1980 - "A Forest" - The Cure

The kids in our neighbourhood used to build forts in the woods behind the trailer park. We also played Big Foot along a partially cut path that we coined the Bogeyman Trail. This song captures that feeling of being chased into the trees. The bass dangles and the guitar jangles, creating over-the-shoulder glancing and a feeling of unease.

After having bought the "Standing On A Beach" singles collection in the mid-80s, "A Forest" was the song that hooked me on The Cure, making me double-down to explore the rest of their deep catalogue. 

A former all-time favourite, I no longer binge listen to it. Brooding guitar, ominous bass and haunting keys all build a relentless atmospheric tension. Years later, it would have fit right on the soundtrack for The Blair Witch Project. 

This is a song best enjoyed in solitude, cranked up high on headphones or on a stereo with a good set of speakers.

By the time the second verse is over I'm totally gripped, lost inside a dream inside my head. The throbbing bass, the pounding drums and the synths are all working overtime. 

Fave lyrics: "The girl was never there, it's always the same, I'm running towards nothing again and again and again..."

Below is a video of an almost 14 minute long live version from The Cure's Wish tour in 1992. It's far and away my all-time favourite live version of any song. I love how it builds then quiets down only to build back up again (and again and again....). Robert Smith even gives us a bonus, an extra verse as a sort of second bridge before the tune explodes for the grand finale. 

I can listen to it again and again and again...

Other favourites from 1980: 

"Echo Beach" – Martha & the Muffins 

"Don’t Stand So Close To Me" – The Police 

"Sailing" – Christopher Cross 

#11. "A Forest" - The Cure (1980)

After having bought the "Standing On A Beach" singles collection in the mid-80s, "A Forest" was the song that hooked me on The Cure, making me double-down to explore the rest of their deep catalogue. 

A former all-time favourite, I no longer binge listen to it. Brooding guitar, ominous bass and haunting keys all build a relentless atmospheric tension. Years later, it would have fit right on the soundtrack for The Blair Witch Project. 

The song is utterly brilliant and taps into a primal part of my brain. 

"A Forest" has such an edgy presence and creates a feeling of unease, over-the-shoulder glancing, shivers down the spine and general claustrophobia. This is a song best enjoyed in solitude, cranked up high on headphones or on a stereo with a good set of speakers.

By the time the second verse is over I'm totally gripped, lost inside a dream inside my head. The throbbing bass, the pounding drums and the synths are all working overtime. After the bridge, I imagine running in the woods in the dark as the guitar jangles and dangles.

Fave lyrics: "The girl was never there, it's always the same, I'm running towards nothing again and again and again..."

Below is a video of an almost 14 minute long live version from The Cure's Wish tour in 1992. It's far and away my all-time favourite live version of any song. I love how it builds then quiets down only to build back up again (and again and again....). Robert Smith even gives us a bonus, an extra verse as a sort of second bridge before the tune explodes for the grand finale. 

I can listen to it again and again and again...

#28. "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins (1980)

Coming in at an economical 3 minutes and 23 seconds, "Echo Beach" is over far too soon.

Toronto's Martha & the Muffins not only created one of Canada's best new wave songs, it was among the best made period. 

It was also the first 45 single I ever bought, inspired to purchase with my allowance after wearing out the track from the classic K-tel High Voltage album (see the bottom of this post for a complete tracklist of songs).

The song starts with a catchy guitar riff before the synths kick in. 

And does it get any better than that sax bridge? 

The fun, energetic vibe, especially visible in the final chorus between the two Marthas reminds me a bit of the B52s's dynamic between Kate and Cindy. As a pre-teen, I had a crush on the Martha dressed in red playing the keys and backup vocals. 

A nostalgic song about nostalgia, turns out that the mythical Echo Beach that beckoned ‘far away in time’ became my future: I couldn't help but hum the tune from the first moment I saw Mavillette Beach the day of my interview for Clare tourism, 20 years ago this April. 

