What Are the Last Distinct Songs of Each Era

[Glass Joe]

Like in the other thread, we discussed the possible first hits of each era. How about what the last hits of each era that lingered into the next decade are? I have a few ideas.

70s: Lipps Inc. “Funky Town.” I still can’t believe this is from 1980. I would have guessed 1975!

80s: Either “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” or “No Mistakes” by Patty Smyth featuring Don Henley. Or “Faithful” by Go West. It’s a tie because all 3 of these songs sound very 80s, but they came out around the same time in 1992 / 1993.

90s: A tie between “Hands Clean” by Alanis Morisette and “Here is Gone” by the Goo Goo Dolls. Both 90s sounding songs charted at the same time in Spring to Summer of 2002.

00s: I’m not too sure on this, but it could be either “According to You” by Orianthi or “If You Only Knew” from Shinedown. Or even “Hey Soul Sister” by Train. All are from 2010, but not much 00s sound after that.

10s: There is still music today that sounds like the 10s, so cannot be determined just yet.

[Deleted]

This was the last big hit of the Hair Metal era. It peaked at #8 in October of 1992, more than a full year after Nevermind dropped and nine months after Smells Like Teen Spirit peaked at #6 on the Hot 100 in January of '92. While some hair bands like Bon Jovi did have hits over the next couple of years (and Firehouse themselves had a minor hit in 1995), those songs didn't really fit into the Hair Metal style, whereas this song sounds like it came out 3-4 years too late. If Hair Metal was a movie, this would be the song that played over the end credits.




While the line between the Electro-Pop/Club Boom era of the Late 2000s and Early 2010s and the EDM of the Mid 2010s is quite blurry, I'd say that these two songs were the l'd classify and more Club Boom than EDM, both of them being hits in late 2012 to early 2013.


I can't say this for sure, but I have a feeling that this will be the last hit song to have an EDM drop for quite some time.

[Glass Joe]

Oct 19, 2021 10:56:55 GMT -5 @gabingston said:

This was the last big hit of the Hair Metal era. It peaked at #8 in October of 1992, more than a full year after Nevermind dropped and nine months after Smells Like Teen Spirit peaked at #6 on the Hot 100 in January of '92. While some hair bands like Bon Jovi did have hits over the next couple of years (and Firehouse themselves had a minor hit in 1995), those songs didn't really fit into the Hair Metal style, whereas this song sounds like it came out 3-4 years too late. If Hair Metal was a movie, this would be the song that played over the end credits.




While the line between the Electro-Pop/Club Boom era of the Late 2000s and Early 2010s and the EDM of the Mid 2010s is quite blurry, I'd say that these two songs were the l'd classify and more Club Boom than EDM, both of them being hits in late 2012 to early 2013.


I can't say this for sure, but I have a feeling that this will be the last hit song to have an EDM drop for quite some time.

All good choices! I forgot about Firehouse, as that was definitely a great song to finish out the hair metal era. Along with “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” by Def Leppard which I think peaked in October 1992 also. Even though Def Leppard also had hits in 1993 and 1994, they weren’t quite as 80s sounding by that point. Like Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, their sound kind of changed by that point too.

[Dielawn]

"Heart In Motion" was the last true 80's album

[Glass Joe]

Oct 19, 2021 12:44:17 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

"Heart In Motion" was the last true 80's album

Good point! I was thinking about mentioning her also. Wilson Phillips also sound 80s, but I think their major hits were a little bit before Amy’s hits.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

I always thought of the two Patty Smyth hits as sounding very early 90s.

The 90s ended with the final boy band hits a la BSB and N sync in 2001 + Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson and other pop leftovers.

[Dielawn]

Could we say this even?




Did the breakdown at 2:40 where you hear the "I-i-it's The Cataracs" strike anyone else as particularly ripped straight out of 2010/11?





The other two were dance-pop, this is just pure-pop, slightly different category.
This was the absolutely the last song with that early 2010's Dr. Luke production style.

[JukeboxJacob]

This seems a lot more difficult than the opposite thread IMO. Here's my ideas:

70's: Celebration - K & The Gang (1981), I think it's safe to call this disco
90's: Float On - Modest Men (2004), sounds like 90's alternative to me
00's: Not A Bad Thing - Justin Timberlake (2014), this might be a bit of a stretch because the song's production is pretty clean, but JT never really moved on from the 2K's sonically.
10's: My Head & My Heart - Ava Max, other than squeaky clean production, it sounds like something straight outta the 2014-2015 school year.

