THE FIRST IN A SERIES

Simple explanation. Twenty-five example of why 1984 was the greatest year in music history. You must judge on the merits of the music itself, not necessarily the music video (that's an entire different posting). So here we go with my evidence:

Turn Up The Radio (Autograph)...always thought this could be a great Def Leppard song
A Fine Fine Day (Tony Carey)...great story being told
Drive (The Cars)...and not just because of Paulina in the vid
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Phil Collins)...on every breakup mix tape
Relax (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)...banned in many nations, great drive to it
I Can Dream About You (Dan Hartman)...pure 80's
The Boys Of Summer (Don Henley)...maybe the finest of this collection, an all-time classic
Rebel Yell (Billy Idol)...fantastic intensity to the bridge
Original Sin (INXS)...underrated early effort
I Feel For You (Chaka Khan)...music and lyrics by Prince, harmonica by Stevie Wonder
Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)...absolute tear-jerker, very evocative
Cool It Now (New Edition)...early rap experimentation, nice fusion of pop and bubblegum
Sister Christian (Night Ranger)...if only for its use in "Boogie Nights," but also great piano
Oh Sherrie (Steve Perry)...love the acapella to start, this guy has got some pipes
Wrapped Around Your Finger (The Police)...the final massive hit before their breakup
Let's Go Crazy (Prince & The Revolution)...alright, maybe this is the best song of 1984
When Doves Cry (Prince & The Revolution)...the absence of any bass is, well, revolutionary
Rock You Like A Hurricane (Scorpions)...guitar rock at its German best
Love Somebody (Rick Springfield)...won't get the credit, but better than "Jessie's Girl"
It's My Life (Talk Talk)...severely underrated tune that was remade recently by No Doubt
What's Love Got To Do With It (Tina Turner)...Grammy winner for Song of the Year
Pride (In The Name Of Love) (U2)...their first mainstream U.S. hit
Jump (Van Halen)...this just screams summertime staple
Missing You (John Waite)...a jumble of perfectly conflicted emotions
Careless Whisper (Wham!)...written when George Michael was just 17 years old

And, in the issue of fairness, let me present ten songs that make the argument against (no explanation necessary for any of them):

Strip - Adam Ant
Robert DeNiro's Waiting - Bananarama
Blue Jean - David Bowie
Stay The Night - Chicago
Sexy Girl - Glenn Frey
Method Of Modern Love - Hall & Oates
Centipede - Rebbie Jackson
Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
Operator - Midnight Star
Mr. Telephone Man - New Edition