh when I see that old video of Dancing in the Dark with Courtney Cox being pulled up on stage.

She's so Unusual by Cyndi Lauper- Like Madonna; Cyndi Lauper was an instant pop success with her first album. From the bouncy and fun "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", to the ballad "Time After Time", Cyndi's songs epitomize the 80s music scene. I just listened to a clip of "She Bob" on Amazon.com and am still bouncing.

Although the albums listed affected me most, there are others that had just as large an impact on the 80s music scene. Albums like Joshua Tree, Synchronicity, and Pyromania are just a few of the many essential albums of the 80s. And, now I'm off to do a bit more reminiscing with Cyndi Lauper.