80s Music A-Z: E

The candidates for the letter E all released their first albums in the early 80s, as opposed to the late 70s, as many of the previous entries have done.

The first candidate is one of those bands that everyone has heard, whether they realize it or not. The English Beat released the song "Save It For Later" , from the album Special Beat Service, hit the airwaves in 1982. If you heard it now, you'd recognize it. If that one didn't ring any bells, then this one would. The problem there is that that song, "Tenderness", is actually by General Public.It featured the lead vocalists of The English Beat, Dave Wakeling, and Ranking Roger, so it obviously doesn't really qualify, but you did recognize it, right? Thought so.
The real reason for disqualifying The English Beat as the letter E, is that they aren't really The English Beat. No, they had to go by that name in the US to avoid confusion with an American band called The Beat. They're called The British Beat in Austrailia.
The Beat (American version) had a catchy song that I had on a compilation album, and I remember, but I don't think they made much of a splash here in the states. They were called Paul Collin's Beat in the UK. And to confuse things even more, both bands toured together in a tour called "Two Beats Hearting as One". So, okay, that leaves them out.

The next candidate is one of those bands that everyone has heard, and they KNOW that they've heard them. The Eurythmics were a pop duo that released their first album, In the Garden, in 1981, but really hit it big with their second one in 1983. It was called Sweet Dreams( Are Made of This ) and the song of the same name was a HUGE hit for them, reaching number 1 in the US and Canada. If the name of the song isn't familiar (and how could it not be?), you probably remember the video, in which lead singer Annie Lennox sported a suit and tie and a short-short bright red haircut.
They had a string of hits in the 80s, like "Here Comes the Rain Again" and "Would I Lie To You."
But, ultimately, Eurythmics is not our representative for the letter E because, let's face it, as great as those songs are, you're probably a bit tired of them. In fact you probably heard it on the radio today during the 80s Lunch Break, or whatever they're calling it. (Seriously, guys, there were more than 20 songs that were recorded during the 80s).

Echo and the Bunnymen is our letter E. Who?, you may ask. I don't know them, you may say. Yes, you do. They became famous in the US when their song "Bring On the Dancing Horses" was featured in the film Pretty In Pink in 1986.  You probably know "Lips Like Sugar", too, although neither song really did much on the charts here, it's probably a safe bet that you know at least those songs.
So, why have these guys as the illustrious letter E?
Look at the haircuts! Like the entry for C, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen scream 80s, with attitude, sound, and look.
For the featured song from them, I'm going with "Seven Seas" from 1984. Not only is it a great song, but it features lead singer Ian McCulloch dressed a girl. How could I not show that one?

So, representing the letter E is Echo and the Bunnymen and the song "Seven Seas."

Letter F is next. Will it be the obvious? C'mon, you know who I mean. Check back to see.
And as always, thanks for playing.