10 Greatest Classic Rock Singers Of The '80s

10. David Byrne - Talking Heads

As the punk rock community started to divulge into a mess of anarchy and power chords, the new wave scene offered up something much more interesting. While some of the playing was still fairly rudimentary, every new act coming from England and New York had a much more eclectic taste that owed more to the Velvet Underground than the Ramones. Even though the Talking Heads started off as another rudimentary act, they ended up making some of the most interesting rock of the entire decade.

Each member of the band ended up serving an equal role in the group, but there was something mystical about the way that David Byrne would conduct himself onstage. As opposed to the swaggering rock gods of the '70s, Byrne was much more stiff and always seemed to feel uncomfortable in his own skin whenever he sang. Any other singer would be off-putting in this scenario, but every single one of Byrne's lyrics kept you engaged, as if he seemed like some alien lifeform trying to make sense of what actual emotion is like.

While some people may be turned off at something like "Once in a Lifetime" at first, the meat behind this song comes from a performer who really knows what he's doing. David Byrne may not be giving Robert Plant a run for his money or anything, but rock is sometimes more about the feeling that you put into the music rather than the raw power.