I loved the music.

I graduated H.S. in 1985. The music marked the time. Songs like "Like a Virgin", "Purple Rain", "The Bird" and "Relax" took me to the dance floor.

I graduated high school in 1985 and something that really marked the era was the music. Songs like, "Purple Rain", "Like a Virgin", "The Bird" and "Relax" would take me to the dance floor.

I was born in 1975, so most of my childhood memories occurred in the 1980s. Cable TV was a new thing - we were among the first in our neighbourhood to get it, and my mum and I used to watch MTV for hours. They actually played MUSIC VIDEOS back then! I used to love to watch Martha Quinn and all the other VJs who came on. We also liked to listen to Casey Kasem's Countdown, so we were all pretty much big music fans then. I had a HUGE crush on Michael Jackson, and I had one of those 3D viewers (View Master) in which you could put a white disc with pictures around the outside in it and view them. I had a My Little Pony, Peaches and Creme Barbie, as well as a miniature Strawberry Shortcake Doll that smelled like strawberries when you squeezed her! (cute) I remember my dad's Zapp records...and all the kids in school had either an asymetrical/bilevel haircut (chin length on one side, eyebrow length on the other, shoulder length in back!) or a jheri curl. LOL, I'm not sure about the hairstyles being so great, but the music was certainly wonderful!

I was born in 1968 so I hit my teen years in 1981. I loved the music, especially the whole LA metal scene - RATT!. In the area of the country where I lived it was an underground thing until late in the 1980s, so my friends and I bought into all of it. I also loved the John Hughes films, Facts of Life TV show, I'screams cookies, Apple Slice, Tropical Blend tan oil, Miami Vice and I loved my dual cassette boom box.

I love the 80s because pretty much everything good came out of the 80s, such as fashion, music, even movies. Everything good came out of the 80s!!

Wow! The eighties were simply the best time of my life! I remember all the old TV programs like the A-Team, Streethawk, Fallguy, The Man From Atlantis, and the kids stuff like Transformers, The Muppets (was Miss Piggy a babe or is it just me?), Battle of the Planets, and Ulysses. Then there was the movies: Goonies, Breakdance, Silver Bullet, Karate Kid, Back to the Future, Weird Science, and D.A.R.Y.L. There were simply too many great movies to list! I can remember going out in a morning when we were not in school and going to the woods for a game of army then we would have some dinner and go for a bike ride on our Raleigh Burner BMX's (what a bike eh?), then have some tea and out again and I remember having to be in by 7:30 pm for a bath and get to bed to be ready for school the next day. I often wonder what would happen if you put the kids of today slap bang in the middle of the eighties without the X-Boxes and the computers of today but give them a Binatone and a ZX Spectrum, that would be worth watching - LOL. Anyway, I love and miss the eighties for many reasons but most of all no worries just play! All you 80s kids are all cool in my book!

Wow! In the 80s, I was in my twenties and IT WAS THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!! It was all about the nightclubbing in all the boros of NYC. Party hard! The music, nightclubs, friends, cars, punk, new wave, dance music - the great Tarzan song! Me and my buddies at that time didn't have a care in the world. It was people of the night, it was edgy and slick! Black leather, mullets and party hard. Long live the 80's -- MY TIME!

The 80s where great, the good music when you turned it on in your BMW and drive around the town with your friends and listen to loud FUNKY music (Grandmaster Flash or something). In the cinemas , E.T, Back To The Future , Indiana Jones - it was all so good. If I could jump back to the 80s, I would do it now!!

I was born in 1975. I remember people were a lot kinder in the 80s. Society as a whole accepted one another and didn't care what ethnic background you were. MAN... People treated each other with respect. Yes, I remember the 80s and miss the 80s. There wasn't all of this racial tension or partisan divide; we were all Americans with hope and optimism. You didn't need to know all this technology and you didn't need a PhD just to buy a house. All you needed was a highs school diploma and a job; and you were all set. Innocence was the norm. People weren't bitter, angry and stressed out back then, or afraid of someone who looked different from them. People just accepted one another period. Gee, I wish I could return back to those days and live free again.

