In 1984, I proudly wore a red Michael Jackson “Beat It” jacket to school. Repeatedly. Without embarrassment.
I would have continued to wear that jacket, but one day, a classmate wore the actual red Michael Jackson “Beat It” jacket. Like, from the music video.
The classmate was the understudy in a hit Broadway Show called The Tap Dance Kid, and Michael gave it to him as a gift.
Looking back on that now, it’s a little creepy. But at the time, it was humiliating. I never wore that cheap-ass imitation jacket to school again.
The point is, 1984 was bonkers when it came to music. It ruled our lives.
I’m not just being nostalgic. Look at this list of jams.
Prince – When Doves Cry
Bruce Springsteen – Dancing in the Dark
Wham! – Careless Whisper
Sade – Smooth Operator
Van Halen – Jump
Don Henley – Boys of Summer
Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time
You’d be lucky to have ONE of these drop in a year, but all within a few months of each other? C’mon now!
And these were just the bangers. Even the bottom of the charts was slamming.
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam – I Wonder If I Take You Home
Animotion – Obsession
Shannon - Let the Music Play
The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make?
Depeche Mode - People Are People
Peter Schilling - Major Tom
I don’t know if it was all that cocaine, or the DMX drum machines, or the advent of parachute pants, but something happened in 1984 that snapped the music business out of a slumber.
George Orwell got the year right, but he missed the mark on the prediction.
Big Brother wasn’t watching. He was moonwalking.
This earthquake in music is chronicled in detail by music journalist and Substacker,
, who wrote the book on the subject: Can’t Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop’s Blockbuster Year.In a conversation on my podcast Write About Now, Matos made a compelling case that ’84 wasn’t just a good year for music—it was the best year ever.
Here’s why:
1. The Music Industry Made a Full-Blown Comeback
After a major sales slump in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the industry rebounded in ’84 thanks to a perfect storm: Thriller was still dominating charts two years after its release, MTV was becoming a national force, and a new wave of pop stars had fully arrived.
Says Matos:
"Records had sold less and less each year from 1979 to 1982. By 1984, the recovery was in full swing. And it was explosive. It was the first year in a long time where it felt like everyone was buying records again, talking about them, watching the videos. The energy was back."
2. It Was the Year of Peak Michael, Prince, Madonna, and Bruce
Every era has its superstars. But 1984 had a whole damn Mount Rushmore of them.
"You had multiple artists firing on all cylinders at the same time. That’s rare. Prince, Madonna, Bruce, Michael—they were all in their prime."
Case in point:
Thriller, which dropped from heaven in 1982, was still selling millions in 1984. It took MJ two years to release the "Thriller" music video, but when he did, it was a national event. People, much younger than I, still do that dance every Halloween.
Prince dropped Purple Rain—the movie and the album—which included the #1 single of the entire year, "When Doves Cry” and some other songs you may be familiar with, like, I dunno, “Let’s Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U”…
Madonna performed “Like a Virgin” in a wedding dress at the very first MTV VMAs. The very first!
As if that wasn’t enough, Bruce Springsteen released Born in the U.S.A., tying Thriller for the most top 10 singles off one album.
The album’s title track would be misinterpreted by MAGA decades later and ultimately banned from being played at Trump rallies.
3. Technology Transformed Everything
1984 was a turning point in how music was made and consumed.
Compact Discs (they weren’t called CDs yet) were just entering the market.
Cassette tapes had officially outsold vinyl.
And synthesizers and drum machines were the new sound of pop. The Roland TR-808 was everywhere, and the Toms' sound is still a force in hip hop, pretty much replacing the bass.
4. Every Genre Had a Moment
No matter what music was in your Aiwa, something in your lane was peaking. From pop to punk to early hip-hop, it felt like every genre got its spotlight moment.
Pop/Rock: "Jump," "Dancing in the Dark," "The Reflex"
R&B: Tina Turner’s comeback with "What’s Love Got to Do With It"
Hip-Hop: Run DMC. Roxanne Shanté. Herbie Hancock’s Grammy performance of "Rockit" brought scratching into the mainstream.
Dance: The seeds of house and freestyle were planted with records like Shannon’s "Give Me Tonight."
Alternative: R.E.M. and Hüsker Dü were turning punk into something new and melodic.
5. Even the One-Hit Wonders Hit Hard
How big was 1984?
“1984 was so stacked that even the bench players were making bangers. It was ridiculous.”
Some of these bench players I actually sat next to in my personal life.
In 1984, my dad, Michael Small, the best film composer ever, teamed up with the rising pop star named John Waite to write a song for the movie Firstborn.
I’ll never forget the day John Waite came to our house in suburban New York to meet my dad. This was when his song “Missing You” was on MTV every hour.
John wore ripped black jeans and earrings, reeking of cologne.
To my dad’s annoyance, all my friends showed up earlier that day and hid in my room, craning to hear the conversation through the walls.
The single was never released. But the memory? Seared into my brain forever.
7. The Power Ballads Were… Actually Powerful
Oh, sure, you can roll your eyes, but you know you get a little choked up when you hear Phil Collins’ "Against All Odds." That was my breakup song, and I still get a pit in my stomach when it comes on the radio.
Same with Foreigner’s "I Want to Know What Love Is."
Call me a sap, but I want you to show me!
8. Do They Know It’s Christmas Made Pop Matter
Before there was “We Are the World,” there was Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” which IMO is a far superior piece of musical charity.
Sting singing, “The bitter STING of tears…” Bono’s chilling, “Well, tonight, thank God it’s them instead of you.” The Phil Collins drum solo on the 12”?
Lights out.
We talked a lot more about 1984’s impact on the podcast, so I encourage you to listen. As an added bonus, I put my DJ skills to work and mixed in a bunch of music for your listening pleasure.
Sure, the magic would continue through the rest of the ’80s, but something shifted. We were living through it, so we didn’t realize 1984 wasn’t normal. This wasn’t how music always worked.
Something rare was happening under our noses—something that would never quite happen again.
To quote Matos:
"There was something in the air. Everybody was just on their game."
"It was the end of the monoculture in a way. After this, everything began to splinter. But for that one year, everyone was tuned in to the same frequency."
Want more Gen X deep dives, cultural throwbacks, and smart conversations with like-minded people? Subscribe to Small Talk. Because we Gen X-philes deserve each other.
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