Category Archives: 1980s songs

The best 500 songs from the 1980s. Lyrics, meanings and interpretations from the eighties. The Cure, Prince, Michael Jackson, Cindi Lauper, The Smiths, The Cars, REO…see what artist ranks highest in our greatest all-time songs rankings.

1980s songs, protest songs

#176 Redemption Song- Bob Marley

Leave a comment

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery/
None but ourselves can free our minds.

Musically, Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” sounds sparse. In a sense it is. Marley recorded it with just an acoustic guitar—and the guitar is mixed low at that. But the melody really comes through despite the minimalist production. It adds power to the lyrics. It makes you take note of them.

redemption song meaning
Bob Marley

Lyrically the song is loaded. It speaks to slavery, environmentalism, religion and civil action all in a four-minute song. Marley’s voice sounds especially poignant. He realizes he is saying something important and it touches him as he is singing it. He asks us to sing along with him–a song of freedom, emancipation…a song of redemption.

Redemption Song Lyrics

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pits

But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly

Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery
None but our self can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
‘Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Some say it’s just a part of it
We’ve got to fulfill di book

Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever had
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our mind
Oh, have no fear for atomic energy
‘Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall dey kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Some say it’s just a part of it
We’ve got to fulfill di book

Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever had
Redemption songs
All I ever had
Redemption songs
These songs of freedom
Songs of freedom

written by Bob Marley

1980s songs, breakup songs

#174 Purple Rain- Prince

Leave a comment

I only wanted to one time to see you laughing/
I only wanted to see you/
Laughing in the purple rain.

Perhaps the “Purple Rain” is some sort of apocalyptical rain at the end of times. So, when Prince says he wants to see his love laughing in the “Purple Rain” he is wishing that his love with her would have lasted forever. But the love didn’t last—so he tells us in the song. Other than that, he is vague on the origin of the phrase.

We do know that the relationship did not work out the way he wanted. She treated him like a “weekend lover”, when he was looking for more. He hints that she might have been seeing other people. Prince wants all of her.

Purple Rain Meaning
Prince

The music in “Purple Rain” is superb. Prince’s songs are always produced super tight. They never sound like they were made in one take. There is a lot of instruments, and experimentation involved and a lot of precision demanded. The first half of the song is fairly simple, but then the rest of the band comes in along with a choir and symphony and that is when you hear the complexity of the album.

As always, Prince’s voice sounds solid, and he is experimental with his voice and vocals. He will squeeze way too many words into one line in a way that only works for him and give off a few weird sounds as he ad-libs. The outro is special. The guitar solo coupled with Prince ad-libbing over “Purple Rain” makes the song.

More Prince.

Purple Rain Lyrics

I never meant to cause you any sorrow,
I never meant to cause you any pain.
I only wanted to one time to see you laughing.
I only wanted to see you
Laughing in the purple rain.

Purple rain, purple rain,
Purple rain, purple rain.
Purple rain, purple rain,
I only wanted to see you
Bathing in the purple rain.

I never wanted to be your weekend lover.
I only wanted to be some kind of friend.
Baby, I could never steal you from another,
It’s such a shame our friendship had to end.

Purple rain, purple rain,
Purple rain, purple rain.
Purple rain, purple rain,
I only wanted to see you
Underneath the purple rain.

Honey, I know, I know
I know times are changing.
It’s time we all reach out
For something new, that means you too.

You say you want a leader,
But you can’t seem to make up your mind.
I think you better close it,
And let me guide you to the purple rain.

Purple rain, purple rain,
Purple rain, purple rain.
If you know what I’m singing about up here
C’mon, raise your hand.

Purple rain, purple rain,
I only want to see you,
Only want to see you
In the purple rain.

written by Prince

1980s songs, looking for love

#170 Last Worthless Evening- Don Henley

1 Comment

Just gimme a chance/
To show you how to love again.

In “Last Worthless Evening” Don Henley sees a woman on the street and sees that she is struggling finding love. Hey, he is struggling too. It is been nearly two years for him since he found a real connection with someone. But he sees something in this girl. He is going to take her under his wing—if she’ll give him a chance to show her how to love again.

Don Henley’s “Last Worthless Evening” essentially offers the woman a choice: take a chance on him and it might be your last worthless evening ever, or continue on as you are with your heartbreak and pain. When you put it that way it seems like Henley’s at least worth a shot.

Last Worthless Evening Meaning
Don Henley

Henley plays a bit of a hero/savior character in the song. He is going to rescue her and take her and treat her well till her heart is on the mend. It is a romantic thought. However, Henley appears to just know this woman from afar. Guys get notions in their heads like this sometimes, though. We think we can fix things.  “Just be with me and you won’t have anymore worthless nights”. It is a fairy-tale he is selling, but perhaps it has a chance of being a life that is better than the one she currently has. Who knows?

Last Worthless Evening Lyrics

I know you broke up with him,
And your heart’s still on the shelf.
It’s been over two years for me,
And I’m still not quite myself.

You can’t be with someone new,
And you can’t go back to him.
You’re beginning to realize
That it’s sink-or-swim.

I see you around sometimes,
And my heart just melts.
You’re lookin’ like if you had your wish
You’d be somewhere else.

And it just breaks my heart
To see you here this way.
Someday I’ll get the nerve,
To walk up to you and say,

“This is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.
Just gimme a chance,
To show you how to love again.”

“This is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.
‘Cause I’ll be there,
When your broken heart is on the mend.”

Every night it’s the same old crowd
Smoky rooms.
You catch a faint glimpse of love sometimes,
But it never blooms.

I’ve been around this block a time or two.
And I’ve made some big mistakes,
But girl I promise you, I promise you,
This is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.
Just gimme a chance
To show you how to love again.

This is the last worthless evening,
That you’ll have to spend.
‘Cause it won’t be long,
‘Til your little heart is on the mend.

Hey, hey, hey, hey,
(Time, time, tickin’, tickin’, tickin’ away).
(Time, time, tickin’, tickin’, tickin’),
(Time, time, tickin’, tickin’, tickin’ away),
(Time, time, tickin’, tickin’, tickin’).

People inside their houses
With the shades pulled down.
God knows, we could use some romance
In this sleepy bedroom town.
I know you’re still afraid to rush into anything…

But there’re just so many summers,
And just so many springs.
And this is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.

Just gimme a chance, gimme a chance,
To show you how love again.
This is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.
‘Cause it won’t be long,
‘Til your little heart is on the mend.

That you’ll have to spend,
Just gimme a chance, darling,
To show you how to love again.
This is the last worthless evening,
That you’ll have to spend.
’cause it won’t be long,
‘Til your broken heart is on the mend.

written by Don Henley