I didn't do 80's because the music era from 86-95 bores me so I'm not too familiar with it.

[Dielawn]

Oct 19, 2021 19:15:43 GMT -5 JukeboxJacob said:

.
10's: My Head & My Heart - Ava Max, other than squeaky clean production, it sounds like something straight outta the 2014-2015 school year.

That's interesting, what makes you say that?

And also how would you define squeaky clean production?

[JukeboxJacob]

Oct 19, 2021 19:26:23 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Oct 19, 2021 19:15:43 GMT -5 JukeboxJacob said:

.
10's: My Head & My Heart - Ava Max, other than squeaky clean production, it sounds like something straight outta the 2014-2015 school year.

That's interesting, what makes you say that?

And also how would you define squeaky clean production?

These things are kinda hard to put into words. It just sounds super mid-2010's to me. And I feel like the production is a bit smoother than if it were to have actually been made in 2014/15.

[Dielawn]

Oct 19, 2021 19:31:05 GMT -5 JukeboxJacob said:

Oct 19, 2021 19:26:23 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

That's interesting, what makes you say that?

And also how would you define squeaky clean production?

These things are kinda hard to put into words. It just sounds super mid-2010's to me. And I feel like the production is a bit smoother than if it were to have actually been made in 2014/15.

Yeah you hit the nail with the 2014-15 school year 😂 Sidenote, is this chick the child of Lady Gaga and Iggy Azalea?

[JukeboxJacob]

Oct 19, 2021 19:35:40 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Oct 19, 2021 19:31:05 GMT -5 JukeboxJacob said:

These things are kinda hard to put into words. It just sounds super mid-2010's to me. And I feel like the production is a bit smoother than if it were to have actually been made in 2014/15.

Yeah you hit the nail with the 2014-15 school year 😂 Sidenote, is this chick the child of Lady Gaga and Iggy Azalea?

I don't really see resemblance to Iggy, but the Gaga influence is obvious af

[Dielawn]

Oct 19, 2021 19:40:24 GMT -5 JukeboxJacob said:

Oct 19, 2021 19:35:40 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

I don't really see resemblance to Iggy, but the Gaga influence is obvious af

The hair and make-up made me think Iggy. She looks like a lot of pop stars put in a blender tbh, she is hot af though. Perhaps also a white version of Tinashe?

Would you say this video also looks dated? I was thinking it kind of looks like a shot-for-shot remake of "We Run The Night" from Havana Brown

[JukeboxJacob]

Oct 19, 2021 19:47:54 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Oct 19, 2021 19:40:24 GMT -5 JukeboxJacob said:

I don't really see resemblance to Iggy, but the Gaga influence is obvious af

The hair and make-up made me think Iggy. She looks like a lot of pop stars put in a blender tbh, she is hot though. Perhaps also a white version of Tinashe?

Would you say this video also looks dated? I was thinking it kind of looks like a shot-for-shot remake of "We Run The Night" from Havana Brown

yeah I agree

[iHype.]

Boy Krazy - "That's What Love Can Do" was a Pop radio hit in 1993, but it sounded very ending of 80s.

Also Krewella's "Alive" which was big on Pop radio in 2013 struck me as sounding very dated at that point. I think it could've easily fit in 2009 with 3OH3, Kesha, Metro Station etc.

[Dielawn]

Oct 20, 2021 6:06:07 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Also Krewella's "Alive" which was big on Pop radio in 2013 struck me as sounding very dated at that point. I think it could've easily fit in 2009 with 3OH3, Kesha, Metro Station etc.

Huh? 🤔 None of those are EDM acts. I thought "Alive" was very reflective of that moment in 2013 as dance-pop hits were turning into EDM hits

[iHype.]

Oct 20, 2021 13:02:04 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Oct 20, 2021 6:06:07 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Also Krewella's "Alive" which was big on Pop radio in 2013 struck me as sounding very dated at that point. I think it could've easily fit in 2009 with 3OH3, Kesha, Metro Station etc.

Huh? 🤔 None of those are EDM acts. I thought "Alive" was very reflective of that moment in 2013 as dance-pop hits were turning into EDM hits

I didn't say any of them were EDM acts.

