1980s Pop Performance

Pop Performance In The Eighties

The popular music charts in the 1950s and sixties were controlled and dominated by the names of Elvis Presley and The Beatles while the seventies highlighted the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Aerosmith. Rock and roll emerged in the 1950s and continued to show force on the popular music charts, nonetheless, the 1980s produced a new and exciting addition to pop music that became the new trend and influenced the next generations’ musicians to come. The 1980s’ pop culture was completely taken over with leading names of Madonna and Michael Jackson, cultivating the existing pop music into an entirely different era. All of the music phenomena in earlier decades had an original, distinct, and individual sound to each artist while still being categorized and charted underneath the genre of ‘rock and roll.’ The eighties still had their rock and roll influences with Bon Jovi, Queen, and Joan Jett and The Blackhearts putting out hits like “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Another One Bites The Dust,” and “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” respectively. However, the emergence of Madonna and Michael

Eighties fashion is a debatable topic itself with numerous categories and influences. Neon colors and jewelry featuring the Christian cross typically worn by female teenagers in the 1980s are both fashion trends attributed to Madonna. Madonna was often put into a negative light being referred to as a sex symbol around the world, yet her fashion craze and eccentric personality inspired teenage girls to dress a certain way and act with confidence and boldness. In a time when music was mostly male-dominated, Madonna broke the mold with her over-the-top and controversial television performances, risqué actions and attitudes, and hits such as “Like A Virgin,” “Vogue,” and “Material Girl”