80s emo ballad mix

June 13, 2007 7:47 PM

Making an 80s emo ballad mix--what am i missing

Ok, i'm making a mix of 80s songs that fall into a certain category - i would sort of ID them as 80s-emo-new wave power ballads...here's what i definitely have so far...any better description of this subset would be interesting, but mainly i'm looking for other similar songs

billy idol - eyes without a face
spandau ballet - true
asia - heat of the moment (this strays into arena rock, i know)
foreigner - i want to know what love is
heart - these dreams
richard marx - take these broken wings
tina turner - what's love got to do with it


all these songs share a certain "something," i can't quite describe it

what else am i missing

posted by Salvatorparadise to media & arts (64 comments total)

Forever Young by Alphaville
I'm Ready by Bryan Adams

As soon as I read that list, those were two songs that came into my mind.

Take these broken wings is by Mister Mister (although maybe Richard Marx did a cover) - Richard Marx did a song called Hold onto the Nights that might be good for your collection.
posted by Cyrie at 7:52 PM on June 13, 2007

Belinda Carlisle - Leave a light on
More Foreigner - Cold as ice
Paul Carrack - When you walk in the room
Air Supply - All out of love
Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes - Up where we belong
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing compares to you
posted by b33j at 7:53 PM on June 13, 2007

Night Ranger - Sister Christian
Journey - Separate Ways? Open Arms? Your call...
Thompson Twins - Doctor Doctor
OMD - If You Leave

and of course..
Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes
posted by nkknkk at 8:00 PM on June 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

"Voices Carry" by Til Tuesday
"How Soon is Now?" by the Smiths
"Come Back And Stay" by Paul Young
posted by tomboko at 8:11 PM on June 13, 2007

Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn
posted by jmd82 at 8:11 PM on June 13, 2007

Yaz - Ode to Boy
Jimmy Somerville/Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
Innocence Mission - Bright as Yellow
posted by squirrel at 8:11 PM on June 13, 2007

psst... that's Mr. Mister for "Broken Wings".

I notice you have no Cure songs up there. Might not make the new wave emo cut. But how about Thompson Twins, with "Hold Me Now"?
posted by kellyblah at 8:12 PM on June 13, 2007

The Cars - Drive
Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me
Elvis Costello - Veronica
R.E.M. - Orange Crush

(Nothing Compares 2 U was written in the 80s by Prince but SO's version came out in 1990)
posted by iconomy at 8:14 PM on June 13, 2007

excellent suggestions folks! keep them coming!

squirrel - i was definitely considering smalltown boy, it's going on the list!
posted by Salvatorparadise at 8:15 PM on June 13, 2007

"Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House
posted by princesspathos at 8:25 PM on June 13, 2007

Nkknkk, no on "In Your Eyes." What the OP is looking for, I think, are songs that have a bombastic but earnest emotional element to them. Peter Gabriel's song, by contrast, is passionate but restrained. (Now, his "Talk to Me" definitely qualifies.)

Dates may not be exact, but...
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" -- Band Aid
"Candle in the Wind" --Elton John (believe it or not, it reached the charts in '88, says wikipedia)
"Wind Beneath My Wings" -- Bette Midler
"Let the River Run" -- Carly Simon
"Time After Time" -- Cyndi Lauper
"That's What Friends Are For" -- Dionne Warwick

Salvatorparadise, have a look at this list.
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:26 PM on June 13, 2007

Has anyone mentioned "Total Eclipse of the Heart"? I think it's by Bonnie Tyler, but don't quote me on that. Painfully emo!
posted by craichead at 8:29 PM on June 13, 2007

hows about anything by rites of spring they are the the first emo band after all. they also fit your timeline.
posted by mailbox125 at 8:30 PM on June 13, 2007

Corey Heart's "Never Surrender"




*slinks away in shame*
posted by mds35 at 8:33 PM on June 13, 2007

"Under the Milky Way" by the Church?
"Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" by the Smiths?
Neither wade quite as deep into cheese, but definitely match the earnest nature and some of the sound.
posted by rubberfish at 8:35 PM on June 13, 2007

The Jam - "The Bitterest Pill"
The Style Council - "Long Hot Summer"
The Psychedelic Furs - "Love My Way"
Ultravox - "Vienna"
posted by scody at 8:43 PM on June 13, 2007

Oh, you have to include my fave 80s song, "Electric Blue" by Icehouse. "I just freeze every time you see through me, and it's all over you, electric blue..." One hit wonder, one hit shmonder.