They all made Dance-Pop, and as you said "Alive" is Dance-Pop. It sounded moreso dated late 00s Dance-Pop to me at that point rather than 2013, the production was very cheap. 

Kinda also somehow reminds me of The Veronica's "Untouched". (Maybe cause it was Dance-Pop by a duo of two women)

[Dielawn]

Oct 20, 2021 13:38:42 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Oct 20, 2021 13:02:04 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Huh? 🤔 None of those are EDM acts. I thought "Alive" was very reflective of that moment in 2013 as dance-pop hits were turning into EDM hits

I didn't say any of them were EDM acts.

They all made Dance-Pop, and as you said "Alive" is Dance-Pop.

As dance-pop hits were turning into EDM hits, I meant as in "Alive" was an EDM hit. The difference is dance-pop songs usually don't have a 'drop', after that build-up "I know what it feels like, come and make me feel alive..." then there's that beat that goes on for a while with no vocals

[Dielawn]

Oct 20, 2021 13:56:42 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Oct 20, 2021 13:38:42 GMT -5 iHype. said:

I didn't say any of them were EDM acts.

They all made Dance-Pop, and as you said "Alive" is Dance-Pop.

As dance-pop hits were turning into EDM hits, I meant as in "Alive" was an EDM hit. The difference is dance-pop songs usually don't have a 'drop', after that build-up "I know what it feels like, come and make me feel alive..." then there's that beat that goes on for a while with no vocals

Some songs like "Die Young" started to have that in 2012 but that was because dance-pop was morphing into EDM-pop, which then just gave way to EDM crossovers like "Alive".. IMHO

[Glass Joe]

Oct 20, 2021 6:06:07 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Boy Krazy - "That's What Love Can Do" was a Pop radio hit in 1993, but it sounded very ending of 80s.

Also Krewella's "Alive" which was big on Pop radio in 2013 struck me as sounding very dated at that point. I think it could've easily fit in 2009 with 3OH3, Kesha, Metro Station etc.

Good point, “That’s What Love Can Do” does sound very 80s. That may have been one of the last 80s sounding songs that was a hit.

[Dielawn]

Oct 24, 2021 18:16:45 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

Oct 20, 2021 6:06:07 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Boy Krazy - "That's What Love Can Do" was a Pop radio hit in 1993, but it sounded very ending of 80s.

Also Krewella's "Alive" which was big on Pop radio in 2013 struck me as sounding very dated at that point. I think it could've easily fit in 2009 with 3OH3, Kesha, Metro Station etc.

Good point, “That’s What Love Can Do” does sound very 80s. That may have been one of the last 80s sounding songs that was a hit.

The melody and overall vibe sounds very Bananarama but isn't the production pretty early 90's?

[mkarns]

Oct 24, 2021 18:24:59 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Oct 24, 2021 18:16:45 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

Good point, “That’s What Love Can Do” does sound very 80s. That may have been one of the last 80s sounding songs that was a hit.

The melody and overall vibe sounds very Bananarama but isn't the production pretty early 90's?

It's a composition and production from Stock-Aiken-Waterman, who were dominant in the late 1980s. I think this hit has the same identifiable style, but they updated the production (less synth/electro reliant) so that it didn't seem too dated for the 1990s pop marketplace. That at least was good enough for one, and only one, major hit for Boy Krazy.

[Glass Joe]

Oct 24, 2021 18:24:59 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Oct 24, 2021 18:16:45 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

Good point, “That’s What Love Can Do” does sound very 80s. That may have been one of the last 80s sounding songs that was a hit.

The melody and overall vibe sounds very Bananarama but isn't the production pretty early 90's?

That’s true, I would say late 80s / early 90s since those years go together well anyway. Boy Krazy seems to fit in well with Expose, the Cover Girls, and Sweet Sensation who had hits in the early 90s.

[Dielawn]

Oct 31, 2021 16:21:38 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

Oct 24, 2021 18:24:59 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

The melody and overall vibe sounds very Bananarama but isn't the production pretty early 90's?

That’s true, I would say late 80s / early 90s since those years go together well anyway. Boy Krazy seems to fit in well with Expose, the Cover Girls, and Sweet Sensation who had hits in the early 90s.

