80s Music A-Z: H

We come to the letter H in our trip through the musical 80s alphabet. And, surprisingly, there are quite a few choices for the representative act.

We start with a band that you would think would be the apex of 80s culture- Haircut One Hundred. If there is one thing that defined the 80s besides corporate greed, it was the fashion. Particularly, the haircuts. (See my entry on the letter F for more about this. Hint: Flock of Seagulls.) So, it stands to reason that a band with the name Haircut One Hundred would be the poster boys for 80s sartorial splendor. But, just look at these guys.

They look more like members of the a yacht club than a new wave band. Nick Heyward even has a scarf over his shoulders (or a sweater. What exactly is that thing?), for goodness sakes. A couple of members of the band are actually wearing sweaters. And Khakis! They probably should have stayed with one of their original band names- Boat Party.  If your grandma wouldn't have even given them a second glance at the time then,  Nope. Not 80s enough. The song, however, is undeniably catchy and ear-wormy.

Who's next? Let's try Hall & Oates.

Okay, they actually got their start in the 70s, and had some major hits in that decade, like "Sara Smile" and "Rich Girl", which hit number one in the U.S. in 1977. But it was in the 80s that they really hit it big with the albums Voices and Private Eyes, released in 1980 and 1981, respectively.  For the first three years of the decade, no single from the duo charted lower than number 9 in the U.S.. (With the exception of one single, "Your Imagination.")
But, inevitably, on any tribute to 80s music, there will be at least one of their hits. "Private Eyes", "Maneater", "Kiss On My List". One of those will be there. And they did sport the other haircut that defined the 80s, the mullet . But, since they really did have multiple hits in the 70s, it wouldn't be fair to have them be the representative for the 80s.

A somewhat obscure H in the 80s music world was an Australian band called Hoodoo Gurus. Forming in 1981, Hoodoo Gurus never had an album that charted in the top 100 in the United States. Although, the 1989 album Magnum Cum Louder almost got there at number 101. They were a big hit with the alternative/ college charts, however. Their first album, Stone Age Romeos, stayed number one for 7 weeks after its release. In 2007, they were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame and have been performing, on and off, since forming. Here is, possibly, the one song that you might remember from Hoodoo Gurus.

Catchy, right? But, maybe a bit too obscure to be the face of the letter H. Especially considering the next candidate.

Quickly, before we get to our official H selection, there is one more band that began with the letter H that bears mentioning. Heaven 17 didn't make much of a splash in the states, with only one song, this one,  hitting the top 100. But, the two ( and really only) members Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, were founding members of the band that takes our top spot today. Due to what Wikipedia calls "personal and creative tensions" they left that band to form Heaven 17. When they departed, they allowed the other band member, Phillp Oakley, to keep the name, along with all of the debts and commitments that they had made. This led Oakley to scramble to even have a band.
He and his then girlfriend recruited two girls that were dancing in a nightclub to act as backing vocals and dancers. These two girls appear on the cover of the band's most popular album, but didn't actually participate in the recording at all. That album was Dare and the band is The Human League. And if you haven't heard of the Human League, then you have never listened to any 80s music compilation nor 80s Lunch Hour on the radio, because, they are perhaps the epitome of 80s pop music and the only real choice to represent the letter H.

So, of course you've heard this one a million times. Which is why I am choosing a different song from the album Dare. This is "Open Your Heart."

What will represent the letter I? I can tell you that we'll probably be getting a bit cold before we unveil the answer.