Tunes Du Jour Presents 1988

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In 1988, hip-hop didn’t just make noise; it made history. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock’s “It Takes Two” lit up clubs and car stereos alike, while Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid in Full (Seven Minutes of Madness)” remix turned the genre into a playground for sonic experimentation. Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” brought urgent political commentary to the mix, and LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali” offered a sleek, stylized West Coast daydream. Among them, Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” stood as a genuine milestone—a breakthrough for women in rap and, at the time, the biggest-selling hip-hop single to date. Though not on the playlist due to its hit version being unavailable on Spotify, its absence in no way reflects its cultural weight.

Elsewhere, 1988 was rich in songs that combined sincerity with staying power. Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” offered social commentary through intimate storytelling, and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” turned self-reflection into an anthem. “Wishing Well,” performed by the artist then known as Terence Trent D’Arby, brought soul swagger to the top of the charts, while Prince’s “Alphabet St.” reminded listeners he was still capable of keeping them on their toes. Songs like Kylie Minogue’s “I Should Be So Lucky” and Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up,” both produced by the UK’s Stock Aitken Waterman, were pure pop that have endured far beyond their original chart runs, largely due to their catchiness and an occasional boost from internet-era rediscovery.

Dance floors were equally alive with invention. M/A/R/R/S’s “Pump Up the Volume” and S’Express’s “Theme from S’Express,” the latter missing from the playlist due to its unavailability on Spotify, helped define a new frontier of UK club music that was steeped in sampling and shaped by emerging house and techno scenes.

INXS’s “Need You Tonight” merged rock and funk with a modern sheen, while The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and Morrissey’s “Everyday Is Like Sunday” balanced emotion with pop craftsmanship. The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” and Dinosaur Jr.’s “Freak Scene” would prove even more influential in hindsight, while Mudhoney’s “Touch Me I’m Sick” gave an early signal of what would soon be called grunge.

Both the UK and Australia contributed standout tracks that reflected their national scenes’ strength. From the UK, Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” and Erasure’s “Chains of Love” explored emotional depth through electronic textures, while Pet Shop Boys teamed with Dusty Springfield on “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” to bridge classic and contemporary pop. Australia’s Midnight Oil brought urgency and political purpose with “Beds Are Burning,” The Church crafted dreamlike melancholy in “Under the Milky Way,” and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds delivered stark intensity with “The Mercy Seat.” All three pointed to a vibrant and diverse Australian presence in global music that year.

The year also held room for collaboration, reinvention, and the unexpected. Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle With Care” saw rock legends joining forces without sounding self-indulgent. my bloody valentine’s “You Made Me Realise” hinted at the hazy swirl of shoegaze to come. The Bangles’ cover of “Hazy Shade of Winter” showed that ‘60s source material could thrive in a late-’80s rock context, and Anita Baker’s “Giving You the Best That I Got” offered polished, grown-up soul amid the noisier trends. Nineteen wighty-eight wasn’t about any one genre dominating the conversation; it was about cross-pollination, with club tracks rubbing shoulders with indie rock, hip-hop expanding its reach, and pop songs finding new ways to stick.

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Tunes Du Jour Presents 1990

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By 1990, pop music was as fragmented as ever, with the charts reflecting a mix of dancefloor anthems, alternative breakthroughs, and genre-defying oddities. Hip-hop’s mainstream ascent was well underway, electronic music was taking shape in new and exciting forms, and rock music was shifting toward something grittier. The year’s defining hits weren’t just about big hooks—they were about movement, whether physical, emotional, or cultural.

Dance music thrived in 1990, blurring the lines between house, hip-hop, and pop. Madonna’s “Vogue” channeled the underground ballroom culture into a global phenomenon, while Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is in the Heart” mixed funk, rap, and psychedelic whimsy into a club classic. Elsewhere, Snap! (“The Power”) and Black Box (“Everybody Everybody”) brought European dance music into the mainstream, and 808 State’s “Pacific (707)” hinted at a future where electronic beats would dominate pop music. Even hip-hop joined the party, with M.C. Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” and Digital Underground’s “The Humpty Dance” bringing humor and flamboyance to the genre.

Meanwhile, alternative rock was carving out a larger space. Jane’s Addiction’s “Been Caught Stealing” and Faith No More’s “Epic” merged funk, metal, and punk into something unpredictable. The UK’s Madchester scene, fueled by dance rhythms and psychedelic guitars, produced The Stone Roses’ “Fools Gold,” Happy Mondays’ “Step On,” and Primal Scream’s “Loaded,” while The Charlatans’ “The Only One I Know” signaled Britpop’s coming rise. Across the Atlantic, Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” offered a more traditional take on rock, while Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got a Gun” tackled dark subject matter with arena-sized drama.

Elsewhere, pop and R&B pushed forward with innovation. En Vogue’s “Hold On” showcased impeccable vocal group harmonies, Lisa Stansfield’s “All Around the World” delivered a fresh take on blue-eyed soul, and George Michael’s “Freedom ’90” turned self-reinvention into an art form. Janet Jackson’s “Escapade” and Prince’s “Thieves in the Temple” kept their respective streaks of forward-thinking pop hits alive. And then there was Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”—a Prince-penned ballad that, in her hands, became one of the most emotionally raw performances of the era.

