Music is timeless. It spans decades and still remains relevant. Generations of people discover old songs for the first time every day. Sometimes music gets better with age, and some bands are ahead of their time. People, however are not timeless (Unless you are David Bowie. David Bowie is IMMORTAL). Madonna isn't, Robert Smith isn't, Morrissy isn't, and I'm sure as hell not. Sure, I look fairly young (MOISTURIZE YOUR NECK, PEOPLE). I still get asked for I.D at the LCBO. But I can only turn 29 so many times before it's clear that I'm really closer to 40.
My 30th birthday is today, and in celebration of making it this far, I've decided to take a look back to the year I was born. 1985 was an interesting time for music. VH-1 was born, David Lee Roth left Van Halen, Madonna went on tour for the first time, musicians teamed up to support all of the causes (USA for Africa, Live Aid, Farm Aid), and Michael Jackson purchased the rights to all of the Beatles songs.
And while all of that was going on, a lot of great music was released. So, in honour of all things and people who came to fruition in 1985, I give to you 5
Albums That Turn 30 in 1985!
The Cure - Head on the Door
Head on the Door was The Cure's sixth studio album, and it was released in the summer of 1985 (August 26th, to be exact), and featured the singles
Close to Me and
In Between Days. I was lucky enough to see The Cure on their 4tour in 2008, and while Robert Smith still sounds great, he sort of resembles Ursela from
The Little Mermaid these days. Watch the video for
Close to Me here.
The Smiths - Meat is Murder
Meat is Murder is The Smith's sophomore effort, released in the winter of 1985 (February 11th). It featured only one single -
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore. While this album didn't necessarily enjoy huge commercial success, it's still ranked one of Rolling Stone's 500 Best Albums of All Time. Save listening to
this one for when you're feeling really blue.
Tears For Fears - Songs From the Big Chair
Songs From the Big Chair was Tears for Fears' second studio album, released in the winter of 1985. It boasted the singles
Mother's Talk, Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and my own personal favourite (recognizable from the dynamite soundtrack to
Donnie Darko),
Head Over Heels. Songs From the Big Chair reached number two on the UK charts, number one in the US, and remains their most successful album to date.
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
All of the exposure I've had to Kate Bush comes from my father, who is hands down her biggest fan. I remember not wanting to listen to this with him because it was "super weird". What do you expect from a child who didn't understand that side two of
Hounds of Love was meant to be a concept album? Either way, this was Bush's fifth and best selling studio album, with the first side being made up of the singles released.
Cloudbusting, Hounds of Love, and
The Big Sky are all fantastic, but I think that
Running Up That Hill is my favourite. It's definitely the most recognizable. It's even been
covered once or twice.
Dire Straights - Brothers in Arms (Money for Nothing)
Brothers in Arms was the fifth studio release for Dire Straights, and it had monumental success. It spent weeks at the top of the charts in the UK, US, and Australia. Five of the album tracks were released as singles, and
Brothers in Arms remains one of the best selling albums of all time, selling 30 million copies world wide. There's no doubt in my mind that my parents bought it when it was released in the spring of '85 and played it on repeat until the fall of '89. It goes without saying that this album reminds me of family bbq's around the pool in Chippawa, and
Money For Nothing will always remind me of my Uncle Dave.
So there you have it, folks. Go celebrate my birthday by listening to my five favourite albums from 1985. Turn 'em up and join me in feeling super old today!
