10 Perfect Rock Singles Of The 80s

The '80s was a decade of excess. Cocaine was on tap, consumerism was rampant; coloured spandex and bad hair cuts were everywhere. If you weren't living in the moment, you weren't living. For those of us not alive during this mythic time, our only portal is through the cultural relics that survive. You want a snapshot of what life was really like during the '80s? Then music is your best hope.

Rock saw a significant transition throughout the decade. Post punk became new wave. Hard rock and metal morphed into hair metal. The underground saw punk mutate into hardcore, which would go on to inform grunge. Alterntive bands began to see a rise in popularity, and the Second Summer of Love was born in the grey north of England.

There was a genre and vibe for everyone. Whether you wanted to get your rocks off with high octane guitars, or groove about to funk-inspired dance rock, the '80s had it all. These are the singles that represent the different manifestations of rock during its most hedonistic and celebrated decade.

Punk burned hard and fast. It exploded onto the scene with a flash of aggressive attitude only to fizzle away, slowly. The groups that made up the old guard, either split or were forced to evolve. The Sex Pistols disintegrated and the Dammed morphed into a gothic new wave group. But if there was one act who knew how to roll with the times, it was the Clash.

By the '80s they had transcended their punk origins and morphed into an eclectic rock act. Unshackled by the confines of any one particular genre they excelled. But, Combat Rock was one of the last hurrahs before the group finally crumbled under rising tensions.

Rumours around the origins of Should I Stay Or Should I Go range from Mick Jones' relationship with singer Ellen Foley, to his feelings of discontent within the band. Jones, however, has claimed the song was an amalgamations of feelings that didn't relate to any one particular thing. Nevertheless it foreshadowed what would be the last record with the Clash's original line up. In a twist of prophetic irony, Mick Jones' question was answered two years later when he was fired from the group.