Ah, the 80s, what a great decade! I was born in 1971 and can remember being so happy about getting rid of butterfly collars. Instead we traded them in for rubber bracelets, legwarmers, wearing a belt over your shirt with leggings, and of course big hair. For men, it was Cavarecchis and Members Only jackets. I think the 80s were a blast. I truly believe that it was the best time of my life. It was the time for Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Jr. Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros, Cabbage Patch Kids, Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Care Bears, etc. Then there are the movie greats like ET, Indiana Jones (canâ€^TMt wait to see the new one), Splash, Caddyshack, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Flashdance, Footloose, Beverly Hills Cop, and so many others. The soundtracks from Flashdance and Footloose were so good. I also had a kick butt record collection, in my opinion of course. Unfortunately they were ruined when we moved. It included Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Men at Work, Def Leppard, Poison, Cinderella, etc. It has been so long I canâ€^TMt remember them all, but they were all good. In total I probably had about 50. I know I love a variety of music, if itâ€^TMs weird so be it. My first concert was Rick Springfield, yes the years have been kind, still hot. Remember him and John Stamos in General Hospital? Yummy!

Wow! The 80s were the best with MTV and all those videos that used to come out on TV. Dancing to all that nice music and as of now I'm stuck in the 80s in my car - right now I'm listening to Dokken, Dio, Rush, The Outfield, Def Leppard, Rainbow, Foreigner, Van Halen and I can go on and on! There is a humungous list we had - dance music, rock, lighter stuff like REO Speedwagon, Wham, Madonna, Bryan Adams, Genesis, Cyndi Lauper, etc. I really miss all those videos and all the cool clothes that I bought at the mall. The best years were the 80s, and all those movies and everything. It's just a "Never Ending Story"...

I was born in 1970. Let's just say I get nostalgic when I see members of the Brat Pack (Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson,etc.) and catch reruns of Pretty In Pink, Less than Zero,The Breakfast Club and even Mannequin and Streets of Fire. Those were the good old days together with having the "Miami Vice" syndrome (dressing like Don Johnson to look cool). Now, it amazes me that my kids know Duran Duran and it makes me happy that the original members got reunited again,but (sigh) minus Andy Taylor,and still recording songs. While I love some new songs, I will always remember the New Wave era. And good old Molly Ringwald? She will always remain lovely to me :)

As I was sitting here watching Karate Kid 2 on AMC, it got me thinking about the toys I had from those movies as a little boy and how I would pretend to be Daniel doing the crane kick in my front yard. Being born in 1977, I consider myself a fortunate individual. The 80s were a wonderful time, a far cry from the way of the world today. Our biggest fear growing up was the USSR, which I remember reading about regularly in our Weekly Readers at school. Our music in the 80's was far superior to the junk today's kids listen to. There was so much diversity to the music, you could listen to Poison or Def Leppard one minute and tune into Tears for Fears or Cyndi Lauper the next. I remember wanting a red zipper jacket and white glove like Michael Jackson used to wear, the patience you had to have while rewinding a tape to listen to your favorite song again, and driving my mom and dad crazy to buy me a new boom box (with a double tape deck). I remember being a little boy and listening to some music and story books on my record player, which I later killed by trying to rap on like Fat Boys or Run DMC. On another subject, the TV shows and movies of my childhood were just flat out better than the stuff coming out these days. I will give modern production its credit for picture quality and graphics, but the stories and concepts turned into shows and movies were just better back then. From the Star Wars movies, to Back to the Future, to Big (I think every little boy wanted that to happen to them once they saw the movie), and all points in between, the movies were original and innovative. As a small child I was a huge fan of Silver Spoons, The Incredile Hulk, and Greatest American Hero. I remember every Saturday night going with my mom to my grandparent's house and watching Hee Haw and the Golden Girls. I was a big fan of The Cosby Show (who wasn't?), Hunter, and Family Ties, and like most boys of the day, I religiously watched MacGyver. And with the possible exception of the original cast from the 70s, SNL in the 80s was far superior to the product they have put out since that time. I would also like to point out the superiority of the cartoons of the 80s. As a kid in the 80's you lived for the weekends because of Saturday morning cartoons, and the cartoons after school were just as good too. I'd watch GI Joe, Transformers, MASK, He-Man, Thundercats, Voltron, and others on weekdays, then on Saturday the lineup was a little less gender specific and you'd watch cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Charlie Brown, and Smurfs. Even Pee Wee's Playhouse has its place in 80s lore, as did the later years of shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train that came on after cartoons went off (back then it was cartoons from daylight til noon, a morning of kid heaven while the adults slept in). There are so many wonderful things I could say about growing up in the 80s, the glory years where all felt safe thanks to President Reagan, playing outside all day on summer vacation and not going home until it got dark, the fact that we were accountable for our actions and no one got sued when you or your friends got hurt playing a backyard football game on someone else's property, and maybe best of all is having technology like computers (I remember the first time I saw one in elementary school) and video games (Atari and later Nintendo), but also playing with toys and playing outside, we had the technology and imagination to do anything we wanted. Today's children are so TV and internet oriented (as I sit here online typing this of course) and the world is so much more tense and overtaken with PC. In the 80's we ate Happy Meals at McDonald's (full of trans fats back then) but didn't end up obese or unhealthy because we were so active and didn't spend every waking moment on our butts. What a time the 80's were to be a kid, I wouldn't trade my childhood for anything. These are a just a few of my personal thoughts and memories about growing up in the 1980s, maybe I will get into the clothes, catch phrases, hairstyles, and horror films at a later time, but this is plenty for now. I am glad I found this webpage, it has been most interesting and reflective to read about the memories and experiences of others who were part of that glorious decade known as the 80s.

