Like I've written tons of times before, I listened to a ton of '80s music as a kid (and some of it I discovered later in the '90s). One thing I always really liked were ballads, was that unusual? Years later, I'd sometimes hear younger kids laughing at love songs because they were "mushy" or just boring. I could never understand this, to me they always seemed cozy and fluffy. In fact, when I look back on them now in relation to my childhood, I think it makes that time seem even more innocent and special.

Here's the thing - most Eighties music seems tied together by having that synthesized and well-produced sound, and being super catchy in general, so no matter what style of music it was, it seemed fun. Some examples


I Wanna Know What Love is - Foreigner
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
Careless Whisper - Wham
Stuck On You - Lionel Richie
Sara - Starship
Holding Back the Years - Simply Red
How Can I Fall - Breathe
One More Night - Phil Collins
Rush Rush - Paula
The Flame - Cheap Trick
If You're Ever in My Arms Again - Peabo Bryson
Search is Over - Survivor


Then, there's those middle tempo ones. Those might actually be my favorites, since they're catchy and poppy, but also have a pleasant and breezy feeling you wouldn't get out of a full-blown upbeat song. Stuff like:

The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
Don't Dream it's Over - Crowded House
When the Going Gets Tough - Billy Ocean
Every Breath You Take - The Police
Waiting For a Star to Fall - Boy Meets Girl
You're the Inspiration - Chicago
Missing You - John Waite
Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears
Everytime You Go Away - Paul Young
Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol
Stuck With You - Huey Lewis
Tide is High - Blondie
Kiss on My List - Hall and Oates
You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon
Everlasting Love - Howard Jones
The Finer Things - Steve Winwood

Don't get me wrong, I loved a TON of fully upbeat songs too, but back then I didn't categorize or pick favorites. I just pretty much liked everything equally as long as it sounded good to me.

During the '90s I either clung to the '80s songs which I already loved (as well as discovering more of it) or if I listened to current music, it was usually more easygoing songs - "I Swear", "How Do You Talk to an Angel", "Colors of the Wind", "The World I Know", Michael Bolton, Jon Secada and Mariah Carey, etc. I guess despite still being a kid, my tastes were already firmly in place. I also remember being afraid of real hardcore heavy metal or rap, and would've rather listen to something that had a melody and instrumentation. The fluffier songs seemed like a santuary of sorts.

I think it is fine to like what you like....just as long as you don't use the words cozy and fluffy to describe them. ;)

if you grew up in the 70s you probably didnt know any better! ;D ;)

No, you're just weird in general :D

There was nothing wrong with liking ballads and soft rock as a kid.  Heck, I grew up on soft rock and ballads,  My mom had a 45 of 'Into the Night' by Benny Mardones and she played it alot, so I grew up with that kind of music and similar

I liked Paul Davis when I was a kid . . . still do.

Bobby Vinton

Air Supply

Ambrosia

Peter, Paul and Mary

Nope, you're not any weirder than I am.

You like what you like.  It doesn't make you weird, it just makes you you.

< Enters the McFly programs' 'thread'.


























Boy, is this guy WEIRD !  :-X :P






;D

If you're weird because you liked those songs, then I'm f**king looney because one of my fondest childhood memories is listening to my mom's Captain and Tennille's greatest hits 8 track. :)

Muskrat Love, anyone?

Right on, thanks. :) I guess it's just that I feel enough like an outsider as it is, that it makes me feel better if I wasn't the only one who experienced or enjoyed the things I did. I mean I was totally unbiased and pure at that age, I only liked something if it personally appealed to me.

Yeah, Michael Bolton probably isn't fluffy, but something like Steve Winwood's "The Finer Things" is (to me). Oh my god, I just love the synth line throughout that one, that always made me feel happy, especially the parts in the chorus when it gets all bouncy. :D

Here's like another perfect example: I never cared for teenpop much, but the one song kinda like that which I always loved is "Make it Real" by The Jets. It's got teenybopper roots, but feels like typical soft rock/adult contemporary...with that slick production, guitar solo and the lyrics about yearning for love.

If you're weird because you liked those songs, then I'm f**king looney because one of my fondest childhood memories is listening to my mom's Captain and Tennille's greatest hits 8 track. :)

Muskrat Love, anyone?


Yer looney!  :D  ;D

Michael Bolton is the Devil.

Right on, thanks. :) I guess it's just that I feel enough like an outsider as it is, that it makes me feel better if I wasn't the only one who experienced or enjoyed the things I did. I mean I was totally unbiased and pure at that age, I only liked something if it personally appealed to me.

Yeah, Michael Bolton probably isn't fluffy, but something like Steve Winwood's "The Finer Things" is (to me). Oh my god, I just love the synth line throughout that one, that always made me feel happy, especially the parts in the chorus when it gets all bouncy. :D

Here's like another perfect example: I never cared for teenpop much, but the one song kinda like that which I always loved is "Make it Real" by The Jets. It's got teenybopper roots, but feels like typical soft rock/adult contemporary...with that slick production, guitar solo and the lyrics about yearning for love.




maybe it's just me....but this post is starting to resemble a crazy make out session! :D ;D

^ The phrases you bolded sound more like the by-lines in a trashy romance novel :D

I grew up on soft rock/ballads as a kid too, so I don't think you're weird at all. I still love these songs to this very day.  :)

I grew up on soft rock/ballads as a kid too, so I don't think you're weird at all. I still love these songs to this very day.  :)


Yeah, and of course, I was kidding earlier. I like a LOT of mushy love songs !  :-[ ;D

Yeah, Michael Bolton probably isn't fluffy

His mullet was, though.

His mullet was, though.


:D ;D ;D

yeah Marty, you're weird for liking ballads.....................................NOT!  well, maybe a little, but we're all weird in one way or another.

I really like a lot of the (how did you say) cozy & fluffy songs on your list  ;D  I don't like talking about relationship stuff so much, but I love listening & hearing about love & pain in songs like these and that's what most of these are about. relationship stuff. almost all of the Beatles early stuff was nothing but girlfriend/boyfriend ups and downs and they were popular then, not so much ballads, well maybe some of their songs were like short ballads. I think a lot of the songs from your list are songs a lot of us like to sing along with and sometimes imagine you're going through what the singer is singing about. very emotional stuff I don't normally like to talk about  ::) 

I pretty much like all the songs you listed. I was only thinking today most of what I like to listen to would be classified as ballads form the 70's and 80's. Your not weird and you shouldn't give a stuff what anyone else thinks.......as far as I'm concerned you're cool! 8)

I liked Paul Davis when I was a kid . . . still do.

Paul Davis has a great voice!  :)

Muskrat Love, anyone?


Er...you'd best ask the nearest muskrat!  :P

I love the genre, but tend to roll my eyes and grit my teeth at some of the above due to 'over-familiarity'...