It's been on my playlist ever since. Because I can't help it, I'm a romantic fool...

Tracklist

A1 –Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach

A2 –Split Enz - I Got You

A3 –The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me

A4 –Babys - Turn And Walk Away

A5 –XTC - Making Plans For Nigel

A6 –Outlaws - (Ghost) Riders In The Sky

A7 –Michael Stanley Band - He Can't Love You

A8 –Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot

B1 –Blondie - The Tide Is High

B2 –Cliff Richard - Dreaming

B3 –Anne Murray - Could I Have This Dance

B4 –Kim Carnes - Cry Like A Baby

B5 –Prism - Cover Girl

B6 –Nielsen Pearson Band - If You Should Sail

B7 –The Alan Parsons Project - Games People Play

B8 –Air Supply - All Out Of Love

#36. "Don’t Stand So Close To Me" - The Police (1980)

I suppose listening to the The Police could be  defined as 'rebellious' for an 11-year-old with access to a clock radio and two radio stations. 

Hearing "Don’t Stand So Close To Me" on the radio inspired my first album purchase: Zenyatta Mondatta by The Police. I still vividly recall playing the record from start to finish on my parent's hi-fi unit while studying the photos and lyrics of the tactile inner lining. I can still hear the pops and crackles from playing the vinyl.

The magnificent trio to open the album, "Don’t Stand, "Driven to Tears" and one of the longest titles ever made, "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" made me a life-long fan of The Police. 

Up until then I'd been content with lapping up the soft 70s pop and classic rock stuff (April Wine, Harlequin etc.) that CJCH and C100 offered up. Remember that in 1980 it would still be a couple years before music videos became mainstream and almost 15 years before the internet.

"Don’t Stand So Close To Me" starts with that almost sinister synth before the verse begins infectious reggae-rock  with just an amazing chorus. It had the familiar guitars, but also had some synth, a sign of where my tastes were heading. Since Sting was a teacher in a previous lifetime I've always wondered if the lyrics were autobiographical.

#50. "Private Idaho" - The B-52s (1980)

If we attempted to chart artists and music genres on a graph, I'd place The B-52s at the intersection of punk and new wave. With "Private Idaho" at the dead centre. 

The B-52's are my favourite all-American band (Fleetwood Mac makes things complicated!). They're just so cool and cooky.

Forget about the party anthem "Love Shack", it's tunes like "Rock Lobster" (1979) and "Private Idaho" that are the heart and soul of this quirky outfit. 

The track flat out grooves, led by the surf guitar and fueled by lead singer Fred Schneider's deadpan vocal delivery, while Cindy and Kate lay down some amazing harmonies. 

"Private Idaho" is undoubtedly my favorite song about the subject of paranoia: "Get out of the state" referring to state of mind, not the actual potato capital of the US. 

A close second in terms of 80s songs about paranoia would be this Rockwell classic:

#51. "Train in Vein" - The Clash (1980)

Proof that post-punk can produce pleasing pop, "Train in Vein" by The Clash is unbelievably catchy. (The Cure pulled the same trick in 1992 with the radio-friendly "Friday I'm in Love").

I'll argue this is the group's best-aged song; it still gets mucho airtime on my road trip playlist. 

The melody is perfect and the harmonica is a nice touch. The heartfelt vocals convincingly deliver the heartbreak. 

#84. "One Step Ahead" - Split Enz (1980)

In the early 80s New Zealand's Split Enz created a lot of atmospheric and melodic pop with a dash of dark. 

"One Step Ahead" is downright hypnotic.

One of the first videos ever shown on MTV, "One Step Ahead" sounded several steps, even light years, ahead of its time. I especially enjoy the funky and at times sinister organ that runs in the background during the verses.

Fave lyric: "Love is a race won by two"

Fun fact: at 1:58 in the video you will see the keyboardist leave his instrument and perform the pantomime illusion walk, a sort of 'frontwards' moonwalk, and a move that would later inspire Michael Jackson to do the actual moonwalk and a parade of hit singles.