1980 - Your complete When It Was Cool Guide to the year 1980 in pop-culture, music, and more.
By: Karl Stern
I turned nine years old in 1980. These extensive "Year in Review" articles are meant to be guides to the greatest years of When It Was Cool retro pop-culture. But please remember, we need your help to keep our website going so consider helping us out on Patreon.
Major Events that Happened in 1980:
January 20, 1980: The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 to win the NFL Super Bowl XIV (14). Chuck Noll is the coach and the MVP of the game was Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
January 29, 1980: The Rubik’s Cube is introduced at the British Toy and Hobby Fair. The Rubik’s Cube puzzle came becomes an international sensation and a pop culture fad of the early 1980s but still endures as a popular toy until this very day.
February 13, 1980: The Winter Olympics begin, taking place in Lake Placid, NY. The United States men’s hockey team won the gold medal in 1980 despite not being expected to advance very far. The winning game became known in pop culture as “The Miracle on Ice”.
February 19, 1980: AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott dies at the age of 33 after a night of heavy drinking in London.
March 21, 1980: The United States announces it is boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in protest of the U.S.S.R. invading Afghanistan. Numerous other countries follow and boycott as well.
March 22, 1980: The mysterious Georgia Guidestones are erected near Elberton, Georgia. Check out our podcast DragonKing Dark - Oddities of Georgia for more on our trip to visit the Georgia Guidestones.
April 14, 1980: Iron Maiden release their self titled debut album. Iron Maiden become one of the most influential and popular groups in hard rock.
May 18, 1980: Mt. Saint Helens volcano in Washington State erupts killing 57 people and causing billions of dollars in damage.
May 21, 1980: Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back, the second movie in the Star Wars franchise, is released.
May 22, 1980: Pac Man, one of the most popular arcade video games of all time, is released, originally in Japan, but soon in the United States where Pac Man becomes a pop culture sensation.
June 1, 1980: CNN, the first major 24 hour cable news network debuts.
October 21, 1980: The Philadelphia Phillies win the Major League Baseball World Series defeating the Kansas City Royals four games to one.
November 4, 1980: Ronald Reagan wins the general election for President of the United States of America by defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter.
November 21, 1980: Television ratings are smashed when viewers tune into the popular prime time drama Dallas to find out the answer to the question that pop culture fans have asked all summer long - Who shot J.R.?
The Billboard Top 100 Songs of 1980
1) "Call Me" - Blondie
2) "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" - Pink Floyd
3) "Magic" - Olivia Newton-John
4) "Rock with You" - Michael Jackson
5) "Do That to Me One More Time" - Captain & Tennille
6) "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Queen
7) "Coming Up" - Paul McCartney
8) "Funkytown" - Lipps Inc
9) "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" - Billy Joel
10) "The Rose" - Bette Midler
11) "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" - Rupert Holmes
12) "Cars" - Gary Numan
13) "Cruisin" - Smokey Robinson
14) "Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl" - The Spinners
15) "Lost in Love" - Air Supply
16) "Little Jeannie" - Elton John
17) "Ride Like the Wind" - Christopher Cross
18) "Upside Down" - Diana Ross
19) "Please Don't Go" - KC and the Sunshine Band
20) "Babe" - Styx
21) "With You I'm Born Again" - Billy Preston and Syreeta
22) "Shining Star" - The Manhattans
23) "Still" - Commodores
24) "Yes, I'm Ready" - Teri DeSario & KC
25) "Sexy Eyes" - Dr. Hook
26) "Steal Away" - Robbie Dupree
27) "Biggest Part of Me" - Ambrosia
28) "This Is It" - Kenny Loggins
29) "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time" - The Spinners
30) "Let's Get Serious" - Jermaine Jackson
31) "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" - Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes
32) "Sailing" - Christopher Cross
33) "Longer" - Dan Fogelberg
34) "Coward of the County" - Kenny Rogers
35) "Ladies' Night" - Kool & the Gang
36) "Too Hot" - Kool & the Gang
37) "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" - The SOS Band
38) "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" - Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer
39) "More Love" - Kim Carnes
40) "Pop Muzik" - M
41) "Brass in Pocket" - The Pretenders
42) "Special Lady" - Ray, Goodman & Brown
43) "Send One Your Love" - Stevie Wonder
44) "The Second Time Around" - Shalamar
45) "We Don't Talk Anymore" - Cliff Richard
46) "Stomp!" - The Brothers Johnson
47) "Heartache Tonight" - Eagles
48) "Tired of Toein' the Line" - Rocky Burnette
49) "Better Love Next Time" - Dr. Hook
50) "Him" - Rupert Holmes
51) "Against the Wind" - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
52) "On the Radio" - Donna Summer
53) "Emotional Rescue" - The Rolling Stones
54) "Rise" - Herb Alpert
55) "All Out of Love" - Air Supply
56) "Cool Change" - Little River Band
57) "You're Only Lonely" - J.D. Souther
58) "Desire" - Andy Gibb
59) "Let My Love Open the Door" - Pete Townshend
60) "Romeo's Tune" - Steve Forbert
61) "Daydream Believer" - Anne Murray
62) "I Can't Tell You Why" - Eagles
63) "Don't Let Go" - Isaac Hayes
64) "Don't Do Me Like That" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
65) "She's Out of My Life" - Michael Jackson
66) "Fame" - Irene Cara
67) "Fire Lake" - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
68) "How Do I Make You" - Linda Ronstadt
69) "Into the Night" - Benny Mardones
70) "Let Me Love You Tonight" - Pure Prairie League
71) "Misunderstanding" - Genesis
72) "An American Dream" - The Dirt Band
73) "One Fine Day" - Carole King
74) "Dim All the Lights" - Donna Summer
75) "You May Be Right" - Billy Joel
76) "Should've Never Let You Go" - Neil & Dara Sedaka
77) "Pilot of the Airwaves" - Charlie Dore
78) "Hurt So Bad" - Linda Ronstadt
79) "Off the Wall" - Michael Jackson
80) "I Pledge My Love" - Peaches & Herb
81) "The Long Run" - Eagles
82) "Stand by Me" - Mickey Gilley
83) "Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar
84) "Déjà Vu" - Dionne Warwick
85) "Drivin' My Life Away" - Eddie Rabbitt
86) "Take the Long Way Home" - Supertramp
87) "Sara" - Fleetwood Mac
88) "Wait for Me" - Hall & Oates
89) "Jojo" - Boz Scaggs
90) "September Morn" - Neil Diamond
91) "Give Me the Night" - George Benson
92) "Broken Hearted Me" - Anne Murray
93) "You Decorated My Life" - Kenny Rogers
94) "Tusk" - Fleetwood Mac
95) "I Wanna Be Your Lover" - Prince
96) "In America" - Charlie Daniels Band
97) "Breakdown Dead Ahead" - Boz Scaggs
98) "Ships" - Barry Manilow
99) "All Night Long" - Joe Walsh
100) "Refugee" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Top Movies of 1980:
These are the top 10 movies of 1980 as ranked by IMDB.com. This is their rankings not ours.
1) The Shining (1980)
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
2) Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
3) Raging Bull (1980)
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent
4) Airplane! (1980)
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker | Stars: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5) The Elephant Man (1980)
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud
6) Gates of Heaven (1978)
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Lucille Billingsley, Zella Graham, Cal Harberts, Dan Harberts
7) The Blues Brothers (1980)
Director: John Landis | Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway, John Candy
8) Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Levon Helm, Phyllis Boyens-Liptak
9) The Fog (1980)
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, John Houseman
10) Caddyshack (1980)
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight
If you found this article interesting consider becoming a Patreon supporter. That is how When It Was Cool keeps our website and podcasts online, plus you get lots of bonus content including extra and extended podcasts, articles, digital comics, ebooks, and much more. Check out our Patreon Page to see what's up!
If you don't want to use Patreon but still want to support When It Was Cool then how about a one time $5 PayPal donation? Thank you!
