By- Tomas Sire
When we look back at entertainment through the decades, the 1960s were counterculture, the fall of the old order and Mad Men; the 1950s seemed preoccupied with conformity, McCarthyism, and the middle-secret class's soul-implosion; and the 1940s consisted of mainly First and Second World War movies. However, no decade in contemporary culture compares to the 1980s. It's almost a genre of its own.
If you were young during this decade, you remember what a wonderful time it was to be alive, playing real games, and having the best fun. It is the decade most closely associated with nostalgia, and its aesthetic and memories live on.
Even though the 1980s were simple, most people who lived through the decade believe them to be the best years of their lives. There are many movies and television shows set in the 1980s or based on events that occurred during that decade. They may get close to capturing what life was like in the 1980s, but they will never be able to provide us with a complete picture. Knowing what entertainment was like back then is one of the things that may help us comprehend how a typical day in life was back then. So, let's take a look at what kept us entertained in the 1980s.
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CDs and vinyl albums had no competition; so it goes without saying that CDs were a big hit in 80s.Pexels
Compact discs (CDs) were first introduced earlier in the decade. CDs and vinyl albums had no competition; so it goes without saying that CDs were a big hit. Because the sound from vinyl LPs was too rough, people began replacing all of their music records with music CDs. As a result, Sony developed the Discman D-50, their first portable CD player. At the time, this was the equivalent of a new iPod, an oversized, button-filled, CD-playing iPod.
Is it true that the 1980s were the golden age of cinema? It might be difficult to disagree with this statement. The decade provided us with some of the most famous movies and TV series of all time, as well as the Blockbuster. Star Wars started the ball rolling when it was released in 1977. Still, the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi helped create momentum and popularity in the 1980s. We could also call this the Spielberg age because movies like ET, the highest-grossing of the 1980s, The Goonies, and the Indiana Jones franchise all came out during this time. Back to the Future and its epic sequel, which incorporated all of the best time travel components, are also among the decade's all-time favorites.
We can't talk about movies without mentioning Blockbuster Video. The first of many Blockbuster stores opened its doors to the public in 1985. It was a watershed moment in the history of home entertainment. Regardless of age, the entire populace was able to go to Blockbuster outlets to rent movies and video games. People felt the same way about Blockbuster back then as we do about Netflix today. Renting a movie made access to entertainment so much easier because all you had to do was walk up to your local Blockbuster and choose your favorite film. You could even rent out a video machine with your movie back then.
The 1980s introduced us to a whole new world of music and some entirely new genres. The most popular genre until then was Rock. Heavy metal grew increasingly popular in the 1970s, and pop music had always been part of the mix. Still, the 1980s introduced us to some new categories and variations like electronic music. When you think of Madonna and U2, you're thinking of the age when we were first introduced to Hip Hop as a new art form.
Just like you can't talk about movies without mentioning Blockbuster Video, you can't talk about 80s music without talking about the mixtape. The mixtape could be the best way to summarize the 1980s. MP3, Apple Music, and Spotify did not exist back then. If you wanted to record music, you'd have to sit by your tape player for hours on end, waiting for whichever tune you wanted to hear. You'd call radio stations to make a request and pray you had a quick trigger finger. This was also the period of the dual cassette tape deck, which allowed you to make your own mixes by copying tapes. If you knew someone who had a cassette you desired, you could replicate it onto a blank tape, and it would appear to be yours!
You could now construct your own compilations with your cassette collection, and the mixtape was born. This was the 1980s' version of a love letter, in which you could compile a playlist of significant songs to give to someone you cared about. Today, Spotify has made it possible for us to do this, and it only takes a few short taps. Of course, the mixtape required effort and dedication. That effort was a big part of what made a mixtape so special.
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Growing Pains, The Wonder Years, The A-Team, and Knight Rider are just a few prominent shows from the 1980sPexels
In the 1980s, we were treated to a slew of legendary sitcoms that would eventually lead to the birth of Must-See TV. Certain nights, such as Thursday and Friday, would become must-watch nights, with a slew of excellent shows stacked together. If you wanted to know what everyone was talking about, you couldn't miss these nights. Growing Pains, Cheers, ALF, The Wonder Years, The A-Team, The Dukes Of Hazzard, and Knight Rider are just a few prominent shows from the 1980s; there are so many gems from this era.
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