And what about "Heartbreak Beat" by Psychedelic Furs?
posted by Bella Sebastian at 8:44 PM on June 13, 2007

Devo - Girl U Want (?)
posted by SansPoint at 8:45 PM on June 13, 2007

"All of My Love" by ABC
posted by awegz at 8:45 PM on June 13, 2007

Argh! Make that "All of My Heart" by ABC. I clearly need to get to sleep.
posted by awegz at 8:47 PM on June 13, 2007

Hmmm.. its more a 70s song..

but 'Another Saturday Night' by Cat Stevens is one of my favourite 'lonely bastard' songs :)

(Yes, fellow music nerds, i know its a cover....!)
posted by TheOtherGuy at 8:50 PM on June 13, 2007

sorry.. another 70s song

Eric Carmen's "All By Myself"
posted by TheOtherGuy at 8:52 PM on June 13, 2007

Last one I promise..

'All I Want Is You' by U2 (Rattle and Hum, 1988)
posted by TheOtherGuy at 8:55 PM on June 13, 2007

Hmmmm, I went to go download I'm Ready by Bryan Adams after I made that suggestion since I didn't have it in MP3 format. I had forgotten that the original is NOT the one you want - you want the unplugged version he did in the 90s. So, it probably doesn't qualify for your needs.

Not a bad song for a crack-open-the-wine-and-have-a-good-cry-mix though.
posted by Cyrie at 9:00 PM on June 13, 2007

Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benetar
Never Surrender by Corey Hart
posted by craichead at 9:09 PM on June 13, 2007

craichead mentioned "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which was written by Jim Steinman, who apparently only writes stuff like this. Another example is "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" by Air Supply.
posted by cgc373 at 9:12 PM on June 13, 2007

Take On Me, by A-Ha? A little more "pop" but fun.
posted by Liosliath at 9:18 PM on June 13, 2007

Life In a Northern Town - The Dream Academy
posted by Liosliath at 9:23 PM on June 13, 2007

Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
Yet more Foreigner - Waiting for a Girl Like You
Even more Foreigner - Say You Will
posted by CrunchyFrog at 10:03 PM on June 13, 2007

I'm ashamed I like this dumb song, but how about Human by The Human League?

Also, Against All Odds by Phil Collins.

Another guilty pleasure of mine are of Madonna's slow songs, like Crazy For You and Live to Tell
posted by O9scar at 10:08 PM on June 13, 2007

Here's my Middle School Love Songs (late 80s - early 90s) list, which seems to fit your reqs:

Stay, Shakespear's Sister
How Do I Say Goodbye, Boyz II Men
If I Ever Fall in Love, Shai
Listen to Your Heart, Roxette
Stay, Lisa Loeb
More Than Words, Extreme
Right Here Waiting, Richard Marx
Diamonds and Pearls, Prince
Justify My Love, Madonna
Again, Janet Jackson
Heaven, Warrant
I'd Die Without You, PM Dawn
I've Been Thinking About You, Londonbeat
I Swear, All-4-One
I Can't Help Falling in Love With You, UB40
To Be With You, Mr. Big
So Alive, Love and Rockets
I Like the Way, Tevin Campbell
Weak, SWV
Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Poison
Knockin' Da Boots, H-Town
I Ador Mi Amor, Color Me Badd
Freak Me, Silk
Forever My Lady, Jodeci
How Do You Talk to an Angel, The Heights
Eternal Flame, The Bangles
Lately, Jodeci
November Rain, Guns N Roses
Everything I Do, Bryan Adams
When I See You Smile, Bad English
Release Me, Wilson Phillips
I'll Be Lovin' You, NKOTB
If, Janet Jackson
Tears in Heaven, Eric Clapton
I'll Be Your Everything, Tommy Page
The Living Years, Mike + The Mechanics
A Place in This World, Michael W. Smith
Ordinary World, Duran Duran
When The Children Cry, White Lion
One More Try, Timmy T
Show Me The Way, Styx
I'll Remember You, Skid Row
Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor
Fading Like a Flower, Roxette
Lost In Your Eyes, Debbie Gibson
Baby Baby Baby, TLC
Crazy, Seal
Vision of Love, Mariah Carey
Patience, Guns N Roses
Because I Love You, Stevie B
18 and Life, Skid Row
It Must of Been Love, Roxette
In Your Room, The Bangles
posted by k8t at 10:15 PM on June 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