I liked the 80s! First, spandex came out and I got my first pair and they where very tight on me and I think that we should have a 80s night club here in Portland, Oregon where you can wear your spandex too and be an 80s person! So, I hope someone will see this and drop me an e-mail! spandex93@yahoo.com

Where do I begin? I love the 80s because well let's face it, everything was better. Thats the most common asnwer I hear when people are asked that question and i have to strongly agree. Music, TV, movies, and just about everything else in general was better. I remember as a kid feeling like people were less tense and took themselves less serious than today. We didn't see the tensions that we see today for example, racism. If you look at music videos from the 80s, you will see black, white, Hispanic, Asian - you name it together in one big group dancing and having a great time. Now it's all about money and respect and power. The 80s to me signifies a timne in the world when people cared more about each other than the trivial things they care about now. When I watch an 80's movie like Karate Kid, I think of being in my den mimicking all the kicks and wanting to take karate lessons. When I watch an 80s show like Knight Rider, I think of being home on a Friday night looking forward to a full weekend of playing with my friends, and waking up Saturday morning to watch my favorite cartoons. When I hear a song like Rio from Duran Duran, I think of my sister teasing her hair as high as it can go and getting ready to go to the roller rink with her friends. The 80s give me a feeling of joy and happiness when I think of them. The 80s are gone but at least I have my memories. I think I will go show my son an episode of He-Man. I love the 80s!

Why I love the 80s? The Breakfast Club, Back to The Future, and Ronald Reagan. The way my hometown use to be, Van Halen, The Heathers (Thomas & Locklear), Joyce Hyser (from Just One Of The Guys) Susanna Hoffs - yummy! Everything just seemed a little brighter and happier 20+ years ago.

I was born in 1967, so from 13 in 1980 to 19 in 1986, I spent my formative years in the 80s and it was a blast. First of all, no bills, let mom and dad worry about that stuff. All I worried about was girls, sports, a little bit of homework, and hanging out on the weekends with friends. I didn't watch alot of TV back in those days, but I did catch quite a few movies, Real Genius, 3 O'clock High, Better Off Dead, I could go on and on, and the music was music you could sing with because you understood what they were saying, Def Leppard, Chicago, Journey, Toto, and my favorite was 38 Special. I sometimes wish I could go back, but now at 40 with 3 daughters and a beautiful grandson, I'll leave the past in the past, but it sure was fun.

Besides the obvious music and styles - my first love. I can hear the music now and it takes me right back.I was Born in 1967, so I was at the peak of my teen years in the 80s.

I remember the good music and fashion. My favorite song was by "Cars" by Gary Numan and "Never Say Never" by Romeo Void - and of course, the Gos Gos.