1980: Top Songs, Movies, TV Shows, Sporting Events, World Events And More
Well, we made it! Through the 60’s, the 70’s and now it’s time to party! The decade started out with the U.S. defeating the Russians in hockey for the first time ever for Gold at the Olympics in Lake Placid NY. It was the decade that this thing called a ‘computer’ would begin to find its way into homes, music television would show you the music, cable and satellite TV would begin to find their way into people’s homes. Video games would become more or a regular thing in our homes, cell phones as big as bricks entered our lives, wireless telephones would find their way into our lives and push-button phones began to replace the rotary phone. The space shuttle program implemented by former President Richard Nixon became a reality, the 1985 Super Bowl champs, the Chicago Bears were the most interesting sports characters of the decade and had their own video to prove it. It was a decade of celebs coming together for good causes with U.S.A For Africa’s “We Are The World”, Band-Aid’s “Do They Know Its Christmas”, Farm-Aid and more.
The never-ending party of the disco-era didn’t die, it took a nap and came back stronger than ever in the 80’s. From Reagan to ray guns, disco’s end to house music’s birth as well as the expansion of electronics in music, pop-lockin’, breakin’ b-boy music to heavy metal, it’s all there.
Check out everything that was from this decade, year by year – from the sporting events to world events, the top TV shows, songs, movies and more.
As you’re going back in time, think about some of the things in our lives today that you don’t see appearing here because…. they didn’t exist yet. Things like the top selling computers, tablets, laptops, microwaves, cable provider, wireless company and more.
Let us know some of the things that come to mind below.
For more great memories from any of the years The Beat’s music focuses on, click a year below and we’ll transport you back in time to see everything you may remember or have forgotten.
TOP SONGS
1. Call Me – Blondie
2. Another Brick In The Wall – Pink Floyd
3. Magic – Olivia Newton-John
4. Rock With You – Michael Jackson
5. Do That To Me One More Time – Captain & Tennille
6. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen
7. Coming Up – Paul McCartney
8. Funkytown – Lipps, Inc.
9. It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me – Billy Joel
10. The Rose – Bette Midler
GRAMMY WINNERS
Album of the Year: Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross
Best New Artist: Christopher Cross
Best Pop Duo or Group: “Guilty,” Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb
Best Pop Female Vocal: “The Rose,” Bette Midler
Best Pop Male Vocal: “This Is It,” Kenny Loggins
Best Rock Duo or Group: Against the Wind, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
Best Rock Female Vocal: Crimes of Passion, Pat Benatar
Best Rock Male Vocal: Glass Houses, Billy Joel
Record of the Year: “Sailing,” Christopher Cross
Song of the Year: “Sailing,” Christopher Cross
TOP MOVIES
1 The Empire Strikes Back Fox $209,398,025
2 9 to 5 Fox $103,290,500
3 Stir Crazy Col. $101,300,000
4 Airplane! Par. $83,453,539
5 Any Which Way You Can WB $70,687,344
6 Private Benjamin WB $69,847,348
7 Coal Miner’s Daughter Uni. $67,182,787
8 Smokey and the Bandit II Uni. $66,132,626
9 The Blue Lagoon Col. $58,853,106
10 The Blues Brothers Uni. $57,229,890
OTHER RELEASES
Fame / Altered States / Ordinary People / Urban Cowboy / The Shining / Caddyshack
Popeye / Friday The 13th / Brubaker / Dressed To Kill / Flash Gordon / Raging Bull
Little Darlings / Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie / The Jazz Singer / Xanadu
The Elephant Man / American Gigolo / My Bodyguard / Used Cars / Serial
Mad Max / Fatso / The Gong Show Movie / The Final Countdown / Oh God! Book II
ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS
Winners in CAPS
Best Picture:
“ORDINARY PEOPLE”, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, “The Elephant Man”, “Raging Bull”, “Tess”
Actor:
ROBERT DE NIRO in “Raging Bull”, Robert Duvall in “The Great Santini”, John Hurt in “The Elephant Man”, Jack Lemmon in “Tribute”, Peter O’Toole in “The Stunt Man”
Actress:
SISSY SPACEK in “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, Ellen Burstyn in “Resurrection”, Goldie Hawn in “Private Benjamin”, Mary Tyler Moore in “Ordinary People”, Gena Rowlands in “Gloria”
Supporting Actor:
TIMOTHY HUTTON in “Ordinary People”, Judd Hirsch in “Ordinary People”, Michael O’Keefe in “The Great Santini”, Joe Pesci in “Raging Bull”, Jason Robards in “Melvin and Howard”
Supporting Actress:
MARY STEENBURGEN in “Melvin & Howard”, Eileen Brennan in “Private Benjamin”, Eva Le Gallienne in “Resurrection”, Cathy Moriarty in “Raging Bull”, Diana Scarwid in “Inside Moves”
Director:
ROBERT REDFORD for “Ordinary People”, David Lynch for “The Elephant Man”, Roman Polanski for “Tess”, Richard Rush for “The Stunt Man”, Martin Scorsese for “Raging Bull”
TV SHOWS
Dallas / 60 Minutes / The Dukes of Hazzard / Private Benjamin / M*A*S*H
The Love Boat / The NBC Tuesday Night Movie / House Calls
The Jeffersons / Little House on the Prairie / The Two of Us
Alice / Real People / Three’s Company / The NBC Movie of the Week
One Day at a Time / Too Close for Comfort / Magnum P.I.
