#48. "How Soon is Now" - The Smiths (1985)

Full disclosure: The Smiths were a band I never got into during the 80s. It wasn't until I moved to Vancouver in the early-90s when I'd been properly introduced to them.  

But what a discovery. 

The chemistry between lead singer/songwriter/king of pain Morrissey and the genius of guitar wizard Johnny Marr is out of this world.

The majesty of the unique reverb guitar intro (best experienced on good headphones) in the opening to "How Soon Is Now" is enough alone for this track to make the list. 

Once Morrissey's lyrics of self-doubt kick in, you begin to understand why this has become the anthem of teenage angst and a big part of the trademark sound of The Smiths.

Fave lyrics: "I am the son and heir / Of nothing in particular" 

This 'alternative' sound in the 80s, now labelled as 'Classic Alternative' eventually became mainstream in the 90s thanks to Nirvana and the like.

#49. "Suburbia" - Pet Shop Boys (1986)

In spring 1986 after hearing the phenomenal "West End Girls", I immediately bought the debut album Please by The Pet Shop Boys. I wore out the cassette.

I grew up in a suburban neighbourhood full of barking dogs and bored teenagers similar to the one the Pet Shop Boys sang about in “Suburbia”. 

Back in the mid-80s most suburban kids I grew up with (including my brother) rebelled with metal. 

I preferred electronic tunes like “Suburbia” and dreamed of leaving the white picket fences and manicured lawns of Dartmouth. I always wanted to move to the city, not just Halifax, but somewhere even bigger. That became Vancouver and is another story.

“Suburbia” pulls me in with a yearning piano melody. The Boys admit to lifting the bassline from Madonna's "Into the Groove", so there's that too. The sample of dogs barking is particularly nostalgic.

The melody may sound somewhat whimsical but the bridge hints at resentment: "I only wanted something else to do but hang around". 

Fave lyrics: "Leeeeeeet's take a ride, and run with the dogs tonight"

An excellent live version from their 2009 tour is worth the view:

#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. 

#52. "(Every Day is) Halloween" - Ministry (1985)

Although Ministry is more known as an industrial/metal sort of outfit, the group went through a synth phase in the mid-80s.

"(Every Day is) Halloween" is an underground dance floor anthem made for misfits.

The lyrics detail a rejection of those looking or acting differently from everyone else, “People seem to stop and stare they say/Why are you dressed like it’s Halloween/You look so absurd, you look so obscene.” 

Highlights include heavy beats, samples galore and a bouncing bass line. I love the "bop beep bop bop" that weaves in and out among the verses before the glorious chorus “Why can’t I live a life for me?/Why should I take the abuse that’s served?”

An instrumental bridge featuring deep scratching is a darker take on Herbie Hancock's "Rock It".

I've always wondered if Daft Punk got its inspiration for the innovative "Around the World" video from the cartoon characters from "Everyday is Halloween".