The growing popularity of Michael Jackson which started in 1983 also set
foot in 1984 especially after the video for "Thriller" was released.
Even though the content of the video was controversial at that time, it
was also groundbreaking, and it revolutionized the music industry and the
world of pop by breaking down the racial barriers and transforming the
music video into a work of art.
Even at the other end of the Atlantic the 1983 started with a small
scandal which involved Frankie Goes To Hollywood who got banned by BBC
for almost a year due to the explicit lyrics and provocative
video for their biggest hit "Relax". Despite this fact, the band managed to have major success around the world with their debut album, "Welcome
to the Pleasuredome". This was also the first big success for ZTT
Records and three times platinum in the UK. Towards the end of the year
the Frankie Goes to Hollywood ban was slowly lifted and "Relax" was the
ultimate anthem of 1984 introducing the Frankie Says Relax trend.
With the growing popularity of MTV, in 1984 the first MTV Music Awards
were given away at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. Among the
winners were Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Herbie Hancock.
Madonna has not been up for awards, but manged to make prominence
and shake the pop world with her performance at the VMA's.
Just ahead of Christmas when 1984 was in the fade out, a group of
musicians headed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure got together for a good
cause, forming Band-Aid. This was a group of musicians who recorded a
song to raise awareness and funds for the Ethiopian famine in 1983–1985.
It included more than 40 musicians, and it sold over two million copies
around the globe and raised more than $24 million.
Towards the end of the year New Gold Dream which could easily be
translated as the golden era of new Wave slowly began to vanish and
became clear that the new musical term was Pop.
01. Bronski Beat - Small Town Boy
02. Echo & The Bunnymen- The Killing Moon
03. Talk Talk - It’s My Life
04. Prince - When Doves Cry
05. Billy Idol - Eyes Without a Face
06. Cyndi Lauper- Time After Time
07. Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love
08. Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Around
09. Duran Duran - New Moon on Monday
10. Alphaville - Big in Japan
11. A-ha- Take on Me
12. Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain
13. Madonna - Borderline
14. Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls '84
15. Gary Numan- Berserker
16. Siouxsie and The Banshees - Dazzle
17. Eurythmics - Here Comes the Rain Again
18. Frankie Goes To Hollywood- Two Tribes
19. The Smiths - What Difference Does it Make
20. The Style Council - Shout to the Top
22. Bruce Springsteen - Dancing in the Dark
23. Laura Branigan- Self Control
24. Alphaville - Forever Young
25. Limahl - Neverending Story
26. George Michael - Careless Whisper
27. Prefab Sprout - When Love Breaks Down
28. Talk Talk - Such A Shame
29. The Chills - Pink Frost
30. Cocteau Twins- Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops
31. This Mortal Coil - Kangaroo
32. Siouxsie and The Banshees - Swimming Horses
33. Alphaville- Sounds Like a Melody
34. Propaganda - Dr Mabuse
35. Malcolm McLaren - Madame Butterfly
36. Ultravox - Dancing with Tears in My Eyes
37. Depeche Mode - People are People
38. Fad Gadget - Collapsing New People
39. Eurythmics - Sexcrime
40. Les Rita Mitsuoko - Marcia Baila
41. The Killing Joke - Eighties
42. The Pretenders - Middle of the Road
43. Simple Minds - Speed Your Love to Me
44. Nik Kershaw- Wouldn’t it be Good
45. Wham! - Everything She Wants
46. Scritti Politti - Hypnotize
47. Section 25- Looking from the Hilltop
48. The Human League - The Lebanon
49. Depeche Mode- Blasphemous Rumours
50. Lloyd Cole and The Commotions - Forest Fire