Diff’rent Strokes / NFL Monday Night Footbal
EMMY AWARD WINNERS:
Best Drama – Lou Grant
Best Actor – Ed Asner, Lou Grant
Best Actress – Barbara Bel Geddes, Dallas
Supporting Actor – Stuart Margolin, The Rockford Files
Supporting Actress – Nancy Marchand, Lou Grant
Best Comedy – Taxi
Best Actor – Judd Hirsch, Taxi
Best Actress – Isabel Sanford, The Jeffersons
Supporting Actor – Danny DeVito, Taxi
Supporting Actress – Eileen Brennan, Private Benjamin
Best Variety – Lily: Sold Out
SPORTS:
Kentucky Derby Winner: Genuine Risk – Trainer: L. Jolley – Jockey: J. Vasquez
Football
Superbowl XV: Oakland 27 – Philadelphia 10
Pro MVP: Brian Sipe, Cleveland, QB & Ron Jaworski, Philadelphia, QB
College Football: #1 Georgia
Heisman Trophy: George Rogers, South Carolina, RB
Rose Bowl: Michigan 23, Washington 6
Orange Bowl: Oklahoma 18, Florida St. 17
Cotton Bowl: Alabama 30, Baylor 2
Sugar Bowl: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10
Baskteball:
NBA Championship: L.A. Lakers Vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Winner: L.A. in 6
L.A. Coach: Paul Westhead
Philadelphia Coach: Billy Cunningham
MVP: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: L.A. C, Average Points Per Game: 24.8
NCAA National Champions: Louisville: 33W – 3L / Coach: Denny Crum
World Series
Philadelphia Phillies Vs. Kansas City Royals
Winner: Philadelphia in 6
Philadelphia Coach: Dallas Green
Kansas City Coach: Jim Frey
National League
MVP: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia (3B)
Rookie of the Year: Steve Howe L.A. (P)
American League
MVP: George Brett K.C. (3B)
Rookie of the Year: Joe Charboneau, Cleveland (OF – DH)
TOP NEWS STORIES:
President Halts Grain To Russia Following Afghanistan Invasion
Carter Severs Diplomatic Ties To Iran. Khomeini Militants Hold Hostages
US Olympic Committee Votes To Boycott Moscow Summer Games
125,000 Cuban Refugees Released By Castro Arrive In Miami
US Rescue Mission To Iran Fails, 8 Die As Two Aircraft Collide
Washington Volcano Mount Saint Helen Erupts , 22 Die
Iraq Invades Iran
John Lenon Is Killed In NYC.
Andrei Sakhorov Is Exiled to Gorky
Operation “Abscam” indicts 30 officials
Yugoslav leader Marshall Tito, 87 dies
Workers seize shipyards in Gdansk, Polish court recognizes Solidarity as umbrella union
Reagan defeats Charter 43 million to 35 Million
Gold hits 880 dollars per ounce
Inflation rate hits 13.5%, Prime rate hits 21%, Misery Index attributed to Jimmy Carter.
Gang of four including Mao’s wife go on trial in Beijing
400 case of “Toxic Shock Syndrome” caused by certain kinds of Tampons
Trial of Elvis Presley’s physician reveals Elvis took 10,000 pills in the 20 months prior his death
Fads, Rubik’s Cube, Sony Walkman, Yoda
Yellow ribbons were displayed for concern of the hostages in Iran
Largest audience on record for a regular series learns Who shot JR on “Dallas”, it was JR’s girlfriend Kristin.
Calvin Klein Ad, Brook Shields: You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing!
BMW 320: $12,000
Quote: Ronald Reagan to Jimmy Carter during a TV debate “There you go again and in closing… Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
“Donahue” becomes the most widely watched TV talk show in America
Fashion returns to the Preppy Look with the basics: challis skirt, navy blazer, button down shirt
Thousands mourn the death of John Lennon who was shot by a former mental patient.
The cordless phone and front-wheel-drive compact cars were new.
President: James Earl Carter, Jr.
Vice President: Walter F. Mondale
Population: 227,224,681
Life expectancy: 73.7 years
Dow-Jones
High: 1000
Low: 759
Federal spending: $590.95 billion
Federal debt: $909.1 billion
Inflation: 13.5%
Consumer Price Index: 82.4
Unemployment: 5.8%
Cost of a new home: $76,400.00
Cost of a new car: $ $7,210.00
Median Household Income: $19,170.00
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.15
Cost of a gallon of regular gas: $1.19
Cost of a dozen eggs: $0.91
Cost of a gallon of Milk: $2.16