I’ve always been a fan of old music.

Correction: I’ve always been a fan of outdated music. I started liking a song a year after everyone else, and that really doomed my musical cred.

The last few years, I’ve been into the Billboard hot 100. I was always a fan of dance music, and there was a ton of dance music from 2013-2015. Working at my college radio station also helped with this.

Of course, 2016 was a disaster of a year for pop music. Everything just sounded so…sad. Even the happy songs were sad.

Luckily, I had already shoved myself headfirst into the 1980s.

I’m a fan of the 80s. The crazy hair, crazy colors, and of course, the shopping. I won’t even tell you how many playlists on my phone are just labelled “1980s mall music”.

Oddly enough, that’s where I always heard this music. It was background in stores, or used in a commercial, it was everywhere.

Back in 2015, I got hooked on Billy Idol. Then I was hooked on New Wave. While that is generally where I get most of my music, the reality is I’m a pop person. If it was a popular song, I probably like it.

Rock the Casbah is a running gag back on campus with my friends. I probably played that song a hundred times a day. I also leave 1980s elevator music playing in the radio office (much to the irritation of one of the frequent readers of this blog).

Lately, I’ve switched almost entirely over to 80s music. I keep a steady stream of 80s fluff from Pandora playing when I write these blog posts. Also, the featured image for this post? Those are real. All of those albums and 45s are sitting in my bedroom. I have a pink Crosley Autorama always at the ready to blast.

There was just something so bubbly about music in the 1980s. I know a lot of people that can’t stand 80s music. They can’t stand the overproduced, synth-heavy noise. Of course, a lot of those people are my friends who try to wrestle control of the playlist from me at any given point.

But the bubbly feel of 80s music is important. Even the sad songs weren’t depressing. I don’t want to be depressed when listening to music. I don’t even want to really think when I’m listening to music. I want to escape!

When I do want to think while listening to music, 80s music is also great for that. There’s a ton of references and hidden meanings all over the 1980s charts. It really is the best of both worlds.

And yes, for the record, I do dance everytime a Wham! song comes on.