Yet 1990 also had space for the delightfully weird. They Might Be Giants’ “Birdhouse in Your Soul” was an offbeat yet catchy rock song that felt beamed in from another world, while Pet Shop Boys’ “So Hard” continued their sophisticated synth-pop explorations. Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” made earnest goofiness into a virtue, and DNA’s remix of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” pioneered a new wave of genre-hopping, blending folk with electronic beats. Even the global phenomenon of “Lambada” proved that music was becoming more borderless. Whether through innovation, reinvention, or sheer force of personality, 1990’s music remains as compelling as ever.

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Tunes Du Jour Presents 1986

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Looking back at 1986, what stands out isn’t just the quality of the music, but how effortlessly genres merged and boundaries dissolved. Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” wasn’t just a collaboration – it was a statement about how rock and hip-hop could amplify each other’s strengths. Prince, at the height of his powers, stripped everything down to bare essentials with “Kiss,” proving his superstardom could take any form. Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” became inescapable, powered by one of the era’s most iconic videos, while Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” merged art rock with soul and funk, accompanied by groundbreaking stop-motion animation.

The women of pop music wielded particular influence that year. Madonna continued pushing buttons with “Papa Don’t Preach,” tackling teenage pregnancy in a way that sparked national conversation. Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” showcased her extraordinary vocal range while proving dance-pop could be both sophisticated and irresistible. Janet Jackson asked “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” establishing herself as a force independent of her famous family. Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” transcended its moment, becoming an enduring anthem of self-acceptance that would be covered for decades to come.

The underground was rising to the surface, but keeping its edge. The Smiths’ “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” brought literary depth to alternative rock, while New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle” helped blueprint the future of electronic dance music. The Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls” married street-smart observations with pristine synth-pop, and Public Image Ltd.’s “Rise” proved post-punk could evolve without losing its bite. Even The Cure, with “In Between Days,” found a way to make melancholy sound surprisingly radio-friendly.

Soul and R&B were experiencing their own renaissance. Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” brought sophisticated quiet storm to the mainstream, while Cameo’s “Word Up!” demonstrated funk’s continuing vitality. Grace Jones’ “Slave to the Rhythm” showcased the artist’s commanding presence, and James Brown reminded everyone he was still the Godfather of Soul with “Living in America.” The year also saw George Michael step out of Wham!’s shadow with “A Different Corner,” proving he could hold his own as a solo artist.

The year proved fertile ground for both established and emerging voices. Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” painted a portrait of a changing America, while Billy Bragg’s “Levi Stubbs’ Tears” showed how personal stories could carry political weight. Elvis Costello’s “I Want You” pushed the boundaries of what a love song could express, and R.E.M.’s “Fall on Me” managed to be both cryptic and urgently relevant. Meanwhile, LL Cool J’s “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” brought hip-hop closer to the mainstream while maintaining its street credibility. In retrospect, 1986 wasn’t just a great year for music – it was a moment when artists across the spectrum proved that innovation and accessibility weren’t mutually exclusive.

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Tunes Du Jour Presents 1983

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The year 1983 was a vibrant musical landscape, a moment when pop culture was exploding with creativity and technological advancement. It was a year when Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” dominated the airwaves, its infectious rhythm and groundbreaking music video revolutionizing how we experienced music. The single was more than just a song; it was a cultural phenomenon that captured the zeitgeist of an era when music was becoming increasingly visual and dynamic.

This was also the year when Prince’s “1999” prophetically danced with apocalyptic themes, and The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” became an anthem of complex emotional surveillance. The diversity of musical styles was remarkable, with artists like Dexys Midnight Runners bringing an unconventional folk-pop energy with “Come on Eileen,” while New Order’s “Blue Monday” pushed the boundaries of electronic music, creating a sound that would influence dance music for decades to come. David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” marked a vibrant shift in his musical journey, infusing his signature artistic sensibility with an irresistible pop-funk groove.

The single was king in 1983, with an unprecedented number of memorable tracks that seemed to burst from radios and dance floors everywhere. Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” introduced Annie Lennox’s haunting vocals to the world, while Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” offered a smooth, sensual counterpoint to the era’s more uptempo sounds. Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” exemplified the period’s sunny, celebratory pop, and Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” challenged musical and social conventions with its charismatic lead singer, Boy George.

The year wasn’t just about pop, however. Rock and new wave were thriving, with bands like The Smiths (“This Charming Man”), The Clash (“Rock the Casbah”), and Duran Duran (“Hungry Like The Wolf”) pushing musical boundaries. Hip-hop and early rap were also emerging, with tracks like Melle Mel’s “White Lines” and Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking “Rockit” signaling a musical revolution that would transform popular culture in the coming decades.

What made 1983 truly special was how it represented a moment of musical transition—a year when synthesizers and drum machines were becoming more prevalent, when music videos were transforming how artists communicated, and when genres were blending in unprecedented ways. From the new romantic sounds of Heaven 17’s “Temptation” to the quirky charm of Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance,” the music of 1983 was a testament to creativity, innovation, and the pure joy of sound. It was a year that didn’t just produce hit songs, but created a sonic landscape that would influence musicians for generations to come.

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