My bf suggested Joy Division, Love Will Tear Us Apart and "Haircut 100."
posted by k8t at 10:23 PM on June 13, 2007

I know what you're going for, but in the 80's the only Emo bands (by definition) would have been Rites Of Spring and Fugazi.

That being said all the above totally works.
posted by sourwookie at 11:26 PM on June 13, 2007

Damn you MonkeyToes... i've been on YouTube for the past N hours and I'm still in the 'B's.

Emo... Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumors..

I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors,
but I think that god's got a sick sense of humor.
And when I die I expect to find him laughing,
laughing at me....
posted by zengargoyle at 11:27 PM on June 13, 2007

"Hungry Eyes." Yeeeeeeah.
posted by chrominance at 11:34 PM on June 13, 2007

Sara, (Jefferson) Starship.
posted by Sonny Jim at 11:42 PM on June 13, 2007

Anything by Paul Weller, post Jam:

All these songs, so *sniff* so many memories * sniff sniff*
posted by From Bklyn at 12:00 AM on June 14, 2007

Okay, I'm shocked nobody mentioned "The Lady in Red" by Chris de Burgh. Does it not fit the criteria?
posted by good in a vacuum at 12:09 AM on June 14, 2007

Hmm, on second thought, I guess it's more "ballad" than "power ballad."
posted by good in a vacuum at 12:10 AM on June 14, 2007

And speaking of painfully emo, what about some Johnny Farnham? "You're the Voice," "Two Strong Hearts," and "I Burn for You," for instance?

Or Queensryche, "Silent Lucidity"?
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:26 AM on June 14, 2007

A couple more of my favourite love 80s love songs (again, not sure if these fit the question, but no one's mentioned them yet):

"Wild Horses" by Gino Vannelli
"Send Me An Angel" by Real Life (possible my favourite of all, mostly because of the BMX-dancing prom scene in Rad, where one-half of the couple dancing was Lori Laughlin from Full House. Cine-magic!
posted by good in a vacuum at 12:41 AM on June 14, 2007

What About Me? by Moving Pictures is the ultimate emo power-ballad - "What about me/ It isn't fair/ I've had enough now hold my share" and timpanis!!
posted by goo at 1:42 AM on June 14, 2007

The Cutting Crew - (I Just) Died In Your Arms (1986)

*turtle feels shame that this was so easy*
posted by spinturtle at 4:46 AM on June 14, 2007

Talk Talk - "It's My Life"
posted by softlord at 4:55 AM on June 14, 2007

The Smiths, There Is a Light That Does Not Go Out.
posted by gimonca at 4:57 AM on June 14, 2007

China in your Hand - T'Pau
posted by triv at 5:31 AM on June 14, 2007

Trying to identify "that certain something"...

--All are slow to mid-tempo
--Most are basically love songs
--All have choruses based on over-emoting/shouting compared to the verse
--more guitar-based than keyboard-based

So, checking through the 80s collections, there are a few that jump out.

-Out of Touch, Hall and Oates
-She Drives Me Crazy, Fine Young Cannibals
-Easy Lover, Phil Collins and Philip Bailey (though this is kind of up-tempo)
-Endless Summer Nights, Richard Marx
-The Promise, When in Rome
-Make Me Lose Control, Eric Carmen

Turtle's Cutting Crew suggestion is right on. And this compilation would be remiss with a Robert Palmer song. Maybe "Addicted To Love". And for the ultimate 80s power ballad "ugh", who can forget Rick Astley?

