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PODCAST

I Completed 80s Music

The 80s Mixtaper

In 2016 I started listening to every single UK chart entry from January 1st 1980 to December 31st 1989. This is the story of that journey, the bands, the music and how 80s music unfolded through lots of lovely playlists. If you’re new to 80s music, consider this a great entry point. If you’re here for nostalgia, you’re in for a treat! Wham! Duran Duran, Billy Ocean, Bros, The Smiths - you name it, I have you covered. As midlife crises go, it could be worse! Cover art by Florian Schmetz. Go check

music music history

All Episodes

31:49

Ep 36, Feb 82 Adrian Gurvitz, Diana Ross, Toni Basil,...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2026/02/20

Do you want the best chant of the 80s? Or how about Soft Cell's best song? Well you're in the right place. Whether it's "Hey Mickey" or "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" and everything inbetween, this episode has it all as we slip into February 1982 and playlist 36. We kick off with Adrian Gurvitz putting aside his rock roots to write a Classic. Diana Ross gets introspective and funky with her post Motown catalogue before Nick Heyward becomes a hearthrob with Haircut 100. Toni Basil drops one of the standout

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32:48

Ep35.5 Jan 81 Tight Fit, Hall and Oates, Theatre Of...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2026/02/13

Whether you want to sleep in the jungle with a lion (bit weird) or go wild in the country, we have you covered as we complete January 1982! Its the second half of playlist 35 and we kick off with the aforementioned childhood memory by Tight Fit but explore the deeper darker history of the track. Next up Hall & Oates bring their A-Game and drop I Can't Go For That which it turns out, isnt a love song. Theatre of Hate take us to the Westworld, watch out for dodgy Yul Brynner looking characters

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39:44

Ep 35 Jan 82 Stranglers, Mobiles, Lindsey...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2026/02/06

If you're looking for a pod describing the rhyming scheme of "truly" and "Julie", look no further! Yes as we begin our ascent of the 1982 charts, the 80s Mixtaper acts as our musical sherpa. We'll be stopping along the way to muse on the Stranglers' multi-meaning Golden Brown, feeling the chill of the cold war with Mobiles' Drowning in Berlin before Lindsey Buckingham gets us into trouble, amongst others (including Shakin Stevens' Julie and it's rhyming scheme). 1982 starts with a bang, join the

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26:01

Ep 34 Dec 1981, Kool and the Gang and the End of 1981...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2026/01/30

Get down on this podcast! Today, we reach the end of 1981! Can you believe that we're a fifth of the way through this journey already?! And as such, we feature but one song, the only remaining song to mention for 1981 and playlist 34 (the one that stupid here should have just tacked on to episode 33.5). Yes folks, we get cool with Kool and the Gang and their classic hit Get Down On It. Then, a little revue of 1981 and what it meant in the pop zeitgeist, before we hand out some metaphorical awards to

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28:20

Ep33.5 Dec 81 Rolling Stones, Foreigner, Altered...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2026/01/23

Step right up as we complete the last full playlist of 1981 and the back end of playlist 33. What an episode we have. Are the Rolling Stones going to break up? Do Foreigner know they have one of the most iconic ballads of the 80s? Are Altered Images happy?Will Jon & Vangelis find their way home? Does Rod Stewart want to be a young turk and do ABBA simply want to go their separate ways? We'll probably answer none of this but have a bloody good go at speculating based on the facts, opinions and

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36:32

Ep 33 Dec 81 Bucks Fizz, Status Quo, Duran Duran,...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2026/01/16

This episode will transport you back to the land of make believe (or the 80s, same difference) as we hit December 1981. In playlist 33 we get a Christmas Number one which the band didnt even want to release but which becomes one of the legendary songs of the decade. Duran Duran fill time between their debut album and Rio with a disco throwback, Status Quo get all misty eyed about rock and roll and Madness write cover a love song which by 1994 has me crooning outside a balcony at 3am. Yes folks,

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28:41

Ep 32.5 Nov 81 Pretenders, Soft Cell, Queen,...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2026/01/09

Don't go to sleep on this episode! For one it ends with Meatloaf's Dead Ringer For Love, so you'll be wide awake again.In the second half of playlist 32, we transport you back to the end of November 1981. The Pretenders kick off proceedings with a desperate lament about love in a song which would take on sadder meaning in their future. Soft Cell then transport us to a lonely Bedsit after the party has ended, before Queen and David Bowie release one of the greatest almost accidental duets ever

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35:22

Ep 32 Nov 81, Fun Boy Three, Modern Romance, Diana...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2026/01/02

A lunatic has taken over the podcast! (Frankly he was never away). Or rather Fun Boy Three do, as we move forward into deepest November 1981 with Playlist 32. Messrs Hall, Staples and Golding become FB3 and launch their debut single as we explore the messy split from the Specials and what came next. Modern Romance then continue their formulaic party song rise through the charts and Diane Ross breaks from Motown. Earth Wind and Fire reinvent themselves for the new decade, Dollar with the help of

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34:43

Ep 31.5 Nov 81 Kool & the Gang, Saxon, ABC, Rush,...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/12/18

A modern day podcaster, mean mean stride, today's podcaster, mean, mean pride.Lets not Rush (geddit?) through this episode, as we explore the back half of playlist 31. Yes folks, we enter November 1981 with an eclectic mix of funk, synthpop wizardry and more 80s flavours. Kool and the Gang kick off our show continuing their stretch of great 80s tunes with Steppin Out. We then pivot into introducing Saxon to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal picture with their steam powered song Princess of the

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48:31

Ep 31, Oct 81, Laurie Anderson, Bob Seger, Julio...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/12/10