Yes and no though, as soon as the '90s came around, particularly 1991, the gated snare sound went away, as did that 80's reverb sound

[Glass Joe]

Oct 31, 2021 20:23:51 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Oct 31, 2021 16:21:38 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

That’s true, I would say late 80s / early 90s since those years go together well anyway. Boy Krazy seems to fit in well with Expose, the Cover Girls, and Sweet Sensation who had hits in the early 90s.

Yes and no though, as soon as the '90s came around, particularly 1991, the gated snare sound went away, as did that 80's reverb sound

That’s a good point. 1991, especially the second half, was a transition point where things changed pretty significantly in the music world. I would still say that 1990 and maybe the first half of 1991 blend in well with the last 2 years of the 80s.

[Dielawn]

Nov 1, 2021 0:35:41 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

Oct 31, 2021 20:23:51 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Yes and no though, as soon as the '90s came around, particularly 1991, the gated snare sound went away, as did that 80's reverb sound

That’s a good point. 1991, especially the second half, was a transition point where things changed pretty significantly in the music world. I would still say that 1990 and maybe the first half of 1991 blend in well with the last 2 years of the 80s.

Exactly 👏 Interesting to wonder if something like Janet Jackson's "(Love Will Never Do) Without You" could have been a hit in the second half of 1991

[Deleted]

Nov 1, 2021 13:47:51 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Nov 1, 2021 0:35:41 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

That’s a good point. 1991, especially the second half, was a transition point where things changed pretty significantly in the music world. I would still say that 1990 and maybe the first half of 1991 blend in well with the last 2 years of the 80s.

Exactly 👏 Interesting to wonder if something like Janet Jackson's "(Love Will Never Do) Without You" could have been a hit in the second half of 1991

It would've been a hit, simply because of how huge Janet Jackson was at the time. Maybe not AS big, but at least a Top 10 hit.

[Glass Joe]

Nov 1, 2021 13:47:51 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Nov 1, 2021 0:35:41 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

That’s a good point. 1991, especially the second half, was a transition point where things changed pretty significantly in the music world. I would still say that 1990 and maybe the first half of 1991 blend in well with the last 2 years of the 80s.

Exactly 👏 Interesting to wonder if something like Janet Jackson's "(Love Will Never Do) Without You" could have been a hit in the second half of 1991

Hard to say, because it could have gone either way. On one hand, Madonna went on to have many hits in the 90s despite the fact that her 90s songs like Deeper and Deeper still sounded like 80s songs. But on the other hand, other 80s sounding groups like Wilson Phillips couldn’t seem to score a big hit after the Spring of 1991.

Funny that none of us mentioned Madonna. I even just thought of her now. She had hits all the way into the mid 90s with I’ll Remember and Take a Bow that sound 80s-like too. I guess she should be credited for keeping the 80s sound around the longest.

[Deleted]

Oct 19, 2021 16:14:46 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

"Gurl, slow down the song so I can see more of them long tan legs" - Florida Georgia Line, probably

[Dielawn]

Nov 3, 2021 10:34:54 GMT -5 Glass Joe said:

Nov 1, 2021 13:47:51 GMT -5 Dielawn said:

Exactly 👏 Interesting to wonder if something like Janet Jackson's "(Love Will Never Do) Without You" could have been a hit in the second half of 1991

Hard to say, because it could have gone either way. On one hand, Madonna went on to have many hits in the 90s despite the fact that her 90s songs like Deeper and Deeper still sounded like 80s songs. But on the other hand, other 80s sounding groups like Wilson Phillips couldn’t seem to score a big hit after the Spring of 1991.

Funny that none of us mentioned Madonna. I even just thought of her now. She had hits all the way into the mid 90s with I’ll Remember and Take a Bow that sound 80s-like too. I guess she should be credited for keeping the 80s sound around the longest.

I think you might be talking about the overall vibe of those Madonna songs you mentioned, but I was speaking musically and production-wise, I thought Madonna actually dropped 80's production before anybody else, her Like a Prayer album (which was recorded in 1988) has early 90's sounding beats (like the beat on "Vogue" , "Deeper and Deeper", Cathy Dennis's hits, etc.). 80's beats have hard hitting gated snares, none of those Madonna songs you mentioned have that.

I kind of see what you're talking about with "Take A Bow", but I think that's just too adult contemporary to call 80's

Madonna's True Blue was the last time she did true 80's production. I mean listen to the beat on "Papa Don't Preach", it sounds nothing like anything she released after the True Blue era.