Fun question! Boy there was a lot of crap in the 80s.
posted by edverb at 5:42 AM on June 14, 2007

...you could also wrap it up with "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, and cut it off unexpectedly.
posted by edverb at 5:45 AM on June 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

Don't You Forget About Me, Simple Minds
If You Leave, OMD
Save a Prayer, Duran Duran
posted by headspace at 6:29 AM on June 14, 2007

True Colors by Cyndy Lauper comes immediately to mind.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:48 AM on June 14, 2007

Peter Cetera's "The Glory of Love" or his duet with Amy Grant "The Next Time I Fall" merit strong consideration for this mix -- though you would likely find many candidate songs in Cetera and Chicago's 80s albums alone.
posted by Pufferish at 7:42 AM on June 14, 2007

Zengargoyle: MUHAHAHAHAHA. My job here is done.
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:51 AM on June 14, 2007

no one said "Melt with you" by Modern English
posted by nimsey lou at 8:01 AM on June 14, 2007

ooh - what about The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush?
posted by forallmankind at 8:11 AM on June 14, 2007

There are a lot of suggestions here that don't really fit the category you're talking about. :) What's with all the 90s songs, people? Lisa Loeb? Sheesh!

I have a shameless love for this category of music. Here's my stab:

Toto - Africa
Peter Cetera and Cher - After All
Steve Perry - Oh Sherrie
The Cure - Love Song
REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You
John Waite - Missing You
Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight / Take Me Home / Against All Odds
Heart - Alone
Human League - Human
Cutting Crew - (I Just) Died In Your Arms
Cyndi Lauper - All Through the Night
The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter
Toto - Hold the Line
Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer
Howard Jones - No One is to Blame

Hope that helps!!!

P.S. I second anything by Journey. :)
posted by superboy422 at 8:22 AM on June 14, 2007

Oops my link above didn't work - try here: What About Me by Moving Pictures.

Does Some Like It Hot by The Power Station count? It's a power ballad by a supergroup. And fucken rocks. As does The Look of Love by ABC.
posted by goo at 8:41 AM on June 14, 2007

Also - is Gold by Spandau Ballet an anti-emo power ballad? "You're indestructible/ Always believe it/ You are gold!"
posted by goo at 8:55 AM on June 14, 2007

Every time You Go Away-Paul Young
Space Age Love Song-A Flock Of Seagulls
A New England-Billy Bragg
Somebody-Depeche Mode
Dear Prudence-Siouxsie & The Banshees
Some Kind of Stranger-The Sisters of Mercy
Shout/Mad World-Tears For Fears
Only You-Yaz
Bring On The Dancing Horses-Echo and The Bunnymen
Love is a stranger-Eurythmics
Postcards From Paradise-Flesh for Lulu
Kiss Me Deadly-Generation X
Bittersweet-Hoodoo Gurus
Just Like Honey-Jesus and Mary Chain
The Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away

I hope these help. Sorry if some of these songs were already mentioned.
posted by Sailormom at 10:56 AM on June 14, 2007

I'll See You In My Dreams - Giant
Hazard - Richard Marx
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:01 PM on June 14, 2007

I have a shameless love for this category of music. Here's my stab:

superboy422, I share this shameless love!

I'll Be There for You - Bon Jovi
Waiting for a Star to Fall - Boy Meets Girl (a little uptempo, but it has that mid- to late-80s "something")
More Than This - Roxy Music
Joey - Concrete Blonde
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Brilliant Disguise - Bruce Springsteen
We Belong - Pat Benatar
Drive - The Cars
Holding Back the Years - Simply Red
Suddenly, Last Summer - The Motels
Hearts - Marty Balin
Coming Around Again - Carly Simon
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman (maybe doesn't quite fit, but a nice mood)

Sorry if any of these are repeats!
posted by chihiro at 8:01 PM on June 14, 2007

Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin - "Separate Lives"
posted by loiseau at 7:48 AM on June 16, 2007

Oh, and pretty much all of Chicago 17.
posted by loiseau at 7:49 AM on June 16, 2007

Glass Tiger - "Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone"
Rush w/Aimee Mann - "Time Stands Still"
posted by mds35 at 6:35 AM on June 18, 2007

i am reclassifying this genre as "1980s prom favorites"

what a list!

thanks!
posted by Salvatorparadise at 9:47 PM on June 20, 2007