It may be Autumn 1981 but you won't need your duffle coat where we're going! Hot holidays, hot driving in the california hills, hot reggae and hot funk all feature in the first half of playlist 31.We start with perhaps one of the most polarising tracks of the decade, an art installation in its own right, O Superman by Laurie Anderson, raising questions about the purpose of the state and the superficial image of protection. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band then rev up the convertible and take us

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37:10

Ep 30.5 Oct 81Foreigner, Olivia Newton-John, Human...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/11/24

We're back with the back half of playlist 31 and stories of rock glory from the best decade in pop. In this episode we introduce arena rock giants Foreigner to the picture with their apocryphal tale of the fan who sees a concert and becomes a rock star in their single Jukebox Hero. We don our best spandex, head and wrist warmers and get Physical with Olivia Newton-John and send the 80 work out revolution into overdrive (who's mum went to a Jazz and Tap class?). We get one of the most

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42:07

Ep 30 Oct 81Police, Billy Squier, Elvis Costello,...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/11/11

Eclectic Much?Yup playlist 30 continues to demonstrate that even towards the end of 1981, the new decade is still embryonic in it's flavours. We kick off with The Police pivoting away from the reggae punk style as they focus on their next album Ghost in the Machine and break out the single Invisible Sun. Next we don our stripper heels and swing on the pole to Billy Squier's Stroke Me, which actually is a song more aligned with greasy politicians and magnates! Elvis Costello goes country with Good

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43:15

Ep29.5 Sept 81 Dave Stewart, Japan, Depeche Mode, Bad...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/11/03

It's my podcast and I'll cough if I want to! Actually, I manage to hold it together for this entire episode despite the Autumn sniffles as we dive into Autumn 1981. We kick things off with Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin's synthy rework of "It's My Party" before questioning whether Japan's "Quiet Life" may have been the inspiration for a lot of the new romantic sounds. "Just Can't Get Enough" is both the next song and an apt description of how the single kicked off Depeche Mode's meteoric rise. To

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51:32

Ep 29 Sept 81Joan Armatrading, Tubes, Godley and...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/10/24

Dont you ever, dont you ever, stop listening to this podcast! Yes folks, we're back after a short holiday and we're into the early offings of Autumn 1981 as we break into the first half of Playlist 29. We kick off with Joan Armatrading evolving her sound with "I'm Lucky", before meeting San Francisco rockers The Tubes. We then explore Godley and Creme's significant impact on the pop culture media of the decade and their song "Under Your Thumb".Then, the moment we've all been waiting for (well, 5 of

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42:09

Ep 28.5 Aug 81 Ottawan, OMD, Rolling Stones, Cliff...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/10/10

We rejoin the 80s Mixtaper as summer comes to an end in 1981. As we hit the back six of playlist 28 we start with school disco classic, Hands Up by Ottawan before slipping into something more comfortable with the deeply introspective Souvenir by OMD. We then discuss whether Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones was their large great song, before strapping on our roller skates for a tour round Milton Keynes and Cliff Richard for Wired for Sound. We then capture the end of Linx's hit run with So This Is

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95:24

I Completed 80s Music Special: Interview with Justin...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/10/02

Justin Lewis discusses his new book, Into the Groove, a month-by-month exploration of 1980s music that blends major events with overlooked moments.They cover his record-shop roots, influences like Annie Nightingale and Janice Long, the rise of video and hip-hop, Live Aid and the decade’s lasting impact on modern pop. This one's a cracker! Enjoy.

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51:06

Ep 28 Aug 81 Human League, Modern Romance, Dollar,...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/09/29

Join The 80s Mixtaper as he walks through Playlist 28 of his decade-long mission, spotlighting seven key 1981 tracks from bands — Human League, Modern Romance, Dollar, Simple Minds, Stevie Nicks, The Pointer Sisters and Genesis — with background stories, chart context and an extra guest interview coming about 80s music history. Links to Playlist 28: Spotify Apple Music In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are: 1. The Human League - Love Action 2

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35:14

Ep 27.5 Aug 81 Kim Wilde, Randy Crawford, Classix...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/09/19

In this episode of "I Completed 80s Music" we explore the back six tracks of Playlist 27 as we step into August 1981.Host The 80s Mixtaper revisits Kim Wilde's "Water on Glass," Randy Crawford's take on "Rainy Night in Georgia," Classixs Nouveaux's "Inside Outside," the controversial one-hit wonder "Japanese Boy," UB40's protest anthem "One in 10," and U2's early single "Fire," tracing their chart runs and cultural context. Links to Playlist 27 Spotify Apple Music In case the playlist hyperlinks

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36:56

Ep 27 Jul 81 Bill Wyman, Squeeze, Duran Duran, Shakin...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/09/12

Join The 80s Mixtaper as he dives into Playlist 27 (mid‑July 1981), unpacking seven landmark tracks — from Bill Wyman's franglais oddity and Squeeze's soul‑tinged 'Tempted' to Duran Duran's provocative 'Girls on Film', Shakin' Stevens' chart‑topping 'Green Door', Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday' campaign anthem, Soft Cell's synth‑pop smash 'Tainted Love', and Siouxsie and the Banshees' haunting 'Arabian Nights'. Hear the stories, chart tales, and cultural moments behind each song.Links to Playlist

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28:35

Ep 26.5 Jul 81, Kate Bush, Candido, Carl Carlton,...

I Completed 80s Music ·

2025/09/05

In this episode of "I Completed 80s Music" we dive into the second half of Playlist 26 (mid‑July 1981), spotlighting tracks from Kate Bush, Candido, Carl Carlton, Spandau Ballet, ABBA and Paul Gardiner, and exploring how these songs shaped the club and pop scenes of 1981.Find Spotify and Apple Music playlists and the full track listing in the episode description, and join us next week for more 80s favourites. Links to Playlist 26 Spotify Apple Music In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on

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